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Shareholders Invest $23 Million in Skyports for Vertiports and Drone Services

At the first close of its Series B round of funding, Skyports received $23 million in investments from new and existing shareholders. (Photo: Hanwha Systems/Skyports)

At the close of its latest funding round, Skyports announced that it had raised $23 million in capital from both new and existing investors. With access to these new funds, Skyports—a provider of infrastructure solutions for advanced air mobility (AAM) and cargo drone deliveries—will be able to accelerate its work in developing and implementing take-off and landing infrastructure in addition to being able to scale operations of its drone services.

The CEO of Skyports, Duncan Walker, remarked that their goal is to be the leading vertiport owner and operator worldwide. “The support of our original investors who have deep experience in aviation and infrastructure and the addition of new capital from world class companies with a global footprint enables us to build the air taxi eco-system alongside our best-in-class vehicle partners for initial operations within a couple of years,” he stated in the company’s announcement.

Another priority for the company is sustainability, and in particular, reducing carbon emissions. The drone services they offer, which include cargo delivery and surveillance solutions, are part of the aviation industry-wide effort to reduce carbon emissions. According to Walker, Skyports’ drone business is expanding, and he sees their competitive advantages as technology development and expertise in regulation and operation of unmanned aircraft.

Existing shareholders Deutsche Bahn Digital Ventures, Solar Ventus, Groupe ADP, Irelandia, and Levitate Capital all participated in this Series B round of funding. New investors included the Japanese conglomerate Kanematsu Corporation, the global industrial property group Goodman Group, Italian airport platform 2i Aeroporti (backed by Ardian’s Infrastructure Fund and F2i Italian Infrastructure Fund), and U.S.-based VC firm GreenPoint, according to Skyports. The company will gain two new board members, including a representative from Kanematsu Corporation and the CEO of DHL eCommerce, Ken Allen.

Skyports designs, builds, and operates vertiport networks in major cities to enable air taxi and cargo drone services. (Photo: Skyports)

Towards the end of last year, Skyports announced plans to set up a vertiport in Paris, France, and begin commercial operations in 2024 in time for the Paris Olympics. If successful, this would be the first commercial vertiport in Europe. The Skyports vertiport will feature technologies such as re-charging equipment, weather stations, biometric identity management, and situational awareness capabilities.

Skyports formed a partnership with Eve Urban Air Mobility, a subsidiary of Embraer, in June 2021. Their objective is to create a concept of operations for urban air mobility (UAM) and advance integration of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in Asia and in the Americas. Skyports’ Duncan Walker commented, “Our partnership with Eve paves the way for rapid innovation in UAM, accelerating innovation to meet the growing demand for eVTOL services.”

The post Shareholders Invest $23 Million in Skyports for Vertiports and Drone Services appeared first on Aviation Today.

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NASA Workshop Defines Progress and Goals for Advanced Air Mobility Integration

A workshop led by NASA this week offered an in-depth perspective on the progress of advanced air mobility (AAM) so far and the upcoming milestones for advancing and integrating AAM into the current airspace. (Photo: NASA)

NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Ecosystem Working Groups (AEWG) hosted a virtual workshop this week featuring discussions on AAM integration. Starting in June, the AEWG will develop more formal roadmaps based on the priorities and sequencing discussions taking place during this week’s workshop. Robert Pearce, NASA’s Associate Administrator, Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, shared his perspective on AAM integration strategies. Two other representatives from NASA, Davis Hackenberg and Ken Goodrich, also discussed some of the next steps for establishing an AAM ecosystem.

NASA’s Robert Pearce emphasized that safety, sustainability, and scalability are top priorities for developing and integrating AAM. At the most basic level, AAM connects individuals to resources, services, employment, and community. As AAM evolves, Pearce stated, it will begin with providing air taxi services and delivery of goods, but the community is bound to find endless ways that AAM can add value. He sees access to healthcare as one area that will offer the most benefit for individuals. “Many Americans today—and people across the globe—living in rural areas don’t have access to healthcare. Imagine if AAM can increase the reach of our global healthcare systems and provide direct access to world-class healthcare,” he explained. “I look at the investments we make, and the benefits on the other end. If we can [achieve] scalability, this is going to deliver value many many times what we put into it.”

