Page 57 - World Airnews Magazine February 2020 Edition

AVIONICS AVIONICS

THE TOP 10 AIR TAXI noise and efficiency due to distributed propulsion and electric Airbus' other rapid aircraft development project, Vahana,wrapped
Little has been heard from CityAirbus throughout 2019, though

power, allowing Uber to create a ridesharing model that will ex-

pand the market past the elites-only price point helicopters have its flight testing before the end of the year.

STORIES OF 2019 been confined to. 3. LILIUM REPORTEDLY SEEKS TO RAISE HALF A BILLION
DOLLARS TO CERTIFY ELECTRIC REGIONAL JET
6. BAE SYSTEMS MOVES INTO THE AIRCRAFT
ELECTRIFICATION MARKET This Munich, Germany-based air taxi developer, with its striking
By Brian Garrett-Glaser A long-time supplier of electric propulsion systems to ground five-seat design focused more on 'regional' air mobility than

vehicles and flight controls for military aircraft, BAE Systems intra-urban flights, is reportedly seeking to raise a war chest of

dropped about 25 percent from its IPO in May. announced in August it will enter the aircraft electrification about $500 million, presumably to see its aircraft through to

Despite it all, Uber continues to lead to the charge toward market, intending to offer a wide-ranging suite of products for commercial certification and commercial use. Lilium is one of a
he past year was marked by incredible progress for the aerial ridesharing with its Elevate project and seven announced use on regional jets as well as smaller aircraft intended few air taxi startups to have raised about $100 million in venture

Tbudding air taxi sector, capping off a decade of more rapid vehicle partners: Aurora, Bell, Embraer, Karem, Pipistrel, as for UAM. capital, along with Joby Aviation and Volocopter.
advancement toward on-demand electric air mobility than most well as Jaunt Air Mobility, announced at the Elevate summit Months later, BAE signed an MoU with Jaunt Air Mobility, one of 2. KITTY HAWK REVEALS ULTRA-QUIET ‘HEAVISIDE’

observers thought possible. in June, and Joby Aviation, announced in December. Uber also Uber’s six announced vehicle partners and the first public project EVTOL DESIGN
Here are the top 10 most-viewed air taxi stories published launched a helicopter-based mobility service in New York City by BAE in this space. The company will integrate hardware and

by Avionics International last year, ranked by reader interest to further its understanding of how to run a multi-modal aerial software for the aircraft’s battery management system as well The Kitty hawk HVSD eVTOL aircraft, revealed after two years of

(page views). mobility service. as managing the actuation and high-voltage power distribution stealth development. (Kitty Hawk)

This article examined some of the challenges Uber isn't con- around the aircraft, though the agreement could open the door to In October, the Larry Page-funded outfit Kitty Hawk unveiled
10. WITH URBAN AIR MOBILITY COMING sidering and featured voices that push back on the company's further BAE involvement in other elements of aircraft electrifica- its third vehicle, following Flyer and Cora, named 'Heaviside,' af-

INTO FOCUS, TWO COMPANIES PRESENT vision and aggressive timeframe, including Itai Shoshani, tion and flight controls. ter engineer and physicist Oliver Heaviside. It's a single-person
ALTERNATIVE VISIONS CEO and chief pilot for New York-based helicopter charter Will BAE announce its involvement in more air taxi development aircraft that can travel 55 miles in 15 minutes, at a cruise speed
Zip Aviation. projects in 2020? Magic 8-ball says ‘likely.’ exceeding 200 mph, but its most — or least — striking feature is
its low acoustic signature. TechCrunch'sKirsten Korosec report-
8. NASA LAUNCHES URBAN AIR MOBILITY GRAND 5. PORSCHE AND BOEING TO EXPLORE 'PREMIUM' URBAN ed the vehicle registers below 40 decibels at a distance of 600
CHALLENGE PROGRAM AIR MOBILITY MARKET feet, which is exponentially quieter than an average helicopter
Beginning in 2020, NASA will conduct full field tests in at 80-85 decibels.
urban environments with select participants, evaluating Though it's a much smaller aircraft than the designs expected
all elements of UAM operations under a variety of weather, to be used for urban aerial ridesharing, Heaviside's en-route
traffic and contingency conditions. The goal of this programme, acoustic signature represents a tremendous achievement for
called the UAM Grand Challenge, is to understand what will be a sector deeply concerned with the public's reaction to more
required to achieve a mature UAM ecosystem capable noise overhead.
of operating in dense urban environments, evaluating
aircraft, air traffic management systems and infrastructure 1. HOW MAJOR HELICOPTER MANUFACTURERS ARE PRE-
capabilities. PARING FOR THE URBAN AIR MOBILITY MARKET
Vehicle developers and air traffic navigation service providers

