ASDEvents Aerospace & Defense’s Post

Textron eAviation's Nexus eVTOL takes a step closer to flight with potential 2025 testing! While exciting news, the eVTOL race is heating up. With numerous players in the field, competition will be fierce. Key Points: 🚁 Textron's Nexus: The all-electric, piloted Nexus is designed for urban air mobility missions with a 100 nautical mile range and 120-knot cruise speed. 🚁 Flight Test Timeline: Textron eAviation anticipates initiating flight testing in 2025, putting them in the mix for early commercialization. 🚁 Competitive Landscape: The eVTOL market is rapidly evolving, with numerous companies vying for dominance. Success will depend on factors like performance, safety certification, and public acceptance.

Thank you to, David Ison, Aviation Planner, Washington State Department of Transportation For this summary of a survey. It looks like people are ready for some alternate modes of travel. There are some concerns, though. Urban areas are increasingly looking to adopt alternative forms of transportation, such as AAM/UAM, to address ground transit network constraints. However, fostering customer willingness to use AAM eVTOLs can be challenging due to factors like confidence, trust, aircraft, technology, air traffic control, and the system as a whole. Understanding consumer willingness to fly in eVTOL aircraft can help policymakers, aviation industry professionals, and stakeholders overcome obstacles and guide successful implementation. This study was successful in providing insights into consumer attitudes and strategies for integrating eVTOLs. #aviation #evtol

#advancedairmobility #realitycheck needed. "The German eVTOL maker believes that its flagship aircraft, claiming to be the first of its kind worldwide, is particularly compatible with air taxi operations in New York compared to its competitors. That's mostly because, while many eVTOLs are designed for short-range intra-city flights, the Lilium aircraft can promise regional air mobility." Thats a pretty bold claim for an aircraft which has yet to make its first flight, when both the AutoFlight Prosperiry and Joby Aviation S4 have demonstrated 155 and 154 mile flights respectively. https://lnkd.in/dRP-99Gh

Archer Midnight Full Transition If you haven't watched the flight showing Archer Midnight's full transition it is well worth taking a look. What impresses me about this flight is how smooth every aspect of control is across the entire transition to fully wing-borne flight; this can't be said about some of the other few who have transitioned their eVTOL. It's also interesting to note that this is a much bigger eVTOL than others, flying at 6,500 lbm they are showing a full 5 person payload capability. I understand how some have been skeptical up to now from not being able to see evidence of their progress, but I think at this point Archer is clearly showing itself to be a front runner with Joby. The key difference between Archer and Joby is the speed of execution, which has let them get to the same value, but at a far lower program time and cost. This has been a 5 year path from the start for Archer, while executing/transitioning two different aircraft models. Joby is currently 9 years into it's development program of the S4. Both are impressive, but Joby has raised about twice as much funding at this point for a similar proof point. I am confident that Joby continues to have the quieter aircraft, but I'm also confident that Archer presents the better investor value in terms of lower investment dilution, with an equal or better opportunity for market share. I say a potential better opportunity than Joby for increased sales because of the difference in their business model execution. This past year I've been engaging with a lot of international customers in emerging markets, which is where the early revenue opportunities exist to provide momentum for early adopters to scale manufacturing to 500 units/year. I'm surprised by the amount of interest by high net worth individuals across these markets in direct purchasing. I've tended to dismiss direct sales because I see so much more opportunity in airport shuttle and other high utilization operations. But a mere 100 sales translates to $500M in revenue in the early years. And there is literally no one else who will be competitive in direct sales Joby insists on owning/operating its own fleet. Beta is distracted with their eCTOL for several years. eHang and Volocopter have almost no utility and clearly won't appeal to affluent sales as the Yugo's of eVTOL. Chinese eVTOLs are not going to be sold outside of China and wouldn't have strong appeal. And Lilium doesn't have the ability to operate from anything but improved Vertiports/Airports with significant setback distances because of their high discloading not allowing for soft field/unprepared locations where affluent customers want to go because any small rock/FOD will be thrown hundreds of feet from their hurricane force downwash velocities. So until at least at 2030, it looks like Archer will own the luxury eVTOL private sales market, with perhaps 1000+ total sales over that 5 year period... Congrats Adam Goldstein Nikhil Goel

Airbus and Avincis, a well-established European helicopter operator, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to partner on the development of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). The companies will collaborate to explore opportunities for operating electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft throughout Europe. Through the agreement, Airbus and Avincis will focus on defining the concept of operations for eVTOLs in Europe and beyond. Both parties will jointly work to define mission profiles for eVTOL operations in Europe and other target regions. This agreement is another step towards the creation of an AAM ecosystem and is an expansion of Airbus’ long standing relationship with Avincis.

