The manufacturer has begun ground testing a new, more advanced full-scale prototype of its flagship VX4 air taxi after an initial prototype was damaged during an uncrewed flight test last year.

A failed pylon affected the way the aircraft’s flight control system communicated with its motors, causing it to tumble from about 30 feet in the air onto the runway at Cotswold Airport (EGBP) in the U.K.

Vertical’s latest prototype air taxi is more powerful, capable of reaching 150 mph—the intended cruise speed for its flagship model—courtesy of an improved power-to-weight ratio. It features new propellers, which were developed prior to last year’s crash, and proprietary battery technology manufactured at a dedicated facility in Bristol.

Sixty percent of the aircraft’s technology and components come from suppliers including Honeywell, Leonardo, GKN Aerospace, Hanwha, and Molicel, compared to 10 percent on the first prototype. The company is also developing an identical prototype.

The new aircraft and its systems have been tested and commissioned, and Vertical has already completed initial ground testing, including propeller balancing and spinning tests that measure the weight distribution of each blade. The next step will be powered propulsion system testing of the air taxi’s powertrain and battery packs, during which the engines will be run while the vehicle is anchored. 

After that, Vertical will need to secure a permit to fly from the U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which will allow it to move to the “wheels up” phase: crewed testing of tethered aircraft and low-speed untethered flights. It will also need to perform thrustborne, wingborne, and transition flights, demonstrating that the aircraft can maneuver and gain lift as expected.

The manufacturer’s type certification safety target is the same as that for commercial airliners. Its flagship model will enable a pilot to fly as many as four passengers up to 100 sm (87 nm) while producing zero operating emissions and just 50 dBA of noise during cruise, which the company says allows it to fit seamlessly within an urban soundscape. The firm claims it will be capable of flying from Miami to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in only 11 minutes.

Despite suffering a crash, Vertical continues to receive support from the U.K. government, which in February awarded it $10 million to develop its next-generation propellers. The allocation brings the manufacturer’s total U.K. government grant funding received to $47 million

Vertical founder Stephen Fitzpatrick also committed $50 million to the company, which he predicted would keep it liquid through mid-2025. The money will be used to support the aircraft testing and certification process, which the manufacturer hopes to complete by the end of 2026.

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The company on Thursday said it is moving to the next phase of flight testing using production prototype aircraft, the first of which came off its pilot production line at Marina Municipal Airport (KOAR) in California in June. The company on Monday rolled out a second production prototype. Until now, Joby had only flown tests using two preproduction air taxi prototypes.

So far, the U.S. Air Force is the only Joby customer to operate a production prototype as airmen are deploying the manufacturer’s first model for logistics and other missions during joint testing at Edwards Air Force Base (KEDW) in California. Joby says its second prototype will soon join the first at Edwards and so far has committed to two further aircraft deliveries to MacDill Air Force Base (KMCF) in Tampa, Florida.

Now, though, the manufacturer is ramping up to perform its own production prototype testing ahead of for-credit evaluations with the FAA.

Joby in 2023 completed 30 for-credit tests of the air taxi’s structures and components. But successful for-credit testing of the entire aircraft would represent a key step toward the pinnacle of the eVTOL air taxi industry: type certification.

“Our preproduction aircraft were the second full-scale generation of Joby’s design, and their performance met or exceeded our predictions throughout the program, successfully achieving our targets for maximum range, speed, and a revolutionary acoustic footprint,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby.

The manufacturer’s flagship air taxi is designed for a pilot to fly as many as four passengers on trips up to 100 sm (87 nm), cruising at 200 mph (174 knots). Unlike competitors such as Archer Aviation, Joby will operate the aircraft itself in partnership with Delta Air Lines.

The company is eyeing commercial urban air mobility (UAM) routes in and around large U.S. metro areas, such as New York and Los Angeles, starting in 2025. But that target will hinge on its success in for-credit evaluations.

Joby’s two preproduction aircraft together have flown more than 33,000 miles over the course of more than 1,500 test flights, 100 of which had a pilot on board.

These included the first electric air taxi exhibition flights in New York City in November, when the company’s second preproduction model flew from the Manhattan Downtown Heliport over the Hudson River. Another demonstration in 2021 included a 154.6 sm flight on a single charge.

“Over the past four years, we thoroughly tested and studied our aircraft in flight, from precision landing and outwash to human factors,” said James Denham, chief test pilot for Joby. “We often flew multiple flights per day, demonstrating our ability to fly in a wide variety of weather and operational conditions.”

Since October, the company has been flying preproduction prototypes with pilots on board. That month, four Air Force test pilots completed the eVTOL’s first crewed transition from hover to cruise flight. The crewed test program includes 31 flights over a span of two days, completed at the start of 2024 in partnership with the FAA.

Joby has also entrenched itself with NASA, working with the space agency to evaluate air taxi traffic and noise. The ability for eVTOL aircraft to fly alongside other aircraft at low volume is considered essential for UAM services, which are largely expected to take place over cities.

“Learnings from the flight test program have been invaluable to our certification program and to the broader development of regulatory frameworks around electric VTOL aircraft, validating the performance, safety, and acoustics of our design while providing insight into daily operations and maintenance,” said Bevirt.

Joby competitor Archer Aviation is also looking ahead to for-credit testing. It expects to begin those evaluations later this year following the production of three type-conforming air taxi models, which is already underway.

