Wisk’s Post

MightyFly unveiled the 2024 Cento: its autonomous, third-generation, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) cargo aircraft for same-day delivery. The announcement took place at their San Leandro, California, headquarters, and comes almost one year after the company revealed its second-generation design. The third-generation design flies on its own, and can load and unload packages autonomously. MightyFly’s Autonomous Load Mastering System (ALMS) can open and close the cargo bay door, secure packages in (or eject them from) the cargo hold, and even sense the payload’s weight and balance to determine its center of gravity. All of those operations will be automated and monitored remotely from a command center. The company continues to work with AFWERX Agility Prime and the Air Mobility Command to further develop ALMS—and possibly uncover a few United States Air Force use cases along the way. Read more here: https://ow.ly/wmm250QxW4Q . . . #AFWERX #Prime #AgilityPrime #USAF #AirMobilityCommand #eVTOL #ALMS #cargo #technology #innovation

Interesting development on the area of uncrewed electrical aircrafts.

The US Air Force is pushing forward with testing autonomous F-16 fi_ghter jets, with Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall volunteering to be a passenger to observe the technology firsthand. This move underscores the potential for autonomous aircraft to offer smarter, more efficient, and affordable alternatives to traditional manned aircraft. Additionally, the Air Force has ordered a fleet of 1,000 AI-operated dr_ones capable of performing ris_kier mane_uvers, each estimated to cost between $10 and $20 million. However, concerns have been raised about the reliance on AI for strategic decisions in w_arfare, with critics cautioning against the potential da_ngers of fully autonomous we_apons and urging international prohibition. #AFGoesDrone #F16AI #Future

In air navigation, the 1 in 60 rule is a rule of thumb which states that if a pilot has traveled sixty miles then an error in track of one mile is approximately a 1° error in heading, and proportionately more for larger errors. The rule is used by pilots with many other tasks to perform, often in a basic aircraft without the aid of an autopilot, who need a simple process that can be performed in their heads. This rule is also used by air traffic controllers to quickly determine how much to turn an aircraft for separation purposes. #contrail #airnavigation #aviation #avgeek #pilot #exams

Federal regulators have cleared the path for electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft to share U.S. airspace with planes and helicopters — a win for the burgeoning industry and a timely decision for startups like Joby Aviation and Archerthat are expected to launch air taxi networks commercially in 2025. The Federal Aviation Administration published Tuesday its much-anticipated final ruling on the integration of “powered-lift” vehicles, a category the FAA revived two years ago to accommodate eVTOLs and one that describes aircraft that can take off and land like helicopters but then transition to forward flight like airplanes. https://lnkd.in/eRPxTjsr

During the exercise, Joby’s aircraft autonomously transported essential components to restore the operational readiness of various Air Force assets, flying between nine locations in a dynamic operational environment. #Optics #MachineVision #AutonomousVehicles

#sundaythoughts - what is the business case(s) for eVTOL air services. Certainly cargo from eVTOL sUAS delivery drones to large cargo UAVs like the BETA TECHNOLOGIES Alia for both civilian and military packages and cargos. EMS and law enforcement are traditional VTOL usecases, but certain missions will require longer range (higher battery densities). Airtourism is an area EHang (NASDAQ: EH) are focussing on, but tourism is seasonal. For airtaxis (private charter) and (airport) airshuttles (commuter air carrier services), one has to look at why a major metropolis with a high number of HNWIs and C-Suite business travellers like Sao Paulo, which already has urban air mobility at scale (over 2200 helicopter flights per day and over 400 helicopters based there), where factors like traffic, personal security and availablity of over 200 heliports and helipads make such services attractive to those who can afford it.

We have published our consultation asking for views on how best to regulate self-flying and remotely piloted aircraft for now and in the future. https://lnkd.in/dXzr78TT

Airbus A350 Steering bypass pin! This pin is inserted on right side of nose landing gear shock strut. Bypass pin is generally inserted while towing/push back an aircraft. When pin is inserted pilot steering input is bypassed. During departure, when push back complete, bypass pin is removed and shown to pilot by raising hand after walking away from aircraft. #aircraftmaintenance #aircraftmechanic #aircraftengineering #airbus #a350 #airbuslovers #aviationengineering #flightmechanics