Important Innovations

  UMiles' Integrity 3 eVTOL                                                       Source:  UMiles The Drone of Drones Spain's aerial mobility vehicle developer UMiles has unveiled two, new, fascinating aircraft.  One is a remotely piloted, electric air taxi concept and the other is a piloted, two passenger eVTOL vehicle called Integrity 3.  The single seat, remotely piloted air taxi is being called the "drone of drones" by UMiles. It has been built as a prototye and will be test flown in a number of European cities later this year.  UMiles is a new contender in the growing air mobility market and an experienced drone manufacturer to watch.  It is quite a technological feat for a relatively small to medium sized aviation company to be unveiling two new models of flying technology at once. The Drone of Drones UMiles' the "drone of drones" is the first air taxi with 100% Spanish technology, development and manufacturing.  It was designed at Spain's larg

  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

  Sweden's Jetson One                                             Source:  Jetson Aero Strap Yourself in For an Aerial Spin Sweden's Jetson Aero has developed Jetson One, an electric, single-seat personal aircraft that breaks the mold for access to personal flying.  It is relatively inexpensive at $92,000 and largely flies itself in drone-like fashion. It does not require a pilot's license. It is extremely lightweight at 190 pounds but can carry a pilot that weighs up to 210 pounds.  The aircraft is totally electric powered and there are zero emissions. Tech Specs The vehicle operates on eight electric motors and a powerful, high discharge lithium-ion battery.  It can take you places and at a good speed.  The range on a charge is 20 minutes flying time and the aircraft can hit speeds of 63 mph.  It takes only an hour to charge the vehicle.  It is an eVTOL, meaning it takes off and lands like a helicopter from a driveway or garden. It is designed for sheer fun flying. The co

Embraer's Eve Has Order Backlog of 1,785 eVTOLs                                 Source:  Embraer's Eve Green, Zero Emissions Urban Air Mobility Brazil's aviation giant Embraer has a very hot eVTOL flying taxi subsidiary, Eve Urban Air Mobility, which is doing record business.  Eve, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, FL, has an order backlog of 1,785 eVTOLs or electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles.  That big backlog amounts to $5.4 billion in flying taxi orders.  And, at the 2022 Singapore Air Show, the backlog got bigger.  Eve has signed a number of new deals to make its eVTOLs operational in Australia by 2025.  Western Australia air charter companies Aviair and Helispirit, which specialize in scenic charter flights, have ordered 50 Eve eVTOLs.  Melbourne based helicopter company Microflite ordered 40 Eve eVTOLs.  Recently, Sydney Seaplanes ordered 50 Eve eVTOLs.  And Nautilus ordered 10 Eve eVTOLs for tourist flights over the Great Barrier Reef.  Eve UAM says Austr

US-Based MagniX and Brazil's Desaer Partner on Electric Aircraft                                             Source:  Desaer and MagniX E-Plane Uses Significantly Less Fuel With Reduced Emissions An important, global partnership has been announced in the development of electric powered aircraft.  Everett, Washington based MagniX and Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Desaer have formed a partnership to develop a hybrid electric plane for regional commuting.  The plane will be an electric hybrid version of Desaer's ATL-100 regional aircraft.  The hybrid electric propulsion system is being developed by MagniX.  The environmental importance of this new aviation technology is significant.  The companies say the new plane will operate with 25 to 40% less fuel consumption depending on the range. Big Fuel and Emissions Savings The new hybrid-electric plane will be good for the environment.  Called the ATL-100H, the aircraft will be powered by two MagniX 350 electric propulsion engine sys

  Sir Richard Branson Building Flying Taxi Fleet From UK's Vertical Aerospace                                                                           Source:  Vertical Aerospace Branson's Plans for Flying Taxis Virgin Atlantic founder Sir Richard Branson is looking to expand his fleet of aircraft and spacecraft.  He is investing in the UK air taxi company Vertical Aerospace and is planning on buying a fleet of their air taxis. The air taxis are a strategic addition to his Virgin Atlantic aircraft and his Virgin Galactic spacecraft.  Branson has entered into a partnership with Vertical Aerospace to purchase 150 flying taxi eVTOLS, which are electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles. Entrepreneur Branson, whose expertise is aviation and aerospace, provides a ringing endorsement to the future of eVTOL, flying taxi travel. Technical Details on the eVTOL VA-X4 The flying taxis that Branson is purchasing are the VA-X4.  Vertical Aerospace was founded and is run by the highly s

  Beta Technologies' Electric Aircraft                                             Source:  Beta Technologies Speedy Package Deliveries   UPS just announced that it will start package deliveries by electric planes  - specifically e-VTOLs or electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles.  UPS has agreed to buy ten e-VTOLs, called ALIA-250, from Vermont based startup Beta Technologies.  UPS has the option to buy another 150 aircraft from the company.  The new form of transportation is designed to accelerate deliveries in small market areas. Designed to Be Autonomous Beta Technologies e-VTOLs are highly advanced.  The ALIA-250, inspired by the Arctic tern, takes off and lands vertically and then transitions into long range flight. The electric vehicles have a range of 250 miles and a cruising speed of 170 mph. They are designed to operate autonomously when the regulatory environment permits.  The electric aircraft have a cargo capacity of 1400 pounds. The wingspan is 50 feet and the

Revolutionizing the Airline Industry Source:  Zunum Aero Electric Passenger Planes to Take-Off in Norway By 2040, Norway is committed to having all of its short-haul flights, from its airports, on electric aircraft.  This is one of the most dramatic government examples of cutting down on carbon dioxide, greenhouse gas emissions from the airline industry. Booming Industry - 100+ Global Projects Currently small planes comprise the electric aircraft market.  There are no airliner sized electric planes being built.  But Norwegian government and aviation industry officials believe that will soon change.  Boeing, NASA and Airbus are diligently working on prototype designs.  Boeing's Zunum Aero has plans for a 12-seater by 2022 and a 50-seater by 2027.  There are more than 100 electric powered aircraft projects currently around the world. Norway's Plans Norway's terrain is mountainous and there are many offshore islands. There are many airports because in many cases