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California-based MightyFly this week announced what the company is calling an “industry first” FAA authorization, granting it permission to test its recently unveiled 2024 Cento within a flight corridor between New Jerusalem Airport (1Q4) and Byron Airport (C83) in California.

MightyFly says the approval, obtained in March, is the first for a large, self-flying cargo eVTOL in the U.S., with “large” denoting a weight greater than 55 pounds. According to the FAA, the company’s UAS has a maximum takeoff weight of 550 pounds. MightyFly in January received an FAA special airworthiness certificate (SAC) and certificate of waiver or authorization (COA) to establish the corridor.

“This route is designed to connect the existing operating areas around the airports while ensuring the UAS does not overfly the city of Tracy or impact Stockton [Metropolitan Airport], which is Class D airspace,” the FAA told FLYING. “MightyFly needed the new authorization to operate in the area, but they could have started testing inside the operating areas that were previously approved.”

The firm’s March approval, which it obtained via Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, includes a COA authorizing a flight corridor up to 5,000 feet agl between New Jerusalem and Byron airports. The COA opens the ability for the company to perform what it terms “A-to-B flights” within the corridor’s general aviation airspace, allowing it to test aircraft range, among other things.

Following ground testing at its headquarters and test site, MightyFly began flying the 2024 Cento at the corridor’s origin airport on March 4. In the span of two months, the company has completed more than 30 autonomous flights, or about one every two days.

Future testing will include A-to-B flights. Eventually, it will expand to additional use cases and markets, MightyFly says.

“This is a solid vote of confidence from the FAA in our work and our ability to perform safe autonomous flights in the general aviation airspace,” said Manal Habib, CEO of MightyFly. “We now look forward to demonstrating point-to-point delivery flights with our partners in this space.”

The authorization also contains a SAC that will allow MightyFly to test Cento’s beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) capabilities, which are considered key for enabling drone delivery at scale.

BVLOS refers to the drone operator’s ability (or lack thereof) to visually monitor the aircraft in the sky. In lieu of a final BVLOS rule, the FAA awards these permissions to select companies via waiver or exemption. But for safety reasons most companies must keep their drones within view of the operator.

However, technologies such as detect and avoid and remote identification have the potential to replace human observers as they mature. MightyFly will test Cento’s detect and avoid systems and long-range command and control (C2) datalink communications while the self-flying drone is trailed by a chase airplane.

The SAC also authorizes MightyFly to begin point-to-point autonomous deliveries and proof of concept demonstrations with customers and partners. These will include deliveries of medical and pharmaceutical supplies, spare parts and manufacturing components, and consumer goods within the flight corridor.

Future demonstrations include several planned point-to-point autonomous cargo delivery flights in Michigan under a contract with the state’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification. The company is also scheduled to demonstrate Cento’s ability to autonomously load, unload, and balance packages for the U.S. Air Force in 2025. These flights, MightyFly says, will mark its “entry into the expedited delivery market.”

The 2024 Cento, MightyFly’s third-generation aircraft, is designed for expedited or “just-in-time” deliveries. Potential customers include manufacturers, medical teams, first responders, retailers, and logistics, automotive, and oil and gas companies.

The third-generation drone is built to carry up to 100 pounds of cargo over 600 sm (521 nm), cruising at 150 mph (130 knots). Under full autonomy, it is expected to be able to land at a fulfillment center, receive packages, fly to a destination, unload its cargo, and take off for its next delivery.

MightyFly’s Autonomous Load Mastering System (ALMS) autonomously opens and closes the cargo bay door, secures packages in (or ejects them from) the cargo hold, and senses the payload’s weight and balance to determine its center of gravity. The company is working with the Air Force and its Air Mobility Command to develop ALMS.

Another key differentiator for the 2024 Cento is its flexibility. The drone can handle a variety of cargo contents, densities, loading orders, and tie-down positions. That means customers won’t need to standardize their packaging or order loading processes to accommodate it. The aircraft can carry refrigeration boxes, for example, which are often used in the healthcare industry to transport organ donations or blood bags.

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Airbus on Thursday unveiled the full prototype of its four-seat CityAirbus NextGen to the public. The electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) design makes its debut ahead of its anticipated maiden voyage later this year.

CityAirbus NextGen is a zero-emission, lift-plus-cruise design for a variety of missions in major cities and urban environments, including passenger transport, medical services, and ecotourism. Airbus will partner with operators and airlines to fly the model worldwide.

At first, the eVTOL will be flown by a pilot. But it’s equipped with an operational automated flight mode that could enable autonomous operations in the future.

“Rolling out CityAirbus NextGen for the very first time is an important and very real step that we are taking towards advanced air mobility [AAM] and our future product and market,” said Balkiz Sarihan, head of urban air mobility (UAM) at Airbus.

Airbus revealed the NextGen concept—a descendant of its CityAirbus demonstrator—in 2021. The aircraft is designed for a pilot to fly up to three passengers, with a range of about 50 sm (43 nm) and cruise speed of 75 mph (65 knots). It weighs approximately two tons and has about a 40-foot wingspan.

The NextGen design includes a V-shaped tail, fixed wings, and distributed electric propulsion system, with eight electric propellers and 16 electrical power units. Airbus in 2021 said these features will keep sound levels below 65 dBA during fly-over and below 70 dBA during landing.