Some important challenges that NASA is in the process of addressing are propulsion reliability, noise impact and mitigation, and vehicle safety. The AEWG, Pearce noted, is helping to bring all of these elements together and facilitate coordinated progress in the approach to AAM integration. Pearce emphasized safety in particular: “You have to see safety distributed throughout. The National Campaign series creates an opportunity for more and more complexity in the architecture and in the operations, demonstrating that in flight where needed, to show what’s possible and where the issues are.”

Development of system architecture for AAM is one of the things that Pearce hopes to see next, in addition to research on autonomy and automation in general, for vehicles, the airspace, vertiports, and other areas. “That’s where we should start: to conceive of and develop and integrate automation architecture across all those elements,” he said. “We need to line up our collective efforts to that architecture. If we’re going to be scalable, we’re going to need that.”

Davis Hackenberg, AAM Project Manager of the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, shared the big-picture ecosystem goals for AAM. Moving from the Operational Safety Demonstration phase, he said, it will be necessary to hit certain milestones for the next phase: Initial Commercial Operations.

These are the upcoming goals and areas of focus that Hackenberg outlined for developing the AAM ecosystem:

Initial AAM ConOps Development (by the end of 2022)
Mature Certification Projects (2022)
1st-Generation AAM Aircraft (2023)
Initial Aircraft Personnel Training & Licensing (2024)
Initial Operational Approvals (2024)
Integrated Low-Volume Airspace Operations (2024)

In 2025 and beyond, the focus will evolve into localized high-tempo operations, and then scalable, weather-tolerant operations. Initial infrastructure deployment should occur by the end of 2027, and we will see second-generation AAM aircraft before 2029. Finally, by the end of 2030, Hackenberg envisions automated flight and integration of automated systems. “We align our portfolio with how we see this ecosystem progressing and find areas where we can be leaders, build technologies, and partner with those in the industry,” he said.

Davis Hackenberg shared a diagram illustrating AAM and highlighting the four stages of maturity for integrated AAM operations. (Photo: NASA)

NASA’s Ken Goodrich, Deputy Project Manager for Technology, explained their system for defining progression in urban air mobility (UAM)—a framework referred to as UMLs, or UAM maturity levels. At maturity level one (UML 1), Goodrich said, “missions typically occur at the edges of the urban area. A key challenge of AAM is community integration; we see operations in much closer proximity to communities.” The focus will need to be providing benefits to the public, and “industry needs to be able to provide products and services that make investments worthwhile,” according to Goodrich.

At UML 2, initial commercial operations will leverage mainly existing infrastructure and will occur in just a few metropolitan areas to start. The selected regions at UML 2 will be likely to have favorable conditions for UAM including market volume, community acceptance, and weather conditions. Operations would also be taking place within the current national airspace system (NAS). “We expect these to start with low tempo pressure and a small number of operations,” Goodrich stated. “This is where revenue begins, but the ability to scale is limited. We need to complete the type certification process, we need to have the ability to license qualified pilots, and the operators and operations need to receive operational approval.”

The post NASA Workshop Defines Progress and Goals for Advanced Air Mobility Integration appeared first on Aviation Today.

Cebu Pacific Equips Airbus A330neo fleet with SITA Swiftbroadband Cockpit Connectivity

Cebu Pacific received its first new Airbus A330neo, pictured here, in November, and will equip each of the aircraft with an upgraded version of SITA’s AIRCOM cockpit connectivity service. (Airbus)

Cebu Pacific Air, the Manila, Philippines-based low cost airline, will equip its fleet of Airbus A330neo aircraft with an upgraded form of SITA for Aircraft’s AIRCOM cockpit connectivity technology with Swiftbroadband-Safety (SB-S).

The AIRCOM connectivity is being factory-installed on a fleet of 16 new A330neos from an Airbus order first placed by Cebu Pacific in 2019, that now also includes a Flight Hour Services (FHS) materials management contract signed by the two companies during the 2022 Singapore Air Show last month. SITA first signed a global connectivity services distribution agreement with Inmarsat in 2017 to start leveraging Swiftbroadband-Safety within its suite of cockpit communication applications that it now brands as AIRCOM Cockpit Services.

SB-S is Inmarsat’s Aircraft Communication, Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) over Internet Protocol (IP) networking technology that permits previous aircraft data transmissions solely done over the legacy ACARS network to be done faster and cheaper using IP as a gateway for air-to-ground and aircraft-to-controller data transmissions and messaging.

Sumesh Patel, President of Asia Pacific, SITA, said in a statement that “Cebu Pacific is the first airline to take advantage of these capabilities to boost safety and deliver greater operational efficiencies on their new fleet.”

