Important Innovations

   Rome's Vertiport at Fiumicino International Airport                                                  Source:  Volocopter 1st Piloted eVTOL Flight in Italy German electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle startup Volocopter has just successfully completed its first crewed public test flight in Rome.  The flying taxi launched from a new vertiport at Rome's Fiumicino International Airport.  The test was designed to showcase both the Volocopter flying taxi and Rome's 1st vertiport. It also provided the public with a new perspective on how urban air mobility vehicles might effectively work to ferry passengers between the city of Rome and Fiumicino Airport.  The Airport is planning to go fully commercial and operational with the vertiport, which will be a first for Italy.  Volocopter expects to be fully operational in Rome, Singapore and elsewhere with flying taxi services in 2024.  What The Flight Achieved The Volocopter 2X did a figure 8 in the skies over Rome at

   4-Seat Air Taxi Going After FAA Certification                                             Source:  Wisk Aero New Form of Urban Commuting Mountain View, California-based Wisk Aero, which is financially backed by Boeing, just unveiled its 6th generation, 4-seat, autonomous air taxi.  The eVTOL is all-electric and a very sleek and smart new way to travel.  This is the design that the aerospace startup company intends to put into production and bring to market.  Wisk Aero is now seeking its FAA certification to fly passengers, along with certifications in New Zealand and elsewhere.  The company has performed more than 1600 test flights with its new air taxi.  It is clearly getting ready for take-off. Unique Autonomous Flying with Remote Human Backup The technology underpinning Wisk is highly advanced.  While the eVTOL flies autonomously without a pilot, remote human operators monitor it and are ready to take over and fly it remotely if need be.  The autonomous flying is controlled by &q

  Windy City Air Taxi Testing Underway                                                       Source: Eve Chicago Accelerates the Dawn of Cities With Flying Taxis In what appears to be a world first, Embraer's Eve eVTOLs have been participating in real-world simulated test flights in Chicago, using helicopters as substitutes for the eVTOL flying taxis.  The test program is called the Chicago XP program and it has been taking place throughout September 2022.  So far, it is quite a success.  The helicopters, which take off and land vertically like an eVTOL which are not authorized yet to fly, have been operating out of three Chicago area heliports.  Passengers are able to use tablets with special software to see how the eVTOLs and vertiports in real, operational mode would look and work. Why the Simulations? Eve air taxis will be ready to go into fully operational service by 2026, pending regulatory clearance by the FAA and other aviation authorities.  The Chicago simulations are prov

  Windy City Air Taxi Testing Underway                                                       Source: Eve Chicago Accelerates the Dawn of Cities With Flying Taxis In what appears to be a world first, Embraer's Eve eVTOLs have been participating in real-world simulated test flights in Chicago, using helicopters as substitutes for the eVTOL flying taxis.  The test program is called the Chicago XP program and it has been taking place throughout September 2022.  So far, it is quite a success.  The helicopters, which take off and land vertically like an eVTOL which are not authorized yet to fly, have been operating out of three Chicago area heliports.  Passengers are able to use tablets with special software to see how the eVTOLs and vertiports in real, operational mode would look and work. Why the Simulations? Eve air taxis will be ready to go into fully operational service by 2026, pending regulatory clearance by the FAA and other aviation authorities.  The Chicago simulations are prov

  United Buys Hundreds of Flying Taxis from Eve Air Mobility                                                         Source:  Eve  United Also Invests $15M in Eve United Airlines is making it clear that it believes flying taxis are a big part of the near-term future of air travel.  United has announced the purchase of 200 eVTOLs (electric, vertical takeoff & landing vehicles) from Eve Air Mobility of Melborne, Florida.  Additionally United has the option of purchasing 200 more eVTOLs from Eve.  And, United is also investing $15 million in the company.  Delivery of the 4-seat electric aircraft will be in 2026.  Eve was recently spun off by Brazilian aviation giant Embraer and went public.  Embraer and Eve maintain working relationships.  As a result, Embraer service centers, warehouses and field technicians will service the air taxis for United, along with Eve technicians. Big Aviation Partnership United and Eve intend to partner on the development and utilization of the Eve eVTOLs

  United Buys 200 Air Taxis from Eve; Option of 200 More                                                         Source:  Eve  United Also Invests $15M in Eve United Airlines is making it clear that it believes flying taxis are a big part of the near-term future of air travel.  United has announced the purchase of 200 eVTOLs (electric, vertical takeoff & landing vehicles) from Eve Air Mobility of Melborne, Florida.  Additionally United has the option of purchasing 200 more eVTOLs from Eve.  And, United is also investing $15 million in the company.  Delivery of the 4-seat electric aircraft will be in 2026.  Eve was recently spun off by Brazilian aviation giant Embraer and went public.  Embraer and Eve maintain working relationships.  As a result, Embraer service centers, warehouses and field technicians will service the air taxis for United, along with Eve technicians. Big Aviation Partnership United and Eve intend to partner on the development and utilization of the Eve eVTOLs and

  3 Weeks of Testing Are About to Begin                                   Source: Eve and Heliport Chicago Chicago's Vertiport and Embraer's Eve eVTOLS Are Center Stage Here's some very exciting news concerning the future of air taxi travel that is getting a lot closer.   Chicago is leading the way to the future of travel by air taxi eVTOLs, or electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles.  Brazilian-based aviation leader Embraer and its Eve eVTOL division will perform their first, flying taxi simulations in North America starting on September 12th and lasting for three weeks in the Windy City.  For the simulation of routes, operations, etc., Eve will use traditional helicopters that will give a real-world sense of what it would be like in a big city like Chicago with flying taxi eVTOLs operating as a commuting choice.  Vertiport Chicago, which is a ten-acre facility for helicopters, will be a takeoff and landing point for the simulations and wants to have a major eVTOL r

