The Chinese Regulator Set Rules for Piloteless Passenger eVTOL

Last week the Chinese civil aviation regulator CAAC published two milestone UAV rules on its website both of which have actually come effective last December but only being released to the public now. These two rules, one “administrative policy” (the overall framework) and one advisory circular (AC), set the framework for UAV certification in China including passenger-carrying pilotless UAV which could be the first such rule in the world. For the full rules (in Chinese only): http://caac.gov.cn/XXGK/XXGK/GFXWJ/202302/t20230213_217212.html

http://caac.gov.cn/XXGK/XXGK/GFXWJ/202302/t20230213_217211.html

In the AC, The CAAC specifies the safety requirements for pilotless passenger UAV to be “no lower than piloted aircrafts of the same class.” but there is no specific value in the rules for safety requirement for pilotless passenger UAV like those set by EASA’s SC-VTOL. In the AC it says the value for safety requirement of passenger-carrying UAV is not specified at this moment due to lack of empirical data of such aircraft.

Exclusive: We flew the Elektra Trainer

The cover of the new Flügel magazine

“This is an electric airplane suitable for daily use and training”–this is the conclusion of Willi Tacke, the publisher of e-Flight Journal, after his and the first flight of any journalist of the two-seat Elektra Trainer electric airplane designed and produced by the electric flight veteran Elektra Solar GmbH of Germany.

The first test report is published in German in e-flight-Journals sister magazine Flügel das Magazin. Click on the cover to read more.

The e-flight-journal test report in English language will be published here soon.

The Elektra Trainer is now ready for series production after obtaining the certificate from DULV the German ultralight organization. It can appeal to a wide audience with some serious flight operations to do with its two seat and 2.5 hours duration plus reserve. Its performance and capability can help justify its relatively high price tag. At the AERO 2023 scheduled for 19-22 April, the airplane will not only draw attention to itself with the DULV type certification, but also with an approval for glider towing. The publisher of e-Flight Journal and the CEO of Flying Pages Willi Tacke was the first journalist in the world to have the opportunity to fly the ElektraTrainer. The following are some teaser of the flight experience. If you want to get a closer look of the Elektra Trainer in first hand, then you need to plan a trip to AERO & e-Flight-Expo in Friedrichshafen, Germany!

Willi Tacke (right) in the Elektra Trainer Cockpit

Geely’s eVTOL Prototype Made the First Flight

Aerofugia, the aviation subsidiary of the Chinese automobile group Geely, annouced that the 5-seat eVTOL prototype named “AE200 X01” made the first flight in hovering mode on 17th January 2023.

AE200 X01 with vectoring thrust

The prototype has eight propulsion units four of which in the front can tilt for both vertical takeoff and landing and cruise flight while the other four units in the back are in fixed position for VTOL operation only. This configuration is a big deviation from the full-size mock-up of the previous design concept named TF-2 which had lift+cruise configuation without any tilting function. Notably the name of the flying prototype is also different from the mock-up whose name TF-2 back then was obviously a continuity of the TF-1 roadable airplane (aka a real “flying car”) of Terrafugia which was acquired by Geely in 2017 but whose operation has been literally shut down in 2019 when Geely laid off the majority of the staff. The change of the name may indicate a change of eVTOL product plan of Aerofugia who formed a joint-venture in China with Volocopter in 2021.

According to Aerofugia, they applied to the Chinese regulator CAAC for the eVTOL certification in November 2022. In December 2022 the final assembly and all tests of key system of the prototype were completed and the first flight was accomplished on 17th January 2023.

The mock-up of the previous TF-2 design concept which is in a different configuration from the flying prototype

Original press release (in Chinese lanuage only): https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/P4Q50jyjycyr9Qe4xR2CNQ

Skyroads and Partners Building AAM testing site at Augsburg Airport

Munich-based advanced air mobility (AAM) startup Skyroads AG has been making progress at the automated flight test site at Augsburg Airport with partners to develop a large-scale real-life laboratory for research and testing of AAM concepts.