Three specific connection types are provided over SB-S, including character-based ACARS data services for Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Contract (ADS-C) and Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC). ADS-C, CPDLC, real-time prison reporting, and flight data streaming along with aircraft performance data downloads can also be provided over the SB-S prioritized IP channel. Additionally, the regular IP channel can be used as a voice and data communication channel for Airline Administrative Control (AAC) and Airline Operations Center (AOC) applications.

According to SITA, some of the specific applications Cebu Pacific can use on AIRCOM with SB-S that are not enabled without Swiftbroadband include real-time updates for flight optimization tools and graphical weather applications.

The SITA cockpit connectivity agreement for Cebu Pacific comes following the airline’s announcement earlier this month that it will begin expanding its domestic network, including re-starting flights to Siargao, Surigao, and Calbayog after closing those and many other routes due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions.

Cebu Pacific received its first A330neo in December and now has two of the 459-seat aircraft in its fleet. Mike Szucs, Chief Executive Adviser at Cebu Pacific, expects every Airbus model aircraft in its fleet to feature the new engine option variant by 2027.

“We turned to SITA given their expertise in the aircraft domain to help us navigate the challenges and complexities of the aircraft communications landscape, and prepare us for that future,” Javier Massot, Chief Operations Adviser, Cebu Pacific Air, said in a statement. “Having high-speed connectivity and greater capacity is essential to access more advanced digital applications that support decision-making onboard. It will enable our pilots and operational staff to access information in real-time and deliver a better service for our passengers.”

The post Cebu Pacific Equips Airbus A330neo fleet with SITA Swiftbroadband Cockpit Connectivity appeared first on Aviation Today.

Acciona Partners with Embraer’s Eve, Agrees to Invest $30 Million

The latest partnership announced by Eve is an agreement with Acciona, who will invest $30 million and contribute to Eve’s Board of Directors following the company’s business combination with Zanite Acquisition Corp. Eve is developing an eVTOL aircraft, imagined in the photo above, and has already received close to 1,800 pre-orders for the vehicle. (Photo: Eve)

On March 18, Embraer’s subsidiary, Eve Urban Air Mobility, announced a strategic partnership with the company Acciona—developer of renewable energy solutions and infrastructure—that includes an investment of $30 million into Eve. This investment will follow Eve’s business combination agreement with Zanite Acquisition Corp. agreement, after which Eve will list on the New York Stock Exchange. Acciona CEO José Manuel Entrecanales will also become a member of the Board of Directors as part of the new partnership. This is expected to take place in Q2 of this year.

Eve also formed another partnership with Global Crossing Airlines Group (GlobalX) that was announced last week. The two companies signed a Letter of Intent for GlobalX to order up to 200 electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft from Eve, which will likely be fulfilled in 2026 when Eve expects to begin eVTOL deliveries. The partnership extends beyond the order for Eve’s aircraft; GlobalX and Eve intend to work together in exploring urban air mobility (UAM) and development of a UAM ecosystem, including infrastructure to support eVTOL operations.

Revealed in yet another announcement from Eve last week, the company formed a consortium made up of leading UAM organizations including Skyports, L3Harris, and the Community Air Mobility Initiative (CAMI). The consortium aims to develop a concept of operations (ConOps) for UAM between Miami International Airport (MIA) and the Miami Beach Convention Center. “Miami-Dade County and Florida present a great opportunity for Eve to create a blueprint that can be replicated in markets in North America and other regions as we look toward the introduction of UAM operations,” remarked Eve’s co-CEO André Stein.

Eve Urban Air Mobility recently formed a consortium to develop a concept of operations for UAM in Miami, pictured in the rendering above along with Eve’s eVTOL aircraft. The company GlobalX, another new partner of Eve’s, has agreed to order up to 200 eVTOLs and anticipates significant expansion of operations in Miami and throughout southern Florida. (Photo: Eve)

The partnership between GlobalX and Eve will serve to reinforce the ConOps in Miami-Dade. In the company’s announcement, CEO of GlobalX Ed Wegel commented that Eve’s eVTOLs “will enable us to expand our market throughout south Florida, bringing our customers to their flights at MIA and FLL, as well as local flying within Key West and all of the Keys, Naples, and Palm Beach.”

