Joby's planned test flights in and around San Francisco Bay would represent the first time its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft has been seen flying in public and also in an urban area. The company has confirmed reports that it is seeking clearance for the flights from federal and local authorities.

Mesa Airlines is among three announced launch customers for Elroy Air's Chaparral hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft, which will be able to carry cargo loads of up to 500 pounds on 300-mile sectors. The manufacturer unveiled a preproduction version of the lift-and-cruise design this week and is preparing to start flight testing with the U.S. Air Force in 2022.

Both the U.S. Army and Air Force are eager to evaluate the potential for eVTOL aircraft to be deployed in military missions. Under a new contract, Army engineers will be directly involved in further flight testing of Beta's Alia 250 eVTOL aircraft, which already holds military airworthiness approval, as the company works to achieve civilian type certification in 2024.

Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even this week insisted that the European aerospace giant won't be rushed over the timeline for bringing its CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL aircraft to market, arguing that much work needs to be done on the required technology, regulation, and infrastructure to ensure that the new sector of aviation has a viable long-term future. The European company sees the new designs complementing the role of its existing rotorcraft, rather than replacing them.

Almost 12 years have passed since Sikorsky announced Project Firefly to explore the potential for electric-powered helicopters, and yet the U.S. group's ambitions in the advanced air mobility sector are no clearer. During a presentation at the Vertical Flight Society's Electric VTOL Symposium, strategy lead Jonathan Hartman spelled out what Sikorsky sees as the priorities for technological advances while avoiding any specific commitment regarding what the rotorcraft giant might deliver.

As it continues work to bring its seven-seat Lilium Jet eVTOL aircraft to market by the end of 2024, the German company is starting a round of flight tests in Spain with the smaller fifth-generation technology demonstrator. The program team has been boosted by the appointment of former RAF and Leonardo Helicopters test pilot Andrew Strachan to lead the flight-test program, which will see sorties at higher speeds and over longer distances.

Flapper, the Brazil-based charter flight booking platform, has made provisional agreements with electric-aircraft developers Jaunt, Eve, and Electra. Under a letter of intent signed this week with Jaunt Air Mobility, it could add 25 of its five-seat Journey eVTOL vehicles to a network that already includes more than 900 aircraft flown by its local operating partners.

Late last month, Elroy Air unveiled a preproduction version of its autonomous Chaparral C1 VTOL cargo transporter. At face value, the vehicle could represent a significant leap forward in the payload scale and geographical scope with which freight can be delivered with uncrewed aircraft, carrying loads of between 300 and 500 pounds over distances of up to 300 miles.

The U.S. start-up has released a video about the Chaparral, which, while clearly produced for promotional purposes, provides highly informative close-ups of the vehicle and its various systems. Besides featuring Elroy’s diverse leadership team, it offers useful insights into how the technology is viewed by prospective Chaparral operators, including declared launch customers Mesa Airlines and humanitarian aid flight provider Ayr Logistics. There are also contributions from program backers NASA, the U.S. Air Force’s Agility Prime program, and Elroy investor Lockheed Martin Ventures.

Transcend intends its Vy 400 family of aircraft to be used for both VIP on-demand transportation and scheduled regional service connecting city pairs.