This AAM test site project is co-funded by Bavaria government and aims at improving communication technologies in aviation so that the open, automated and interoperable Skyroads flight control system can also be operated safely in metropolitan regions.

Skyroads says in the press release that “(it) enables operators of fleets, ground infrastructure and vertiports (take-off and landing areas for AAM aircraft) as well as aircraft manufacturers to test their vehicles and infrastructures at an early stage of development – while the Skyroads system guarantees the safety of the test flights.” “At the same time, the company provides support with the test flight application procedures, facilitating the respective approval by the authorities. The partners include Supernal as the AAM division of the Korean Hyundai Group, Flix, the Technical University of Munich with several chairs, Hybrid-Airplane Technologies, FlyNow Aviation, Horyzn, Blueflite, Amazilia Aerospace and Manta Aircraft from Italy.”

For Skyroads and Augsburg Airport, the next step is to design and establish an operating agreement that regulates the operation of test and demonstration flights without disrupting conventional air traffic and the neighbourhood of the airport.

www.skyroads.com

HT Aero’s Two-seat Roadable eVTOL Flying Car Design Demonstrator Flew

At the Technology Day event of Xpeng Autos, one of the leading Chinese electric car manufacturers, the CEO of Xpeng Autos who is also the major shareholder of its aviation subsidy HT Aero, unveiled the final design of their roadable eVTOL flying car and the video of the first flight of the demonstrator.

The final design is a flying car with a multicopter eVTOL lift component on the roof. The multicopter lift component has eight folding propellors with 3.5 meter diameter.

the first conceptual design released by Xpeng Autos last year, quite different from the latest flying demonstrator

The full-size demonstrator has a gross weight of 1936kg, two-seat, driving range in “a few hundreds km”, flight range in “dozens km”. According to Xpeng’s CEO, they plans to show a full-size prototype next year.

Eviation’s Founder and former CEO and Joby’s former Executive Joined Autoflight

On 5 October 2022 Autoflight, the eVTOL startup headquartered in Shanghai, annouced that they launched the business and operation center in California, USA, and welcome Omer Bay-Yohay, the founder and former CEO of Eviation the electric airplane startup from Israel, and Chad Cashin, the former head of business development of Joby the eVTOL company, to join Autoflight.

Omer Bay-Yohay (right) and Chad Cashin (left)

Omer Bay-Yohay (right) is designated as the global president of Autoflight and Chad Cashin (left) the chief commercial officer.

Omer Bay-Yohay is a veteran in electric aviation. He founded Eviation in Israel which designed and produced “Alice” an 11-seat pure electric airplane prototype. Omer Bay-Yohay left the CEO position at Eviation while remaining on board before “Alice” prototype made the first flight last week.

In January this year Autoflight set up a research, development and certification center in Augsburg, Germany, and declared that they would apply for EASA certification of their V1500M 4-seat eVTOL. The former head of Airbus EC135 and H145 projects Mark Henning joined as the head of Autoflight Europe. For more details: https://news.e-flight-journal.com/?p=626

Autoflight is test flying V1500M 4-seat eVTOL as well as a unmanned cargo conversion. The company plans to start the EASA certification process of the V1500M in 2022, and to obtain the EASA type certification in 2025. They also plan to establish more demo flight sites and conduct more demo flights in Europe. for more deails: https://news.e-flight-journal.com/?p=811, https://news.e-flight-journal.com/?p=960

Autoflight’s V1500M four-seat eVTOL in test flight

Last November German Investor Lukasz Gadowski invested $100 million USD in Autoflight. Mr. Gadowski is a serial entrepreneur and startup investor who invests with his Berlin-based company Team Global in startups with a focus on eMobility on the ground and in the air. In eVTOL domain Mr. Gadowski has also invested in Volocopter and Archer. for more details: https://news.e-flight-journal.com/?p=587

Electric-converted Sling Airplane Made the First Public Flight

On 30 September 2022 an electric airplane called e-Sling designed and produced by students at ETH Zurich made another test flight which for the first time media were on site.