Through all of these endeavors, Eve is committed to developing and delivering a sustainable UAM ecosystem. In its latest agreement, the strategic partnership with Acciona, Eve hopes to promote novel industrial initiatives such as vertiports and battery charging solutions, while leveraging Acciona’s expertise in building green infrastructure. Acciona’s José Manuel Entrecanales mentioned in the announcement from Eve that the global population is becoming more and more concentrated in large cities. “Keeping the climate footprint of these urban areas at bay is one of the greatest challenges of the decarbonization process we are all engaged in,” he said. “Urban air transport models such as the one proposed by Eve can be very useful when considering different sustainable mobility solutions. Participating in a project as innovative as Eve will allow us to continue advancing along that path.”

The CEO of Eve’s parent company Embraer, Francisco Gomes Neto, is confident in the market potential of future UAM operations. During Embraer’s annual results call earlier this month, he remarked that Eve has Embraer’s strategic support, which includes “access to infrastructure, extensive aircraft certification and manufacturing experience, and already established global network of services and support, intellectual property, and engineers as major differentiators from other projects.”

The post Acciona Partners with Embraer’s Eve, Agrees to Invest $30 Million appeared first on Aviation Today.

Textron Enters Agreement to Purchase Pipistrel and Form New eAviation Division

Pipistrel, creator of the Velis Electro aircraft, will be bought by Textron, according to an announcement from Textron last week. (Photo: Pipistrel)

Textron Inc. announced a purchase agreement on March 17 to acquire Pipistrel—developer of the Velis Electro electric aircraft. Once the purchase is finalized, Textron plans to create a new business segment called Textron eAviation, which will include Pipistrel and will focus on sustainable aircraft. Pipistrel’s CEO and founder, Ivo Boscarol, commented, “The joining of Textron and Pipistrel provides deep expertise and resources which would otherwise be inaccessible to Pipistrel alone. With Textron, we are together geared to strive for future growth and look forward to announcing exciting new products and projects.”

Textron expects the transaction to be finalized during Q2 of this year. The company’s long-term strategy to develop sustainable aircraft will be strengthened with the acquisition of Pipistrel and the creation of a dedicated business unit, Textron eAviation. The eAviation division will have its headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, and will incorporate Pipistrel’s expertise in sustainable flight in addition to Textron’s product design, certification, manufacturing, and aftermarket solutions, according to the company.

Chairman and CEO Scott Donnelly noted that Textron’s ultimate goal is to provide vehicles for applications ranging from urban air mobility and general aviation to cargo transportation and special missions. Donnelly also remarked that they intend to maintain Pipistrel’s existing headquarters and manufacturing in Slovenia and Italy in addition to continuing research and development.

Pipistrel’s Velis Electro aircraft received the first type certification for an electric aircraft from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in June 2020. The vehicle is still the only electric aircraft in the world to achieve EASA type certification. Last year, Pipistrel’s motors, motor controllers, and batteries were selected by the company Airflow for integration into Airflow’s fixed-wing proof-of-concept aircraft. CEO and co-founder Marc Ausman told Avionics in an interview that they chose Pipistrel’s products because the company “had the complete end-to-end system already integrated together [and] have already been tested to work together.”

Developments in aviation have proven to be a critical component of Textron’s recent growth. Textron’s total revenues in 2021 were 6% higher than in 2020, and their aviation segment accounts for 37% of last year’s total revenue. Furthermore, Textron Aviation is projected to grow 21% over the next two years and it is estimated that the Aviation segment will account for 42% of total revenues for 2022.

Just last week, Textron Aviation achieved Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) type certification for the Cessna SkyCourier, a large-utility twin-engine turboprop. According to the company, they are using some of the latest “advancements in aircraft manufacturing, including the use of monolithic machining throughout the airframe” in production of the SkyCourier. The aircraft was launched in 2017, and FedEx entered an agreement to purchase up to 100 units of the cargo variant for its fleet.

Along with Textron’s planned business segment, eAviation, which will be dedicated to sustainable flight, the company’s subsidiary Bell Textron also makes sustainability a strategic priority. Bell Textron is partnering with Safran Helicopter Engines to evaluate sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and its economic impacts; this partnership was recently announced during the HAI Heli-Expo event in Dallas, Texas. The collaboration between the two companies will include analysis of the technical performance of SAF to fuel Bell’s 505 helicopter, powered by Safran’s Arrius 2R engine.

The post Textron Enters Agreement to Purchase Pipistrel and Form New eAviation Division appeared first on Aviation Today.

