VTOL

Your wish is a VTOL’s command, perhaps.

SAMAD Aerospace, a tech start-up based in the United Kingdom, says it has completed hover tests for its second prototype eVTOL aircraft, the eStarling. Designed for intercity transport, the aircraft combines a helicopter’s ability to take off and land from almost anywhere with the speed and range of a business jet, according to a news […]

Volocopter’s mission is simple: bring urban air mobility to life. A Volocopter 2X flight at EAA AirVenture on Tuesday, July 27, helped refine that mission. It represented the first ever publicly-crewed test flight of a fully electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air taxi in the US. The aircraft took off at 2:45 pm and […]

Joby Aviation has selected the Garmin G3000 integrated flight deck—which first debuted in 2009—for its eVTOL aircraft, bringing proven avionics into the program to develop commercial operations—which it expects to launch by 2024. The G3000 avionics suite was selected in part for its lightweight, adaptable architecture and high-resolution displays. Garmin anticipates future development in the urban air mobility space, […]

California-based Archer, creating the world’s first all-electric airline, plans to collaborate with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) to access the automobile giant’s low-cost supply chain, advanced composite material capabilities, and engineering and design experience. Archer will manufacture high-volume, composite, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, with the intent of starting production in 2023. FCA, the parent company […]

Flying taxi startup, Germany-based Lilium, says it will build its first US transportation hub—a new 56,000 sq ft vertiport—at the Lake Nona community in Orlando, Florida. Lilium wants to create a network of electrically-powered air taxis capable of short, high-speed flights, something the company expects will become a reality within the next 10 years. When […]

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) and the European Organization for Civil Aviation Equipment (EUROCAE) recently signed a memorandum of understanding to begin developing aviation industry standards to address issues such as hybrid electric propulsion, VTOL, cybersecurity and speed up the implementation of these new technologies. According to a news release, EUROCAE “develops standards for […]

The GoFly Prize is an innovation competition that hopes to be the catalyst for the creation of personal flyers as a first step towards transforming the future of transportation with flying cars, flying motorcycles, hoverboards, jetpacks, human-carrying drones, and other personal flyers. The challenge’s Final Fly-off was held on Leap Day (February 29) at Moffett […]

Joby Aviation has earned its latest financial infusion from Toyota Motor Corporation in the development of its all-electric VTOL aircraft. Toyota plans to “share expertise in manufacturing, quality and cost controls” during the development of the “quiet” eVTOL aircraft, according to a company press release. Toyota has invested $394 million as a lead investor in […]

Women comprise less than ten percent of the total pilot population in the United States (according to statistics from Women in Aviation). In the military, the representation of female aviators is even lower, and women were prohibited from flying in combat until the early 1990s. As a result, it is a big deal when a […]