(ANSPs) are encouraged to participate, and data from the project

Bell's Nexus air taxi vehicle, being will assist the FAA in determining aircraft certification require-
developed for Uber (Bell) ments for air taxis.
The first stage of the Grand Challenge, called GC-Develop-
As a number of companies including Boeing, Bell Flight, mental Test or GC-DT, is slated to take place between July and
Volocopter and Sabrewing (among others) continue to develop November 2020 and will include both simulations and live
electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for various flights. The results of GC-DT will help shape the scenarios to be
cargo delivery and passenger carrying missions, we profiled undertaken throughout the rest of the project.
two companies, Metro Hop and FLUTR Motors, that are taking Porsche and Boeing have signed an MoU

disruptive approaches toward the future vision of urban air 7. HOW UBER’S AIR TAXIS WILL SUCCEED WHERE to develop a prototype electric vertical

mobility (UAM) that has the aviation industry in a frenzy HELICOPTERS FAILED takeoff and landing vehicle. (Porsche)
right now.
In September, Porsche became the latest automaker to throw its
9. THE AIR TAXI CHALLENGES UBER ISN'T CONSIDERING hat in the UAM ring, announcing a joint aircraft development proj-

ect with Boeing to explore what it called the 'premium' segment

of the urban air mobility market, betting that initial access to this

mode of transportation will be limited to very wealthy individuals CityAirbus is one of two UAM-focused vehicle projects

and a brand like Porsche could command a powerful presence. undertaken by Airbus in 2019. Airbus and Bell are more
While few details have been revealed about the vehicle beyond focused on UAM than Sikorsky and Leonardo. (Airbus)
that it will be an all-electric two-seater, the project is staffed by

roughly 20 engineers, designers and business development profes- Based on conversations with the four major helicopter OEMs -
sionals. Airbus, Bell, Leonardo and Sikorsky - we found that Airbus and Bell
Porsche doesn't see the ride-sharing UAM concept, championed had made urban air mobility and the technologies that underpin

most notably by Uber, as likely to appeal to high-dollar travelers, it a significant part of their future strategy, while Leonardo and

instead seeking to offer a model where riders can hail an entire Sikorsky are mostly watching to see how the sector develops.

vehicle for themselves that is designed around a comfortable, Soon after Leonardo announced it will partner with Falcon

luxurious experience. Aviation Services to display some examples of UAM infrastructure
A rendering of an Uber vertiport. (Uber) at Dubai Expo 2020, including a helipad, showroom and helicop-

4. CITYAIRBUS EVTOL PROTOTYPE MAKES FIRST FLIGHT ter terminal concept alongside Leonardo’s upcoming commercial

FLUTR Motors At the beginning of the year, Uber’s head of aviation engineering, IN GERMANY tiltrotor, the AW609.

Mark Moore, described how the new electric aircraft under devel- The second UAM-related vehicle project undertaken by Airbus Sikorsky also promptly demonstrated some UAM vision at CoMo-

2019 was a challenging year for Uber. The rideshare giant opment will achieve the mass-market utilization that helicopters took flight for the first time in May 2019. CityAirbus, designed to tion LA in November, partnering with Otis Elevator Company and

faced scrutiny of its safety practices, is appealing the loss failed to achieve due to fundamental advantages of the vehicles. carry four passengers, has four sets of counter-rotating ducted Helinet. The company has stated its focus is on the infrastructure
of its taxi license in London, and the company's stock has Moore said eVTOLs have an edge over helicopters on cost, safety, props. Airbus has teamed with Siemens for this project. side of UAM. Q
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