JetSetGo signs for Horizon eVTOLs 🚁 Horizon Aircraft has entered into an LoI with regional air operator JetSetGo India. Under the LoI, JetSetGo will purchase 50 Cavorite X7 eVTOL aircraft at $5 million per aircraft for a total of $250 million, with an option to acquire an additional 50 aircraft for a total of $500 million. Find out more > > https://hubs.la/Q02g__6F0 Brandon Robinson, Chief Executive Officer of Horizon, said; “We are truly honored by this commitment from JetSetGo, a leading private aviation operator with a shared vision of a more sustainable and efficient on-demand regional travel. We are confident that our Cavorite X7 eVTOL will operate sustainably and profitably across India as well as many other global locations. As a hybrid electric aircraft, there is no need to install expensive charging support equipment across the travel network; it is a machine designed for challenging, real-world operations.” Read more on the Advanced Air Mobility International website. #evtol #advancedairmobility #aam #transport #aircraft #mobility #aerospace #aviation

Pivotal Surpasses 1,000 Crewed BlackFly eVTOL Flights Milestone Pivotal, the developer of the BlackFly light eVTOL, has reached a major milestone—completing over 1,000 crewed flights. Through their Early Access Program (EAP), Pivotal has delivered pre-production aircraft to owners across the U.S., with over 30 individuals trained to pilot these cutting-edge eVTOLs. CEO Ken Karklin celebrated this achievement, highlighting BlackFly’s recreational use, short commutes, and exploration capabilities. As the company transitions towards the production of its next-generation aircraft, Helix, Pivotal’s focus remains on safety, simplicity, and an immersive flight experience. The Early Access Program is now closed, but customers can place orders for the Helix, built on Pivotal’s third-generation eVTOL platform. What’s next for Pivotal and the future of eVTOLs? Watch the video to learn more! 🔗 Read the full story and watch the video on our blog: https://lnkd.in/gpd7VpJh #eVTOL #Pivotal #BlackFly #AviationInnovation #Helix #UrbanAirMobility #FlightSafety #Aerospace

eVTOL jets planned for South Florida 🚁 Lilium has partnered with AAM operator UrbanLink to operate Lilium Jets in South Florida. As part of the agreement, UrbanLink will purchase 20 Lilium Jets, and become the first airline in the U.S. fully committed to integrating eVTOL aircraft into its fleet. Find out more > > https://hubs.la/Q02wN7qM0 Newly launched, UrbanLink is led by Ed Wegel, he said; “While many airlines have discussed the potential of operating eVTOL aircraft, none have made a definitive commitment. UrbanLink will be the first airline in the U.S. to integrate eVTOL aircraft into its fleet. “We are dedicated to revolutionizing the way people move to and from as well as within urban cores. After thorough evaluation of various manufacturers, we found the Lilium Jet to be the optimal choice for our needs, thanks to its superior cabin design, range, capacity, and cost-effectiveness.” Sebastien B., Lilium’s Chief Commercial Officer, added; “We are proud that UrbanLink has selected the Lilium Jet for its network and operations. This is a huge milestone, not only for Lilium, but for the commercialization of eVTOLs in the U.S. We believe that this purchase of eVTOL aircraft is the first by a commercial operator that isn’t invested in the manufacturer that it is purchasing from. “This is a sign that the market for eVTOL aircraft has matured and there is growing demand for aircraft that can provide connections between, rather than just within, cities. I know that Ed has the vision and operational expertise to make regional air mobility a success.” Read more on the Advanced Air Mobility International website. #advancedairmobility #evtol #transport #mobility #florida #aviation #aerospace #aircraft

Some things just do not add up? EVTOL industry and the wild Claims!!!! September 3rd "Archer Aviation completed 402 flight tests thus far in 2024 with its Midnight eVTOL air taxi prototype, AIN reported. The company is seeking to gain FAA certification in 2025 and enter into service thereafter so it has ramped up flight testing this year, with the 400+ flight testing milestone four months ahead of schedule." June 12th June 12, 2024 | Archer Completes Midnight’s Transition Flight, Midnight is Archer’s Second Full-Scale eVTOL Aircraft To Achieve This Milestone" Questions: 1. Certification in 2025? . Is that possible? How? 2. What were the 402 flight tests? 3. Still 4 months till end of 2024 why stop? 4. How will they do route proving? 5. Since 12th june, i take it all 402 flights involved transition? Thats a lot of flights with one prototype. Has Anyone got any answers? #EVTOL #UAM #AAM #certification #Flighttesting #wishfulthinking

Get ready to take flight!!! I recently spoke for an informative video on the future of transportation: TOLs leading to eVTOLs! This is a game-changer for urban mobility in general and UAM - Urban Air Mobility - in specific. Imagine soaring through the skies, bypassing traffic congestion, and reducing our carbon footprint. The potential of eVTOL technology is absolutely electrifying! (Literally speaking!!!) Companies like EHang (NASDAQ: EH), Joby Aviation, Archer, Lilium, Volocopter, Vertical Aerospace, BETA TECHNOLOGIES etc are at the forefront of this revolution. Can't wait to see these flying taxis become a reality! #eVTOL #futureoftransportation #urbanmobility #cleanenergy #innovation #aviation #technology #excited #cleantech #aviation #sustainability #airtaxis #advancedairmobility #electricflight #futurecity #smartcity #greenenergy #climatechange #disruptivetech #aerospace #avgeek #AAM #UAM Modern College of Business and Science (MCBS) Advanced Air Mobility Institute