Joby Earns FAA Approval of Initial Systems and Compliance Reviews

Joby announced both completion and approval of its first Systems Review and Compliance Review. (Photo: Joby Aviation)

Joby Aviation took another step towards certification of its fully electric aircraft in completing its first Systems Review and Compliance Review and earning Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval. The team completed both reviews at the end of 2021 and just recently announced FAA approval. Reaching this milestone confirms that Joby’s development approach, production design, and set goals for achieving certification are headed in the right direction.

The Compliance Review assessed the process of development and verification of Joby’s software and airborne electronic hardware. The Systems Review served to evaluate Joby’s approach to developing its aerospace-grade systems and equipment. Tom Ferrell, Development Assurance Lead at Joby, commented on the importance of a clear, repeatable process for development and verification of aircraft in ensuring safety. “Successfully completing our first Systems Review and Compliance Review demonstrates that Joby’s engineering practices are maturing to a level where they can be applied for the most demanding safety-critical development while producing all the required certification data to prove our design to one of the world’s toughest and most respected regulators,” Ferrell stated in the company’s announcement.

Looking ahead, the team will focus on completing additional reviews centered around “the validation of certification requirements, design capture, and implementation of that design in both hardware and software.” according to Ferrell. A launch date of 2024 is the company’s current target.

The electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that Joby is developing has undergone more than 1,000 flight tests. A representative of Joby also recently told Avionics International that the team plans “to conduct more flight tests in the coming year in partnership with AFWERX and other government supporters.”

In December of last year, Joby Aviation was awarded FAA Special Airworthiness Certification and U.S. Air Force Airworthiness Approval for their second pre-production prototype aircraft. Founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt remarked, “With two aircraft flying at the same time, we’ll be able to increase the speed of our learnings as planned, while continuing to fulfill the requirements of our Agility Prime contract.”

Joby is partnering with CAE to develop flight simulators for training pilots to operate eVTOL aircraft. Pictured above is JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby, and Marc Parent, president and CEO of CAE. (Photo: Joby Aviation)

Two other recent big milestone announcements came from Joby recently as well. On March 9, they shared news of a partnership with technology company CAE to develop training devices for flight simulation. These devices will eventually be used to train pilots for operation of Joby’s eVTOL aircraft. In February, Joby began FAA conformity testing of its systems and structures, entering the implementation phase of the type certification process. Lina Spross, Quality and Supply Chain Lead, explained, “Entering this stage of testing demonstrates that we’re capable of manufacturing composite parts in accordance with their design, our quality system is capable of producing conforming composite parts for the aircraft, and that we have the requisite traceability and design verification processes in place to progress toward our type and production certifications.”

The post Joby Earns FAA Approval of Initial Systems and Compliance Reviews appeared first on Aviation Today.

Pratt & Whitney Makes Strides With Sustainable Aviation Fuel and Hydrogen Propulsion Technology

Pratt & Whitney was awarded a DoE project for the advancement of hydrogen propulsion technology. This week, another announcement from the company shared the successful completion of a test on its GTF Advantage engine configuration involving the use of 100% sustainable aviation fuel. Pictured is one of the company’s GTF engine testbeds. (Pratt & Whitney)

Last month, Pratt & Whitney was awarded a U.S. Department of Energy Project to develop hydrogen propulsion technology. As part of this project, they are working to develop highly efficient hydrogen-fueled propulsion technology for the commercial aviation industry. The project, referred to as HySIITE (Hydrogen Steam Injected, Inter-Cooled Turbine Engine), involves the use of liquid hydrogen combustion and water vapor recovery to power aircraft with zero in-flight CO2 emissions. Another aim is to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by as much as 80%, and the team at Pratt & Whitney hopes to reduce aircraft fuel consumption by 35% for next-generation models.

Pratt & Whitney announced just this week that the team has successfully tested the use of 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to power its GTF Advantage engine configuration. Performing this test was a critical part of “an extensive development program to ready the GTF Advantage for entry into service in 2024, by validating the engine’s performance on 100 percent SAF in thrust transients, starting and operability,” according to the press announcement.

