Blade Urban Air Mobility does not directly acquire the aircraft used to provide flights for its customers but instead convinces partner operators to make the investment. Now the U.S. group has arranged for eVTOL aircraft developer Wisk Aero to operate and maintain its equipment in what could prove to be the world's first fully autonomous air taxi services. However, the agreement is contingent on several factors, not the least of which is regulatory approval.

Under the Agility Prime program, the U.S. Air Force's Afwerx unit is assessing the suitability of new electric aircraft for a variety of military missions. These include the Alia 250 model being developed by Beta Technologies and also Joby Aviation's eVTOL prototype, both of which are seeking to achieve civil type certification with the FAA by 2024.

ZeroAvia acknowledged that the accident will disrupt the completion of the HyFlyer 1 project using a six-seater Piper M Series aircraft equipped with its hydrogen propulsion system. However, it is pressing ahead with plans to certify commercial aircraft with between 10 and 50 seats.

Political leaders in both Singapore and Florida have shown support for the integration of eVTOL aircraft into their public transportation networks. These markets are now key focal points for companies that will build and operate the vertiports from which they will operate, but questions remain as to how the competitive landscape for this infrastructure will develop.

Fires caused by electric arcs are a safety concern for electric and hybrid-electric aircraft. With French government funding, Safran's Electrical & Power division is teaming with Pyroalliance to develop technology that could react in a millisecond to guard against this danger. Both companies have extensive experience working with high-voltage aeronautics power systems.

Stakeholders backing electric aviation and plans for new urban air mobility initiatives had the chance to make the case for more proactive U.S. political leadership in support of their efforts. Those giving evidence to the U.S. House of Representatives last week included MagniX CEO Roei Ganzarski and Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti, as well as Boom Supersonic CEO Blake Scholl.

For years, Randy Tinseth marketed Boeing's airliners around the world. Now he and former EasyJet executive Tony Anderson are joining the leadership team of UK-based Faradair to help it bring the Bio Electric Hybrid Aircraft to market.

So far in 2021, there seems little prospect of the advanced air mobility gold rush losing momentum, with investors still piling into the front runners among eVTOL aircraft developers. But are these bets being placed on the basis of a calm and careful assessment of the actual business prospects for this heady and much-hyped sector?

To try to make sense of the flow of capital and what it means for the industry, FutureFlight spoke with industry expert Sergio Cecutta with SMG Consulting. We asked him for tips as to how investors should assess the massed ranks of companies appealing for funds, and how they can avoid unpleasant surprises if these relative unknowns can’t deliver on their big promises for stellar returns on investment.

Elroy Air's objective is developing a cargo-carrying aircraft called the Chaparral that will operate completely autonomously, including the loading and unloading of freight.