The aircraft was built using a mix of in-house and externally supplied components, such as wings from Spirit AeroSystems, flight controls from Thales and Diehl Aerospace, and electric motors from MagicAll.

CityAirbus NextGen will include a human machine interface, with a single piloting stick controlling all aircraft axes and replacing cyclic, pedal, and collective controls. Airbus claims the design is a first in the helicopter industry. Using the stick, a pilot will be able to perform takeoff and landing, climb, descent, acceleration, deceleration, turn, and approach.

Airbus will certify the air taxi in the enhanced category under the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) Special Condition for VTOL (SC-VTOL) regulations. The manufacturer describes these as “the most stringent certification requirements.” FAA certification is expected to follow in the months and years beyond.

The unveiling of the NextGen prototype took place as Airbus opened its CityAirbus test center in Donauwörth, Germany, a site dedicated to eVTOL aircraft development. Donauwörth will host remaining tests of the aircraft’s electric motors, rotors, and other systems such as flight controls and avionics, required before it makes its maiden flight. Airbus began operations at the facility in December after powering on the first NextGen model.

Airbus intends to fly the air taxi in countries such as Italy, Germany, Norway, and Japan, as well as regions such as Latin America. But it will need to establish operational partners and infrastructure such as electric aircraft chargers prior to a rollout.

Recently, the manufacturer expanded its partnership for service in Italy—which already included ITA Airways, nation’s flag carrier—to include vertiport operator UrbanV and green energy firm Enel, which will help airports transition to electric infrastructure.

It also intends to collaborate with international helicopter and fixed-wing lessor LCI to develop business models and partnership scenarios revolving around AAM strategy, commercialization, and financing.

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The company this week reported fourth-quarter and full-year 2023 earnings, revealing that it recorded revenue for the first time and announcing plans to ramp up testing, certification, and manufacturing activities. Joby also said it became the first eVTOL manufacturer to complete the third of five stages in FAA type certification, and the firm is now turning to stage four: for-credit flight testing with the regulator.

Let’s start by breaking down that certification update. 

Joby will need type certification to fly commercially in 2025, the year it predicts it will enter service. The company’s air taxi is designed for a pilot to fly up to four passengers on 100 sm (87 nm) trips at cruise speeds as fast as 200 mph (174 knots). Due to its unique design features—including electric batteries and tilting propellers—the aircraft must go through a rigorous, five-stage gauntlet before the FAA approves it to carry passengers.

Joby on Wednesday said it wrapped up the third stage in that process, claiming to be the first in the industry to achieve the milestone. Stage three covers certification plans for the aircraft’s structural, mechanical, and electrical systems, as well as Joby’s approach to cybersecurity, noise, and human factors. Each component required a separate document defining the testing and analysis used to certify it for commercial service.

“From the carbon fiber composites to the metallics, the flight electronics to the control systems, the batteries to the electric propulsion systems, and much more, we now have a well-defined path to certification,” said Didier Papadopoulos, president of aircraft OEM at Joby, on the company’s earnings call.

All certification plans—including those for approving the aircraft’s novel propulsion system—have now been reviewed and, crucially, accepted by the FAA. Joby said it can now submit detailed test plans for the fourth phase: for-credit testing and analysis of aircraft components and systems, as well as the aircraft itself, with the regulator.

If it receives a passing grade, the company will enter the final phase, in which the FAA may issue the air taxi a type certificate and operational specifications.

“With all of our aircraft certification plans accepted, we’re able to map out dozens of upcoming visits with the FAA, focused on dry running our system level and aircraft level tests,” said Papadopoulos.

First Revenue and Rising Net Loss

Joby on Wednesday also reported earnings for the fourth quarter and full year 2023. Among the highlights was the company’s first reported revenue: $1 million from early flight services provided to the Department of Defense, conducted in Marina, California, using a prototype aircraft.

The manufacturer also reported $1 billion in cash and short-term investments at the end of the quarter, giving it significant liquidity heading into 2024. However, its full-year net loss of about $513 million was nearly double that of 2022.

Net cash used in operating activities and purchases of property, plant, and equipment totaled $91 million in Q4 and $344 million for the full year, below what the company expected it would spend. However, its net loss grew $48 million year over year, which the company attributed to higher operating costs and lower favorable revaluation of warrants and earnout shares.

Joby’s Q4 net loss of $115 million included operational losses of $128 million, about the same as the prior quarter, partly offset by interest, revenue, and other income of $13 million. The company attributed this to increased operating expenses due primarily to costs to support certification and manufacturing of the company’s prototype aircraft, parts, and test articles.

The manufacturer’s adjusted earnings before income, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) was minus-$96 million in Q4, widening $18.6 million year over year and $3.1 million quarter over quarter. That figure mainly reflects employee costs associated with development, certification, and manufacturing, Joby said.

Joby’s Big 2023

While small, Joby’s first $1 million in revenue gives it reason to celebrate. But the manufacturer spent 2023 laying the groundwork to make much more in the future.

Joby ends 2023 with plenty of momentum, having launched initial manufacturing and delivered the first of nine air taxis to Edwards Air Force Base (KEDW) in California ahead of schedule. At Edwards, NASA, U.S. Air Force, and Joby pilots are using it to conduct testing, evaluations, and training. Crewed flight tests began in October, and the company says it now has more than 100 such flights under its belt.