Pratt & Whitney’s GTF Advantage engine configuration was fueled with 100% sustainable aviation fuel in recent testing. (Photo: Pratt & Whitney)

Vince Sidwell, director of advanced concepts and technology for Pratt & Whitney, and his colleague Brent Staubach, associate director of advanced concepts and innovation, offered some insights on the company’s progress with hydrogen propulsion and SAF in an interview conducted via email with Avionics International. One of the most significant advancements from the company in recent years, according to Sidwell, is their GTFTM engine with geared turbofan technology. The engine “reduced fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 16% for single-aisle aircraft,” he said, “along with having 50% lower NOx emissions, and a 75% smaller noise footprint. Already, 1,200 GTF-powered aircraft in service have saved the equivalent of 600 million gallons of fuel, and 6 million metric tons of CO2.”

The HySIITE project awarded by the Department of Energy to Pratt & Whitney will be a continuation of the company’s work in the hydrogen-fueled propulsion field, Sidwell said. “It is directed at the development of gas turbine technology that is optimized to take full advantage of the cryogenic properties of liquid hydrogen fuel. If successful, we believe that our targeted 35% improvement in fuel efficiency (on a gate-to-gate energy basis), will be of great significance to making hydrogen a viable and sustainable fuel source for future commercial aircraft.”

Staubach went into more detail about the HySIITE configuration. Their team intends to increase overall efficiency and reduce emissions by incorporating water and steam injection throughout the mission rather than just during takeoff. “The concept is designed to recover water from the engine’s exhaust gas, using a condenser. This water can then be turned into steam and injected into the combustor, resulting in greater engine thrust and lower NOx emissions. Water can also be used to cool parts of the engine, further improving efficiency,” he said.

To take this approach, Staubach explained, a consistent supply of water is necessary, and this is achieved via water vapor recovery. “Hydrogen combustion generates a significant amount of water vapor available for recovery, and the liquified hydrogen fuel provides a cold sink to enable condenser efficiency. The technology challenge is developing a flight-weight and volume water recovery system.”

Three key focal points of the project are integrated system evaluation, notional component design, and component feasibility tests. While the HySIITE program does not include plans to perform any engine demonstrations, it does lend itself to accelerated ground demonstration, which could be done with off-the-shelf engines, Staubach wrote. He added that if there is sufficient funding, the HySIITE concept could potentially support entry into service of an aircraft sometime after 2035. “Viable service entry will also depend on incorporating the engine into an aircraft designed to carry hydrogen fuel and having a hydrogen delivery infrastructure available at airports.”

“We recognize that our technologies have a significant role in making this net-zero goal a reality—both through our drive to continually improve engine efficiency, and through our work to enable the use of non-fossil based alternative fuels, such as SAF and hydrogen,” Sidwell said. He added that the company has several test programs underway geared towards operation of engines with 100% SAF in the future. “We have committed to making next-generation engines like the GTF Advantage compatible with 100% SAF. We’re excited to also develop hydrogen technologies through the HySIITE project, which could contribute to net zero emissions by 2050 and the decades beyond.”

The post Pratt & Whitney Makes Strides With Sustainable Aviation Fuel and Hydrogen Propulsion Technology appeared first on Aviation Today.

USAF Pilots Conduct First-Ever Crewed eVTOL Flight with BETA Aircraft

U.S. Air Force Pilot Hank Griffiths flies BETA’s simulator in preparation for the test flight mission. (Photo: BETA Technologies/Brian Jenkins)

On March 9, 2022, two U.S. Air Force pilots became the first Airmen to fly an electric aircraft with military airworthiness approval—the ALIA, an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, developed by BETA Technologies. BETA has partnered with the Air Force’s Agility Prime program since 2020 to develop and refine their eVTOL, and the company hosted this milestone flight at their hangar and testing facility in Plattsburgh, New York.

In May 2021, BETA made headlines as the first company to receive airworthiness approval from the USAF for manned flight of an electric aircraft. This approval expanded their partnership to include access for the USAF to two of BETA’s immersive eVTOL simulators and its training facilities. A representative from BETA told Avionics International, recently that their work with the USAF and participation in the Agility Prime program is aimed at defining range, altitude capabilities, endurance, and payload limits for the ALIA aircraft as well as to improve the ALIA’s commercial viability. One goal for the BETA team in 2022, the representative said, is to perform testing of specialized cargo and logistics missions in coordination with the USAF.

