OSAKA - The development of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft has piqued the interest of many prominent airlines in recent years. Carriers have invested millions of dollars into projects promising to deliver flying taxis capable of point-to-point urban travel. While eVTOL flying taxi concepts seem closer to similar flying car fantasies, Airbus is inching closer to making that fantasy a reality, Ryan Erik King reports for Jalopnik. Continue reading original article.
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
19 September 2022 - Through this agreement, Airbus and Hiratagakuen will tackle crucial aspects required to launch a commercial transportation service with CityAirbus NextGen. As a major first step, the partners’ joint project to organise a simulation of ideal routes, concepts of operations and necessary equipment for safe eVTOL flights in the Kansai region, has been selected by the Osaka prefecture, with a demonstration flight scheduled for later this year.
With the aim to implement air mobility services beyond urban environments, the joint work of Airbus and Hiratagakuen will support the development of advanced air mobility solutions with CityAirbus NextGen, for use cases ranging from air medical services to commercial air transport and ecotourism in a variety of operational contexts. To reach this objective, and with the support of local stakeholders, Airbus and Hiratagakuen will use an H135 helicopter to test advanced navigation and communication technologies for safe operations of eVTOLs in urban environments, while simulating CityAirbus NextGen’s flight configuration.
Balkiz Sarihan, Head of UAM Strategy Execution and Partnerships at Airbus, said: “We are honoured to further our long standing collaboration with Hiratagakuen by working on this exciting journey towards zero emission flights. Their expertise in commercial air transport and air medical services operations makes them an ideal partner for defining the operational framework for advanced air mobility with CityAirbus NextGen in Japan”.
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Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Intelligent Aerospace