The “most significant commercial development of the quarter” according to Joby CEO JoeBen Bevirt, however, was Joby’s exclusive six-year agreement to operate air taxis in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The deal shuts out competitors such as Archer Aviation and Embraer subsidiary Eve Air Mobility, who had previously announced plans to fly in the city. Joby also partnered with Skyports, which will fund, develop, and operate four initial vertiports in Dubai.

“The government of Dubai wants this service to be the first in the world, and their actions certainly reflect that ambition, with support from the very highest levels of government and a regulatory pathway that builds on FAA processes that allows for operations ahead of achieving type certification in the U.S.” said Bevirt on the company’s earnings call.

Joby also participated in the first eVTOL test flights in New York City, one of its planned initial service locations in partnership with Delta Air Lines. The company flew its air taxi out of the Downtown Manhattan Heliport (KJRB) in front of Mayor Eric Adams and other city stakeholders. 

Adams also announced plans to electrify the heliport, where Archer is also planning a service that would connect it with Newark Liberty International Airport (KEWR). In addition, Joby on Wednesday said it will work with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the New York City Economic Development Corporation to develop eVTOL infrastructure at John F. Kennedy International Airport (KJFK) and LaGuardia Airport (KLGA).

“This was a seminal moment for our company,” said Bevirt. “Seeing a Joby aircraft lift off from a Manhattan heliport and complete a flight against the backdrop of the New York City skyline was quite literally a dream come true for me, and it moved the needle.”

Toward the end of the year, Joby announced agreements with U.S. FBO networks such as Clay Lacy Aviation and Atlantic Aviation to expand the deployment of its global electric aviation charging system (GEACS) in New York and Los Angeles. It also partnered with Japan’s Nomura Real Estate Development to install GEACS chargers in Tokyo.

Joby positions GEACS as a competitor to the combined charging system (CCS) standard that has been endorsed by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) and several competitors, including Archer, Beta Technologies, Lilium, Volocopter, Overair, and Boeing’s Wisk Aero. 

Both GEACS and CCS are billed as universal charging systems designed to accommodate all electric aircraft. But the industry may adopt only one proposal, making these early FBO agreements valuable.

As it works to add launch and infrastructure partners, Joby simultaneously has leveraged stakeholders such as NASA, with which it conducted groundbreaking air taxi simulations in December. The partners studied how existing air traffic control and airport procedures could accommodate eVTOL aircraft alongside conventional models.

“During the simulation, air traffic controllers were able to integrate up to 120 eVTOL operations per hour, arrivals and departures, from [Dallas/Fort Worth International] Airport’s [KDFW] central terminal area,” said Papadopoulos.

The Outlook for 2024

With the third stage of Joby’s type certification process now complete, the company is gearing up for its final FAA exam. But there’s plenty more on the horizon.

“Our priority in 2024 will be progressing the certification and manufacturing of our aircraft,” the company said in a letter to shareholders. “We expect to increase our focus on commercialization as we prepare to enter commercial service in 2025.”

Joby estimated it will use between $440 million and $470 million in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments during 2024. 

A significant portion of those funds will support the beginning of component manufacturing at the company’s scaled production plant in Dayton, Ohio, as well as the expansion of its low-volume manufacturing site in Marina. Papadopoulos said on the earnings call that the manufacturer has one aircraft in final assembly, with two more expected to roll out shortly after.

“We expect to reach a production run rate equivalent to one aircraft a month by the end of the year as we continue to ramp production in support of certification and commercialization,” said Bevirt.

Joby said the Marina expansion will more than double its footprint and support flight training, aircraft storage, and expanded manufacturing. It would also double the site’s annual production capacity, allowing the firm to manufacture 25 aircraft per year as its larger facility comes online. The Dayton site is expected to initially churn out 500 aircraft per year.

Joby also intends to extend flight demonstrations to more key markets and expand its relationship with the DOD. It plans to commit to at least two more aircraft deliveries under its current $131 million contract with the Air Force.

“Our revenue this year will be driven by on-base, government-directed flights that are part of the contract that we signed with the DOD in April of last year,” said Matt Field, chief financial officer of Joby, on the earnings call.

Joby expects revenue generation in 2024 will be “lumpy,” owing to the unpredictability of DOD test campaigns. However, the company’s focus is not on making money now, but later.

“While we aren’t blind to the challenges ahead of us, we believe that we are best positioned to succeed with the strongest balance sheet, the best team in the industry, and most important, a laser focus on delivery,” said Bevirt.

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The company on Wednesday said it started building three type-conforming, piloted Midnight aircraft to be used in for-credit flight testing with the regulator, expected to begin later this year. Those evaluations represent a crucial step in the manufacturer’s path to type certification, which it hopes to achieve before its planned 2025 commercial launch.

Archer said component manufacturing for the type-conforming Midnight models is “well underway,” adding that final assembly of the first aircraft at its San Jose, California, manufacturing facility is “on track” to begin in the coming weeks. Prior to for-credit testing, the firm will use the aircraft for its initial piloted test campaign. Rival manufacturer Joby Aviation kicked off piloted test flights late last year.

The three aircraft will feature components that align with the type design specifications laid out for Archer by the FAA in December 2022. This will allow the regulator to evaluate a version of the aircraft resembling the one the company intends to launch commercially. Passing the test will be a key step toward Archer’s ambitions.

