FutureFlight

Halo—which is part of Directional Aviation’s OneSky Flight business aviation group—says that starting in 2026, it will operate 100 of the Eve eVTOL aircraft. Directional Aviation has ordered 200 Eves and plans to base 100 in the U.S. and 100 in the UK. The company has been formed by combining helicopter operators Halo Aviation and Associated Aircraft Group. According to Halo, it considered almost a dozen other eVTOL models before signing the agreement with Embraer's Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions subsidiary.

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Several Irish business groups have joined forces with vertiport specialist Skyports to develop the infrastructure needed to support eVTOL aircraft for passenger and cargo services. The partners want to be ready to launch initial operations from Shannon Airport in 2022.

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As part of a formal answer to the lawsuit against it filed by rival Wisk Aero, Archer insists that its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft has been designed independently and that work was supported by a design consultant called FlightHouse Engineering. The company's lawyers forcefully refute Wisk's claims that the design was based on its patented technology for a "sixth-generation" eVTOL aircraft it had been working on in stealth mode.

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The VoloDrone is expected to start business-to-business services in the next three years, carrying payloads of up to around 440 pounds over distances of 25 miles. The unmanned aircraft will use an autonomous flight control system jointly developed by Germany's Volocopter and U.S.-based robotics specialist New Earth Autonomy. The partners plan a beyond visual line of sight flight demonstration in 2022.

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Blade Urban Air Mobility passengers traveling from Manhattan to the Hamptons and Nantucket will be able to ride on all-electric Cessna Caravan seaplanes from early 2023. Aircraft operator Lima NY has agreed to convert the aircraft to use MagniX's electric propulsion units, replacing the Caravan's existing turboprop engine.

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The first of the converted King Airs is being flight tested at Mojave in California as Merlin Air works with its partner Dynamic Aviation to secure FAA approval for a supplemental type certificate. The partnership calls for up to 55 of Dynamic's King Airs to be converted for autonomous operations in a variety of public- and private-sector roles, provided as a service to clients.

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Administrators liquidating the assets of battery technology group Oxis Energy are taking bids for 43 patent families covering lithium-sulfur systems and other new applications and designs. The company went into administration on May 19 after failing to attract fresh investment, despite having secured partnerships with electric aviation companies such as Bye Aerospace and Safran.

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On the Radar
Archer Says It Has No Case to Answer In Trade Secret Theft lawsuit Launched by Bitter Rival Wisk

In its formal response to Wisk Aero’s allegations of intellectual property theft, Archer Aviation’s legal team this week told the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California that there is no case to answer. Archer's 62-page document, filed on June 1, argues that the plaintiff has failed to detail and provide clear evidence that it stole trade secrets for the design of its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft, “despite page after page of reckless innuendo and rank speculation.”

Essentially, Archer says Wisk is jealous of its claimed “runaway success” and the lawsuit is no more than a wrecking tactic to derail its rival. “This case has nothing to do with the design of Archer’s aircraft and everything to do with the success of Archer’s business—and the failure of Wisk,” said the filing, which is rich in robust rhetoric that doesn’t seem to leave the door open for an out-of-court settlement before the trial which is due to begin on July 7. Both Archer and Wisk have said that they want the case to be tried by a jury.

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On the Radar
Sustainable Aviation Stands to Benefit From New Green Goals in NASA's Budget

The top line of NASA’s first budget request under the Biden Administration signals the organization’s clear intent to embrace the new American president’s commitment to achieving environmental sustainability. Under the heading “addressing the climate crisis at home and abroad,” NASA's financial year 2022 budget request confirms its plan for a Sustainable Flight National Partnership to develop “highly efficient” aircraft and to support new academic-led research into zero-emissions aviation.

If approved, the overall NASA budget for 2022 would be 6 percent bigger than the 2021 total, rising to $24.8 billion (see page 25 of the document). But the aeronautics line item shows a 10.4 percent increase to $915 million and is set to continue growing to reach $997 million in 2026.

Next year, the increased federal funding would release $244 million for work on what NASA calls Advanced Air Vehicles. Developers of eVTOL aircraft and the technology supporting these, including electric propulsion systems, are likely to be the main beneficiaries of this pot.

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eVTOL Certification

Developers of new eVTOL aircraft are seeking to bring their new designs into commercial service in record time. Having told investors to expect revenues to start flowing from around 2024, there is significant time pressure to secure type certification and other approvals needed for the new aircraft to start rolling off production lines. But regulators like the FAA and EASA don’t buy into these commercial imperatives. Their job is to ensure eVTOL aircraft are safe and they’ve made it clear they will take as long as necessary to be fully satisfied on that score. In this new explainer video, FutureFlight asked technical expert Sergio Cecutta from SMG Consulting to talk us through the certification and approval process.

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Jetcopter airvectoring
Featured Program

Jetcopter unveiled its hybrid-electric eVTOL design at the Aero Friedrichshafen show in April 2019, but the company has since maintained a low profile.

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Featured Person
Kenneth Ricci
 

Kenneth Ricci is principal of the Directional Aviation Capital group, which includes around a dozen ventures in the business aviation sector. These include OneSky Flight, Flexjet, Sentient Jet, PrivateFly, Tuvoli, Nextant Aerospace, Stonebriar Commercial Finance, Reva Air Ambulance, Corporate Wings, Simcom, and Constant Aviation.

Ricci has shown a strong interest in the urban air mobility sector and in June 2021 announced a deal to order 200 of Embraer’s Eve eVTOL aircraft for an air taxi service to be operated by a new subsidiary, Halo, beginning in 2026. He is also reportedly looking at making other investments in the advanced air mobility sector.

Ricci is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the Cleveland Marshall School of Law. He holds an airline transport pilot's license and served as a pilot for President Bill Clinton during his 1992 election campaign.

UPCOMING EVENTS
 
September 7 - 8, 2021 / Farnborough, GB

Farnborough International will stage the 2021 edition of the new Global Urban & Advanced Air Mobility Summit at the Farnborough air show site in the UK on September 7-8, 2021.

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