Major Jonathan Appleby and BETA test pilot Camron Guthrie are performing a flight test in the ALIA aircraft at BETA’s  hangar and testing facility. (Photo: BETA Technologies/Brian Jenkins)

The fully-electric eVTOL aircraft was intended for cargo transportation, but it can seat up to five passengers in addition to a pilot. BETA’s team is working towards a top speed of 150 knots and a range of 250 nautical miles. Hank Griffiths, one of the two USAF pilots that flew the ALIA last week—and AFWERX’s Chief of Engineering and Airworthiness and Test Lead—stated in the announcement that the aircraft “includes an air vehicle and charging network that will surely compete well in this emerging competitive market.” Griffiths also commented that the company has truly embraced all aspects of aviation. “Every [BETA] employee is encouraged to take flight training. It has been a pleasure to work and fly with such a motivated and innovative group of people.”

BETA test pilot Lochie Ferrier (right) congratulates Hank Griffiths on successfully completing AFWERX’s first Airman flight of an eVTOL aircraft. (Photo: BETA Technologies/Brian Jenkins)

Major Jonathan Appleby, the other USAF pilot that conducted the first Airman flight of BETA’s aircraft for the Air Force, remarked, “I am excited to watch BETA continue to develop their revolutionary aircraft for civil and military use cases and grateful for the opportunity to experience electric flight.” BETA’s founder and CEO, Kyle Clark, also commented on the achievements of pilots Maj. Appleby and Hank Griffiths and the continuing progress of the partnership with Agility Prime. “We’re humbled by the Air Force’s continued support and confidence in our engineering,” Clark said. “This flight signifies an important milestone, providing the opportunity for a clean future for our nation’s military and a path to fossil fuel independence.”

The post USAF Pilots Conduct First-Ever Crewed eVTOL Flight with BETA Aircraft appeared first on Aviation Today.

FAA Committee Recommends New Regulations for Drone Operations

The FAA formed a committee last year to develop recommendations on standard regulations for drone operation in the U.S. and has now published a report summarizing their findings. (Photo: Commercial Drone Alliance)

The Federal Aviation Administration’s Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) Aviation Rulemaking Committee published a report last week with recommendations on standard regulations and guidance for drone operators. The BVLOS Aviation Rulemaking Committee, or ARC, was established nine months ago to analyze the current regulatory framework for uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and subsequently determine appropriate criteria to enable safe, scalable, and environmentally friendly UAS BVLOS operations in the U.S.

At the beginning of 2021, the FAA made its first approval of uncrewed BVLOS drone operations without human operators onsite. This was granted to American Robotics, a company that develops fully-automated commercial drone systems, to utilize their drone technology called the Scout System featuring advanced detect-and-avoid (DAA) capabilities. Prior to that approval, other waivers from the FAA had only allowed for flight along paths while monitored by observers. In June 2021, the FAA announced an amendment to recreational drone operations: from that point on, operators would be required to complete a safety test in order to fly drones in the U.S. Known as the Recreational Unmanned Aircraft Systems Safety Test (TRUST), the assessment is free to take, and it is available online.

The committee researching UAS BVLOS regulations found that the current aviation regulatory framework could not accommodate existing operations of unmanned aircraft, “and certainly not at the levels anticipated as the industry grows,” according to their report. While listing technical mitigations and operating recommendations, the report also prioritized a focus in the UAS industry on the needs of communities. This includes consideration of benefits to underserved areas, use of clean energy, and positive economic, environmental, and equity benefits for the public.

The BVLOS ARC first recommends setting a consistent acceptable level of risk for all types of UAS operations in order to give operators flexibility in adhering to the acceptable level of risk using various methods. Another recommendation is to make amendments to the right-of-way rules in low-altitude areas in order to accommodate uncrewed aircraft operations. These amendments included giving UAS the right of way in shielded areas (within 100 feet of a structure), giving UAS the right of way over any crewed aircraft that do not have Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) or Traffic Awareness Beacon Systems (TABS), and allowing right of way for crewed aircraft that are equipped with ADS-B or TABS and broadcasting their position.

The report from the FAA’s UAS-BVLOS committee explains that the Part 107 rule of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, issued in 2016, was an important first step to normalize and facilitate uncrewed aircraft operations. However, the ARC encourages the creation of a new Part 107, Remote Pilot Certificate with Small UAS Rating that would include Extended Visual Line of Sight (EVLOS) and shielded UAS operations to ensure that operators are knowledgeable on these topics. The ARC also encourages the FAA to establish a new BVLOS Rule for the UAS qualification process. The last recommendation highlighted in the report is that the FAA should adopt a “non-mandatory regulatory scheme for third party services to be used in support of UAS BVLOS operations.”