The start of type-conforming Midnight construction follows Archer’s completion of the first phase of uncrewed prototype flight test in January. The next phase, which will include a full wing-borne transition flight, is expected to begin in the coming months.

“The key to achieving FAA certification is flying a conforming aircraft,” said Adam Goldstein, founder and CEO of Archer. “I believe we are positioned to be the first in the sector to do so. From day one, Archer’s strategy has been to build an aircraft that is certifiable and manufacturable at scale. This focus is what has allowed us to move quicker and more efficiently than any other company in the industry over the last few years.”

Archer’s goal is to replace 60- to 90-minute commutes by car with 10- to 20-minute, 20 to 50 sm (17 to 43 nm) electric air taxi flights. In the U.S., the firm is working with United Airlines to launch routes in major cities such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles—and potentially other cities housing United hub airports.

Midnight is designed to carry a pilot plus four passengers on rapid, back-to-back flights, with as little as 10 minutes of charge time between them. The air taxi has a projected 100 sm (87 nm) range and 130-knot cruise speed.

In October, Archer secured $65 million in funding for what it bills as the “world’s largest” eVTOL production plant in Covington, Georgia. According to the company, the funds will cover “substantial majority” of construction costs. The first phase of construction is expected to wrap up this year, providing capacity to produce 650 aircraft annually. In the second phase, production capacity will swell to 2,000 aircraft per year.

Archer expects to keep manufacturing costs lower than those of its competitors by leveraging a network of outside aerospace providers, such as Safran, Garmin, and Honeywell. Rival manufacturers such as Lilium are also adopting that strategy—many of them are working with the same suppliers.

When (or if) Archer receives type certification from the FAA, the firm will also need to obtain production certification to begin ramping up operations in Covington. Airworthiness certification rounds up the trifecta of approvals the company will need to scale operations.

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Overair, maker of the Butterfly eVTOL air taxi, said Tuesday that it completed the build of its first full-scale prototype aircraft, which is set to begin flight testing early next year. The company will start with vehicle-level testing at its Santa Ana, California, headquarters before moving the aircraft to its flight test facility in nearby Victorville.

Early tests will aim to validate different aspects of Butterfly’s technology: propulsion systems, flight control mechanics, safety features, and operational efficiency, to name a few. Overair will also evaluate how the aircraft meets its noise target (55 decibels) and performance envelope under an array of flight and weather conditions.

Overair hopes to certify Butterfly with the FAA and is working through its G-1 Stage 3 means of compliance, which will establish the criteria for validating its certification basis. Those criteria will be assessed in future “for credit” testing under the regulator’s watchful eye. The company expects Butterfly to enter service in 2028, in line with the FAA’s timeline for early advanced air mobility (AAM) operations.

“Assembling our first full-scale prototype vehicle marks the culmination of years of industry expertise, meticulous development planning, innovative engineering, and the hard work of the entire Overair team,” said Ben Tigner, CEO of Overair. “This seamless transition from propulsion testing to a full-scale prototype underscores our dedication to redefining the eVTOL landscape with safer, quieter, and more reliable aircraft.”

Butterfly deploys two technologies Overair says have never been integrated on an eVTOL design: optimum speed tilt rotor (OSTR) and individual blade control (IBC).

The OSTR system is essentially a power saver. Throughout vertical, transition, and forward flight, it varies propeller revolutions per minute, which Overair says boosts efficiency. The company claims OSTR reduces power demand in hover by as much as 60 percent.

IBC, meanwhile, reduces propeller loads by limiting the vibration of each blade, which the firm says results in safer, smoother, lower-cost flights. Last week, the technology was awarded a U.S. Navy Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract, which will see it developed for potential Navy use. 

Matt Rhinehart, aeromechanics senior engineer of the Naval Air Systems Command, said IBC opens up a long list of potential benefits for the Navy’s “next generation of rotorcraft.”

Overair claims Butterfly’s combination of OSTR and IBC produces efficient, quiet propulsion in nearly any weather, temperature, or altitude. In addition, the design features four oversized rotors, a large cabin, and a payload of about 1,100 pounds—enough for five passengers and their luggage. The company says Butterfly is ideal for passenger, medical, cargo, and military applications.

“Since day one, Overair has been committed to developing an aircraft that extends efficient air transportation to a broader audience; an aircraft that will be welcomed by local communities, passengers, and operators alike,” said Valerie Manning, chief commercial officer at Overair. “Our prototype is where we begin real-world, full-scale validation of these fundamental design principles.”

As Overair rolls out its first full-scale prototype, it joins a handful of other eVTOL air taxi manufacturers to reach that stage. Archer Aviation was one of the first in the U.S. to hit the milestone, completing the build of its first Midnight prototype in May. Joby Aviation in June rolled out its initial production prototype, following the introduction of its full-scale preproduction model in 2019. Both firms have begun flight testing.

Germany’s Volocopter, meanwhile, has assembled two prototypes: the two-seat VoloCity and the larger VoloConnect. Another German manufacturer, Lilium, started building its first Lilium Jet this month, while Embraer subsidiary Eve Air Mobility expects to complete a full-scale prototype by year’s end.

Once Butterfly makes it through the gauntlet of FAA certification tasks, Overair plans to deploy it in a few key markets.