The airplane is converted from a Sling TSI four-seat kitplane. About 20 students participated in the project to equip the airplane with an electric motor and modular battery packs in the wings.

An electric motor with maximum power of 110 kW and a continuous output of 75 kW is similar in power to the 104 kW Rotax 915 iS that it replaces.The Rotax variant can reach speeds of up to 148 knots and has a range of around 800 nautical miles. For the e-Sling a cruise speed of 90 knots and a range of 110 nautical miles are projected.

The e-Sling took off from Dübendorf Airport for the first time on September 19th. The flight test program is a joint effort by the Experimental Aviation of Switzerland (EAS) and, because of the electric drive, also by the Federal Office for Civil Aviation (FOCA).

The project website: https://e-sling.com/

Wisk Unveiled Four-seat eVTOL Intended for Type Certificate

On 3 Oct. 2022 Wisk, the joint-venture between Boeing and Kitty Hawk founded by Google founder Larry Page, unveiled their latest eVTOL design which, according to the company, is their 6th generation eVTOL design.

The model, which is for now simpled called “generation 6”, is four-seat, fully electric powered, has tilt-rotor configuration with total of 12 propellors 6 of which on the leading edge can tilt for both vertical takeoff and landing as well as cruise while the other 6 propellors on the trailing edge are in fixed position for lift purpose only. The configuration is obviously a divert from their current Cora two-seat demonstrator which has lift+cruise configuration.

An important feature of the design is that it continues the autonomous flight control principle of all Kitty Hakw/Wisk designs. That means that all four seats are for passengers and there will be no pilot nor operator on board.

Wisk plans to apply for type certificate for Generation 6.

The specification of the Wisk’s Generation 6:

  • Cruising Altitude: 2500 – 4000 feet above ground level
  • Dimensions: <50 foot wingspan
  • Range: 90 miles (with reserves) / 144 kilometers
  • Cruising Speed: 110-120 knots
  • Charge Time: 15 minutes

For an illustration of the operation concept of Generation 6, Wisk presents this video:

Autoflight Applied Type Certificate for Large Cargo eVTOL

Shanghai-headquartered eVTOL startup Autoflight annouced today that the Chinese regulator CAAC accepted the type certificate application of its V2000CG “Carryall” eVTOL cargo drone.

The model has 2 metric ton maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) with 500kg cargo payload, is fully electrically powered, making its the largest cargo eVTOL applying for type certificate in China.

The model has the lift+cruise configuration with 8 lifting propellor and 1 cruising propellor. The model is a cargo conversion of Autoflight’s “Prosperity” 4-seat passenger-carrying eVTOL design which has 1.5 metric ton MTOW.

According to the trial regulation of special-class UAV operation in the form of Advisory Circular (AC) published by CAAC in 2021, UAV with MTOW over 25kg requires airworthness certification with the exemption of spraying drones for argriculatural use (flying altitude limited to 30 meters).

Eviation’s “Alice” 11-seat Prototype Made First Flight

On 27 September 2022 “Alice” electric commuter prototype designed and produced by Eviation, the electric commuter airplane startup, tooke off for the first time from Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake, Washington, USA. The first flight happened in early morning and lasted about 8 minutes at 3700 feet.

Alice is designed to carry 9 passengers and two pilots in short-haul commuter configuration, 6 passengers in VIP executive cabine configuration and can carry up to 1.1 ton in cargo configuration with 7.5 ton gross weight. Eviation says that Alice will reach 500 miles (800 kilometers) at 400km per hour.

Alice prototype’s maiden flight. photo courtesy: Eviation

Eviation first unveiled Alice full-size mockup at Paris Airshow in 2019, but the company changed the design and revealed the new design in Jule 2021. Eviation expects to receive Part 23 certificate from FAA in 2025 and begins delivery to customers which have piled up over 130 orders with different configurations.