In writing these recommendations, the UAS-BVLOS ARC incorporated findings from empirical studies and data from reliable sources such as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Members of the committee represented diverse interests and viewpoints and were assigned to various groups to collaborate in developing recommendations for BVLOS operations. The first working group, which focused on community interests in safety, the environment, and security, included representatives from Airbus, AT&T, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), and the Helicopter Association International (HAI), among many others.

“Unlocking BLVOS will have a tremendous impact on the world, opening up opportunities only dreamed about in science fiction.” – John Vernon, CTO of DroneUp (Photo: DroneUp)

The second working group within the ARC examined market drivers and incorporated perspectives from organizations and enterprises such as the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), the Commercial Drone Alliance, DroneUp, Echodyne, FedEx, NUAIR Test Site, and T-Mobile, to name a few. Lastly, the third working group focused on regulatory concerns and invited input from representatives of the Flight Safety Foundation, National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), One Sky, and ASTM International among others.

John Vernon, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of DroneUp, represented the company as a participant in the UAS-BVLOS ARC and shared his thoughts on the committee’s findings in a statement released by DroneUp. “Unlocking BLVOS will have a tremendous impact on the world, opening up opportunities only dreamed about in science fiction,” he stated. “This report’s feedback and common-sense proposals represent the best from the technology, aviation, municipal, and societal leaders and provide a solid list of recommendations to rule-makers. We are excited to see how these recommendations will shape regulations that will propel this industry forward by providing a clear pathway to BVLOS.” He explained that DroneUp has focused on delivering solutions within current regulatory constraints, while others in the industry have claimed the lack of regulatory options as a barrier to their success. “We are immensely grateful to have had the opportunity to help shape the future of UAS for BLVOS operations,” Vernon remarked.

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U.S. Air Force Awards Contract to Electra and MIT for eSTOL Flight Controls

Electra.aero, in partnership with MIT, will be working to advance development of flight control systems that enable precise landings for its eSTOL aircraft. (Electra.aero)

Electra.aero, the hybrid-electric ultra-short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft developer, was awarded a Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II contract by the U.S. Air Force. Electra will work in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to develop enhanced flight control systems for landing its eSTOL vehicle. This follows several other contracts that have been awarded to the company, including a Phase I STTR contract which was awarded to the Electra-MIT team in 2021 to develop an eSTOL aero-propulsive model in addition to a flight control performance simulation and a vehicle sizing tool.

Electra was awarded a Phase III Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from the U.S. Air Force (USAF) just last month as part of the USAF’s Agility Prime program. This contract provided continued support in development of Electra’s hybrid-electric vehicle. The company has also received an investment from Lockheed Martin, who will collaborate with Electra in the development of potential solutions for the U.S. government. Another SBIR contract from the Air Force for $1.5 million—a direct-to-phase II contract—was awarded to Electra last year and will conclude in July 2022.

Now partnering with MIT, Electra will quickly develop “enhanced precision flight control systems for repeatable low-speed, ultra-STOL landings,” enabling safe operation of the eSTOL aircraft in spaces as small as 300 feet by 100 feet, according to the company’s announcement. The team plans to demonstrate said flight control system on a full-scale technology demonstrator later this year. Ben Marchionna, Electra’s Director of Technology and Innovation, told Avionics last month that the team is currently performing ground tests of the hybrid-electric propulsion system at their facility in Switzerland.

Part of the team at MIT that will be participating in this project is Dr. Steven Hall, Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He stated that he is looking forward to the opportunity to work in conjunction with both Electra and the USAF on the hybrid-electric eSTOL aircraft. “Electra’s distributed electric propulsion approach has great promise to improve STOL aircraft performance,” Hall remarked.

Chris Courtin, Lead Engineer of Flight Physics and Controls for Electra, commented, “We are delighted to continue working with MIT and the U.S. Air Force to develop state-of-the-art flight control systems for ultra-STOL aircraft. Reliable precision landings are key to Electra’s ability to deliver runway-independent operations with increased payload, range, and safety for both military and commercial uses.”

The eSTOL aircraft developed by Electra is designed with distributed electric propulsion and blown lift technology, and it will be capable of transporting nine passengers—or up to 1,800 pounds of cargo—at a range of up to 500 miles. It is also being developed to have greatly reduced noise emissions compared to conventional helicopters. The design of the vehicle includes a small turbine-powered generator, which can recharge the batteries mid-flight, meaning that construction of new ground charging infrastructure will not be necessary to support its operations.

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