In November, the company announced partnerships with Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (KDFW) and the city of Arlington, Texas, to launch air taxi flights out of DFW Airport and Arlington Municipal Airport (KGKY). No firm commitment has been made to purchase aircraft, but the partners plan to introduce vertiports, charging stations, and new policies to the region to build a full-fledged AAM ecosystem. Eventually, it’s expected to span the entire Dallas-Fort Worth metro area and North Texas region.

In addition to those agreements, Overair has a partnership with helicopter operator Bristow Group, which placed a preorder for 20 to 50 Butterflys. Bristow plans to fly the eVTOL on commercial air taxi routes in its service areas, including several cities in and around Texas.

Farther to the west, Overair and several other eVTOL manufacturers are working with Urban Movement Labs, a Los Angeles government-community transportation partnership. It expects to highlight Butterfly during the city’s 2028 Olympic Games, alongside other players.

Overair in October also agreed to deliver 20 aircraft to South Korean helicopter transportation provider HeliKorea. The partnership followed plans to launch services on Jeju, the country’s largest island and a major tourist destination.

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Less than two weeks removed from receiving design organization approval (DOA) from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for its Lilium Jet, the company this week delivered the first fuselage for its flagship aircraft to its final assembly line in Wessling, Germany, marking an official shift from design to production.

In September, the manufacturer enlisted partner Aciturri to begin assembling the first of seven fuselages for the initial wave of Lilium Jet models. Those aircraft will eventually be deployed for flight testing with EASA in order to prove to the regulator that the design is safe for commercial operations. The campaign is aiming to culminate in type certification of the Jet in 2025.

The delivery of the first fuselage aligns with Lilium’s previously stated target of Q4 2023. According to that roadmap, assembly of the first Jet is expected to start before year’s end, with crewed flights of the first model beginning in 2024. On Wednesday, the company said its suppliers are also ramping up production of parts and systems for the aircraft.

“To see the first aircraft fuselage on the final assembly line ready to join up with the canard and wings is a proud moment for everyone involved in our mission to make aviation sustainable,” said Klaus Roewe, CEO of Lilium. “We firmly believe the Lilium Jet will usher in a new era of sustainable regional mobility, offering the highest safety standards, as well as superior comfort, unit economics, and customer experience.”

The German manufacturer’s flagship aircraft is an all-electric seven-seater expected to fly advanced air mobility (AAM) routes between towns and inner cities, cruising at 162 knots on trips spanning 25 to 125 sm (22 to 109 nm).

The Jet differs a bit from its competitors, such as Archer Aviation’s Midnight, Overair’s Butterfly, or Joby Aviation’s air taxi. Those designs use a tiltrotor architecture—in which the rotors rotate when shifting between vertical and forward flight. By contrast, Lilium opted for 36 electric ducted fans embedded in the Jet’s wings, with no moving parts.

But like its air taxi rivals, Lilium plans to offer low-noise, zero-emission flights in densely populated areas, ferrying passengers over the congested streets below. In September, the company started building the first all-electric propulsion system for its initial models, also partnering with Japan’s Denso to ramp up production of the Jet’s electric engine. In addition, it extended its collaboration with Slovak battery maker InoBat to prepare for high-volume manufacturing.

In the next phase, engines will be integrated into the Jet’s aircraft propulsion mounting system—a flap structure that forms the rear part of the wings and front canards, designed and built by partner Aernnova—for further testing. The fuselage, meanwhile, will be joined with the wings and canards.

Lilium’s Wessling location comprises a testing and manufacturing center, propulsion and aerostructures facility, final assembly building, and newly built battery assembly building and logistics hub. The latter is where parts and components will be prepped for integration on the final assembly line.

Keeping the Ball Rolling

Since receiving an initial certification basis for the Jet from EASA in 2020, Lilium has made steady progress toward commercialization.

Perhaps the biggest milestone was obtaining the DOA from EASA last month. The approval is essentially the regulator’s acknowledgment that a company meets the safety and regulatory standards required to produce EASA Part 21 aircraft that are fit to fly in shared airspace, as Lilium is seeking to do.

For manufacturers in the EU, DOA is a required step in type certification for aircraft developed under EASA’s special condition for VTOL (SC-VTOL) rules, which were designed as a standard for safe market entry globally. Lilium’s was awarded six years after the firm first applied for the rigorous process, and it establishes that the company is authorized to design and hold a type certificate for its aircraft.

“In simple terms, the DOA is our license to operate and confirms that Lilium has the organization, procedures, competencies, resources, and demonstrated rigor required to design and certify aircraft according to the very highest safety standards,” said Alastair McIntosh, chief technology officer and head of design organization at Lilium, last month.

In another update in July, the company said its means of compliance proposal—which outlines how it plans to adhere to the requirements laid out in its certification basis—was almost 80 percent approved by EASA. Means of compliance is another key requirement that will enable future flight testing.

Simultaneously, Lilium is working to certify the Jet in the U.S. The German manufacturer is the first and only eVTOL air taxi company with certification bases from both EASA and the FAA, setting it up for commercial launches in both markets in a few years. It plans to leverage the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement between the two agencies to accelerate the process on the U.S. side.

In October, Lilium laid more groundwork to bring its aircraft to the American market. Through a partnership with Houston-based EMCJet, a full-service aircraft brokerage and management firm, it will deliver five Pioneer Edition Jets—each billed at a hefty $10 million—to be sold to private customers nationwide.

