Flying Cars, Rocket Ships, Self-Piloting Drones and More Abound at UP.Summit 2023

In this special edition of the Future of FLYING newsletter, we give you an inside look at some of the most futuristic aircraft on Earth—and a roundup of the biggest news.

Jack Daleo

Thursday, October 05, 2023 at 06:25 PM ET

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Cowboy hat-donning UP.Summit attendees are treated to an airshow on a clear opening night Wednesday in Dallas. [Courtesy: Jack Daleo/FLYING]

Key Takeaways:

The UP.Summit showcased significant advancements in eVTOL aircraft, with Joby Aviation initiating crewed flight testing and Archer Aviation securing a substantial Air Force contract for its Midnight eVTOL.
Automation in aviation is expanding, featuring Wisk Aero's autonomous air taxi flight tests in Los Angeles and a partnership between Sikorsky and Rain for automated firefighting using uncrewed Black Hawks.
The event highlighted growing investment and infrastructure for future air mobility, including will.i.am's funding for Jetson Aero's personal eVTOL, Beta Technologies opening an electric aircraft assembly plant, and expanded drone delivery services from Wing and Zipline.

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Hello, and welcome to the Future of FLYING newsletter…with a twist! This week, I’m on-site in Dallas covering the UP.Summit, an annual, invite-only gathering of 300 of the transportation industry’s most dynamic, groundbreaking, and futuristic technology companies.

Among them are many of the same aircraft you’ve seen me highlight in this column each week, from drones, to electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) designs, to spacecraft that have been to the International Space Station and back.