  VW Is Very Serious About Urban Air Mobility                                                                                                Source: Volkswagen eVTOL Flight Tests To Start This Year Volkswagen just unveiled a flying taxi prototype that is being developed by the automaker's division in China.  VW calls it a "passenger drone".  It is fully electric, fully autonomous and takes off and lands vertically like a helicopter.  VW plans to start test flights later this year and build an upgraded prototype by the summer of 2023.  For VW, air taxis could be a significant commercial venture. The VW flying taxi prototype is called V.MO. Tech Specs  The eVTOL has ten rotors: eight for vertical lift and two for forward, horizontal flight.  VW hopes to achieve a 124-mile range on a charge.  It will be used to ferry passengers within cities such as from an office park to the airport and also to fly from city to city such as Baltimore to Washington, DC.  VW is working with s

  Israel's AIR ONE eVTOL for Personal Travel                                             Source:  AIR AIR To Take Their eVTOL Commercial in 2024 Israel-based startup AIR has unveiled its first eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle) for the individual, consumer market.  It's called AIR ONE and is being termed "the sports car of the sky" with its sleek and ultra-modern design.  AIR is jumpstarting its presence in the urban air mobility market with a new partnership with Palm Beach County, FL-based Aeroauto, which has the world's first Aeromall in the Palm Beach area.  AIR is going to establish an eVTOL showroom and dealership there.  In Louisville, Kentucky, AIR recently displayed their full-scale prototype and provided the public with the opportunity to sit inside the aircraft and enjoy a virtual flight with an in-flight simulator.  AIR will hit the global marketplace in 2024 and the company is already taking pre-orders for it. Tech Specs AIR ONE is

  Israel's AIR ONE eVTOL for Personal Travel                                             Source:  AIR AIR To Take Their eVTOL Commercial in 2024 Israel-based startup AIR has unveiled its first eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle) for the individual, consumer market.  It's called AIR ONE and is being termed "the sports car of the sky" with its sleek and ultra-modern design.  AIR is jumpstarting its presence in the urban air mobility market with a new partnership with Palm Beach County, FL-based Aeroauto, which has the world's first Aeromall in the Palm Beach area.  AIR is going to establish an eVTOL showroom and dealership there.  In Louisville, Kentucky, AIR recently displayed their full-scale prototype and provided the public with the opportunity to sit inside the aircraft and enjoy a virtual flight with an in-flight simulator.  AIR will hit the global marketplace in 2024 and the company is already taking pre-orders for it. Tech Specs AIR ONE is

  TCab E20 eVTOL Is Flying Regularly                                                                             Source:  TCab Tech & EHang EHang Is Doing Autonomous Demonstration Flights with Passengers Regularly China is becoming a big leader in the global race to deploy flying taxis.  Flying taxi company EHang, based in Guangzhou, China, has been doing a series of successful autonomous flights with passengers onboard. It uses 4G & 5G, high speed wireless transmission to communicate with its command-and-control center for remote control of the aircraft and real-time transmission of flight data. The EHang eVTOL is expected to win full flight certification any day.  Meanwhile, a second company Shanghai-based TCab Tech is making tremendous progress with its E20 eVTOL air taxi, which is piloted and carries 4 passengers. Their 50% scale prototype has successfully made numerous flights demonstrating the effectiveness of the design to takeoff, hover and transition to winged cruise f

  TCab E20 eVTOL Is Flying Regularly                                                                             Source:  TCab Tech & EHang EHang Is Doing Autonomous Demonstration Flights with Passengers Regularly China is becoming a big leader in the global race to deploy flying taxis.  Flying taxi company EHang, based in Guangzhou, China, has been doing a series of successful autonomous flights with passengers onboard. It uses 4G & 5G, high speed wireless transmission to communicate with its command-and-control center for remote control of the aircraft and real-time transmission of flight data. The EHang eVTOL is expected to win full flight certification any day.  Meanwhile, a second company Shanghai-based TCab Tech is making tremendous progress with its E20 eVTOL air taxi, which is piloted and carries 4 passengers. Their 50% scale prototype has successfully made numerous flights demonstrating the effectiveness of the design to takeoff, hover and transition to winged cruise f

  Dawn of Flying Taxi Services                                                 Source:  Embraer & Eve Eve Publicly Traded on NYSE This is turning out to be quite the week for Brazilian aerospace company Embraer and its eVTOL subsidiary and partner Eve.  Eve's technology is undergoing flight tests over Rio de Janeiro this week to collect data on its vertical landing and takeoff capabilities.  They're using conventional, piloted helicopters that are part of Embraer's Autonomous System project or EASy to do the testing and push forward the goal of autonomous flights.  It's another aviation landmark in the journey toward fully certified and autonomous eVTOL (electric, vertical takeoff and landing) flying taxis. Eve Goes Public Simultaneously, Eve was spun-off by Embraer this week and has just started trading on the NYSE.  Embraer and Eve remain partners in the development of eVTOL vehicles.  For nearly two years, the two have been testing subscale models of Eve in order