The Pioneer Edition is the four-seat planned launch edition of the full-scale Jet, aimed at wealthy GA and business aviation operators. According to Lilium, it will be the first aircraft of its kind available for private sale in the U.S. A total of 50 are expected to be delivered globally, including to buyers in the Middle East, the U.K., and mainland Europe.

According to Matthew Broffman, head of Lilium partnerships and network for the Americas, the rollout of the Pioneer Edition will be an appetizer for the larger Jet and a key step in the company’s path to market.

“Disruptions in products, and specifically transportation, are best done when starting with the premium market,” Broffman told FLYING in October. “In the 1930s, it cost half the price of a car to purchase a ticket to fly from coast to coast. Tesla didn’t launch with the Model 3, but instead the $100,000 Roadster, and even the first refrigerator cost more than $10,000 in today’s dollars.”

After selling to the premium segment and introducing flyers to AAM, Lilium intends to roll out the six-passenger Jet to airlines, brokers, and charter operators for air taxi services around the world—including in South Florida. Outside the U.S., it has aircraft orders from operators in Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and China, where manufacturer EHang recently earned the world’s first eVTOL type certificate.

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The post Lilium Begins Electric Jet Production with Delivery of First Fuselage appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

According to ltaresearch.com, Pathfinder 1 is a proof of concept design. Work began on the next-generation airship shortly after LTA Research was founded in 2016. The company, backed by Google co-founder Sergey Brin, is dedicated to developing a green energy, zero-carbon transport airship capable of carrying cargo and passengers.

According to TechCrunch.com, the ship will undergo local test flights, and then be relocated to Akron, Ohio, another hotbed of LTA development, where LTA Research is allegedly planning the development of an even larger airship, Pathfinder 3.

About Pathfinder 1

According to the technology specifications on ltaresearch.com, the rigid airship measures 408 feet, 5 inches long. For comparison a Boeing 737-200 measures 102 feet in length. While the ship definitely looks like its Zeppelin predecessors, it is constructed of modern materials and features innovative engineering. For starters, the ship uses 12 electric motors developed in collaboration with Pipistrel. Control is done via a fly-by-wire system developed by LTA. The gondola, developed by Zeppelin, features a joystick and sensor feedback data supplied to the 12 motors and four fin rudders to control the ship.

Pathfinder 1 has 13 helium-filled bags made from ripstop nylon base fabric with a urethane covering.

Lidar sensors continuously and accurately calculate the volume of helium in the gas cells. This technology was developed in Akron to help pilots to balance the airship, track performance and ultimately operate more safely.

The outer skin, tested by LTA teams in Gardenerville, Nevada, noted that the Teldar material is described as lightweight, strong and nonflammable, UV resistant, and blocks visible light. The ship is painted white, which helps reflect and dissipate heat.

The interior of the airship consists of 13 circular main frames that make up the ribs. These are constructed of 3,000 welded titanium hubs and 10,000 multi-ply carbon fiber reinforced carbon tubes.

The landing gear was adapted from the gear of the Zeppelin NT and is beefier, as Pathfinder 1 is a larger ship and designed to carry heavier loads.

According to information posted on ltaresearch.com, Pathfinder 1 will spend the next year undergoing ground and flight testing, much of which will be done inside Hangar 2 at Moffett. Eventually, the testing will move outdoors. Much of the testing will mark the first time LTA inventions like its lidar monitoring system are implemented in real-world conditions.

About Moffett

Moffett Airfield has been synonymous with airships since its inception as Airbase Sunnyvale CAL in 1931, then commissioned Naval Air Station Sunnyvale in 1933. The facility was built on 1,000 acres of farmland bordering San Francisco Bay, ostensibly to provide a home for the USS Macon, one of the U.S. Navy’s airships. Hangar One, measuring 1,133 feet long, 308 feet wide, and 198 feet high, is a landmark in Silicon Valley and is visible from miles away.

The property the airbase sits on is both in the cities of Mountain View and Sunnyvale, but when the proponents of the facility were lobbying Congress they were concerned the name Mountain View would cause officials to picture airships colliding with mountains, ergo they pushed the name Sunnyvale instead. Moffett has been a leader in aviation technology since 1939 with the establishment of the Ames Research Center. Today, Ames and NASA work in tandem at Moffett doing experimental flight testing, wind tunnel experiments, and space flight.

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After receiving a special airworthiness certificate from the FAA to begin testing the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) design in August, a noncomforming Midnight prototype has completed its inaugural test flight.

The five-seat aircraft—the first Midnight prototype to be rolled off the manufacturer’s Palo Alto, California, production line in May—made an uncrewed, untethered hover flight on Tuesday, marking the next phase of Archer’s flight test regimen. 

Following uncrewed flights, the firm will move to piloted “for-credit” testing with the FAA, using a type-conforming Midnight model. That campaign is considered one of the final steps in eVTOL type certification. Archer expects for-credit testing to begin in early 2024.

Midnight’s first flight follows four years of testing with earlier prototypes, including two years spent evaluating a pair of Maker aircraft. Maker is the company’s two-seat, 80-percent-scale version of Midnight, which it uses as a technology demonstrator.

“This next phase of Archer’s flight test program is only possible because of the four years of flight testing we’ve done,” said Adam Goldstein, the firm’s founder and CEO. “Midnight is building on the successes of its predecessor aircraft and represents another significant step forward in Archer’s path to commercialization. The next year and a half will be focused on continuing to rapidly advance our flight test program and Archer’s electric air taxi operations.”

