Vertical Aerospace has announced several leadership appointments. Stuart Simpson, Vertical’s CFO, has been appointed to CEO, effective immediately. He will be responsible for leading the execution of the company’s strategy as it progresses towards certification of the VX4 aircraft, bringing it to market, and launching further fundraising activity. Founder and current CEO, Stephen Fitzpatrick, who recently committed additional capital to the company, will continue to play a prominent role in Vertical as a Board member, focused on business strategy and working with the executive team to deliver ..read more

MightyFly, a US company developing autonomous cargo aircraft for expedited logistics, has announced that it has become the first large autonomous cargo eVTOL company to receive an FAA flight corridor approval in the USA. MightyFly started flight testing the Cento aircraft at the beginning of the flight corridor in March, making rapid progress with its flight testing programme, according to the company. “This FAA approval was confirmed via Freedom of Information Act inquiry in late March based on certification on January 25th, 2024, and includes the Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA ..read more

Lilium has announced that it will unveil the full-scale Lilium Jet model for the first time at EBACE2024, taking place 28-30 May 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland at Palexpo and Geneva Airport. “This will be the first public premiere of the full-scale Lilium Jet model,” said the company in a press statement. “The full-scale Lilium Jet model will be on display at the Lilium Stand adjacent to the hall main entrance (Stand A39, Exhibit Hall 4-6), as part of Lilium’s largest presence at EBACE to date and as one of the largest exhibitors at the show. During the EBACE2024 programme, Lilium will be partici ..read more

As part of its crowd-funding initiative to develop its vertiport business portfolio, Australia’s Skyportz reports it has received “a significant investment” from construction company Maz Group. According to a Skyportz statement: “They are specialist airport terminal builders, based at Melbourne Airport and they will be assisting us with our vertiport designs and construction as we move into this next phase. We now have over 300 new investors to add to our existing 500+ investors who will all own shares in our company. We are nearly five times over our minimum raise, which we hit in just 29 min ..read more

Hybrid Air Vehicles Limited and the Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership (HITRANS) have announced a plan to progress potential Airlander 10 services for the Highlands and Islands, and substantially improve regional passenger and freight transport by air. According to a press release: “The plan includes an agreement to develop a full business case for the commercial operation of Airlander 10 aircraft in the region for passenger and freight services, through a new joint study, a continuation of earlier concept and feasibility study work. This activity represents a ..read more

Altair and Manta Aircraft have announced a strategic partnership in which Altair will provide support for Manta Aircraft’s eVTOL programme. “This collaboration comes through Altair’s Aerospace Accelerator Program, aimed at accelerating the design of the scalable family of next-generation aircraft” according to the press release. “Tailored to meet the unique needs of the aerospace industry, Altair’s Aerospace Accelerator Program offers unlimited simulation and data analytics software, as well as unlimited online and self-paced training, all while ensuring complete control for participating enti ..read more

Eve Air Mobility announced it has been named a member of Japan’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Public-Private Committee. The company says the committee is responsible to evaluate and make recommendations to the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport & Tourism on AAM regulations & policies for Japan. “Established in 2018, the committee is made up of selected members discuss the development of various AAM services such as passenger transportation, scenic flights, and air ambulance services throughout Japan” according to the p ..read more

By Philip Butterworth-Hayes The US House of Representatives and the US Senate have reached a bipartisan agreement on H.R. 3935 -The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, opening the door to independent UTM companies to manage advanced air mobility operations in the US National Airspace System. According to a paragraph in section 957 of the Act “Beginning 40 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall….evaluate the human factors impacts on controllers associated with managing powered-lift aircraft operations, consider the impact of additional operations on air traffic co ..read more

FlyNow Aviation, the developer of modular eCopters, has announced on social media it is teaming up with Bayanat, a company in geospatial mapping, to “revolutionise UAE’s transportation.” According to the post, the partnership intends to bring 3D-mobility as an available and affordable new means of transport to the UAE “to not only ease traffic on the ground, but to reduce resource- and energy consumption per passenger kilometre significantly in comparison to any ground based mobility infrastructure.” For more information https://www.linkedin.com/company/flynow-aviation-gmbh/ (Image: FlyNow ..read more

Eviation Aircraft has announced that it has completed the Conceptual Design Review (CoDR) of the Alice aircraft. The company says the review is a significant milestone, assuring a configuration that is certifiable, enables streamlined manufacturing and maintains Alice’s signature look, while optimising performance. “The CoDR, conducted with the support of TLG Aerospace, built on the extensive data gathered from Alice’s pioneering 2022 flight, wind tunnel testing recently completed at the Kirsten Wind Tunnel in Seattle, feedback from Eviation’s customer advisory board, and months of engineering ..read more