Archer said uncrewed Midnight flight testing will “progress rapidly” over the coming months, quickly advancing from simple hover maneuvers to transitions between vertical lift and full wing-borne cruise.

Simultaneously, the manufacturer plans to continue its Maker flight test program, flying simulated commercial routes to prepare for the launch of commercial operations. That’s scheduled for 2025 after Midnight obtains type certification and other FAA-required approvals.

“Having taken seven full-size eVTOL aircraft from design to flight test during my career in the eVTOL industry, [Tuesday’s] milestone with Midnight marks the most significant flight to date, bringing Archer and the eVTOL industry another step closer to bringing a scalable and commercially viable aircraft to market,” said Archer chief operating officer Tom Muniz, who previously served as vice president of engineering for Kitty Hawk and its eVTOL manufacturing spinoff, Wisk Aero.

Archer expects Midnight to fly in U.S. markets such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and the New York City metro area in partnership with United Airlines, which in 2021 invested in the manufacturer. The airline placed an order for 100 aircraft valued at $1 billion, with an option for $500 million worth of additional units. It made an initial $10 million prepayment to Archer in August 2022.

Midnight can carry a pilot and up to four passengers (or 1,000 pounds of cargo) as far as 100 sm (87 nm) at a cruise speed of 130 knots. But the air taxi is optimized for back-to-back, short-hop flights with about 12 minutes of downtime in between, which will be used to charge the aircraft.

By Archer’s estimate, 20 to 50 sm (17 to 43 nm) trips that would normally take up to an hour and a half by car will be replaced by 10- to 20-minute flights. Because Midnight will have such little downtime—and will be cheaper to produce than its competitors, the company claims—Archer believes its air taxi routes will be cost-competitive with ground-based rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft.

Midnight’s 12 electric engines run on six lithium-ion battery packs from Taiwanese manufacturer Molicel, powering a dozen propellers. The tiltrotor design positions six of them on each side of the aircraft’s fixed wings—the front props tilt forward during cruise to provide added thrust, while the back props lock in place. Archer says the propulsion system allows Midnight to produce 45 dB less noise than a helicopter while at cruising altitude.

The manufacturer’s agreement with Molicel is one of many it leverages to source parts and systems for Midnight, which allows it to funnel more time and money into aircraft performance, certification, and operational readiness. The design incorporates avionics from Safran and Garmin and actuators from Honeywell.

Archer also has a battery development and sourcing collaboration with automaker Stellantis, with which it signed an exclusive mass production partnership in January.

What It Means

Even with Midnight’s inaugural flight, Archer will need to complete plenty of additional testing before obtaining type certification. But the milestone adds to the manufacturer’s recent momentum and should help it stay on track.

Stellantis is now working with Archer to build what the firm described as the “world’s largest” eVTOL production plant in Covington, Georgia. Construction on the facility began in March. Phase one of the site is expected to be completed by 2024 and will span 350,000 square feet, allowing Archer to churn out 650 aircraft per year.

Earlier this month, Archer closed a financing agreement with Synovus Bank, securing $65 million in fresh capital. The funding will cover the “substantial majority” of phase one construction costs, adding to incentives from the state of Georgia and $150 million worth of equity capital from Stellantis, which the company will be able to draw from as needed throughout this year and next.

In the future, phase two of construction could expand the site to 900,000 square feet, giving it enough juice to produce up to 2,000 Midnight models per year.

Archer’s main U.S. competitor, Joby Aviation, announced the location of its own scaled manufacturing plant last month. The firm’s facility at Dayton International Airport (KDAY) is initially expected to produce 500 air taxis annually, with the potential for more down the line. Recently, Joby began crewed flight testing of its production prototype with a pilot on board.

But neither company will be able to ramp up manufacturing until they obtain FAA production certification, which will follow type approval. Having received the first eVTOL airworthiness criteria from the agency at the end of 2022, Archer and Joby are two of the furthest along in that process among U.S. electric air taxi manufacturers.

Following the start of Midnight flight testing, Archer anticipates it will deliver the first of six aircraft to the U.S. Air Force as early as this year. The shipments are part of its lucrative contracts with AFWERX, the Air Force’s innovation arm, which explores defense applications for emerging aircraft designs and seeks to accelerate their commercial deployment.

The agreement, worth up to $142 million, is one of the largest defense contracts for an eVTOL manufacturer. Archer kicked off the execution phase earlier this month after receiving an initial $1 million deposit for a mobile flight simulator, which the Air Force will use to train pilots on Midnight’s systems. 

Once the aircraft arrives, pilots will deploy it for personnel transport, logistics support, rescue operations, and other missions. Other military branches will be able to leverage the contracts for additional projects. Archer has even hinted that it could one day develop a version of Midnight specifically for Air Force applications.

The partnership should give Archer valuable insights on Midnight’s performance, aiding its flight test campaign. Following FAA type, production, and airworthiness approvals, the manufacturer will also need to obtain a Part 135 air carrier certificate for powered-lift operations to begin flying as a commercial operator.

In addition to U.S. cities, the Middle East could launch Midnight’s earliest commercial flights. Archer recently announced a plan to establish air taxi routes across the United Arab Emirates in 2026, working with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office.

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