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69-480: Urban air mobility is a subset of a broader advanced air mobility (AAM) concept that includes other use cases than intracity passenger transport; NASA describes advanced air mobility as including small drones, electric aircraft, and automated air traffic management among other technologies to perform a wide variety of missions including cargo and logistics. This is also supported by the drone market consulting firm Drone Industry Insights, who also includes vertiports into

138-589: A CAGR of 22.1%. A video depiction of a passenger-carrying eVTOL concept aircraft dubbed Puffin was shared online on November 11, 2009 by NASA scientist Mark Moore. Inspired by Moore’s papers Larry Page funded two eVTOL startups. In fall 2016, Uber launched project Elevate following a white paper co-authored by Jeff Holden, Nikhil Goel, and Mark Moore, to explore on-demand air transportation. Three years later, Uber Copter services began in New York City using traditional helicopters . Elevate envisioned

207-421: A commercial pilot license (CPL(H)) or an air transport pilot license (ATPL(H)) for manned craft. CAE is developing training programs utilizing data analytics with complex simulators. CAE and BETA partnered to offer eVTOL pilot and maintenance technician training for ALIA eVTOLs. CAE and Volocopter partnered to develop a pilot training program for Volocopter eVTOLs. Mechanics also need to be certified, but as this

276-714: A Brazilian start-up teamed with Eve Air Mobility , a division of Embraer . In 2021, Eve signed a Memorandum of Understanding with EDP Group to share research for optimal charging techniques. Eve Air Mobility ranks 7th on the 2022 AAM Reality Index. Dufour Aerospace earned a 2022 AAM Reality Index score of 5.2 for its "Aero3" aircraft. In 2022, the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) set out its eVTOL roadmap. Infrastructure group, Skyportz , has been selected to build Australia's first vertiport in Melbourne by 2026. Groupe ADP

345-540: A UAM system. NASA's concept of operations, or ConOps, relies on defined corridors for UAM craft which must then abide by specific protocols when inside the corridor. EASA's regulatory approach leaves local decision to “local actors” and will instead seek to certify the aircraft themselves for safety. They developed the VTOL special condition to certify the specific class of aircraft that were previously undefined. Aircraft need to be certified as airworthy, as well as registered with

414-804: A blend of the FAA Part 23, 27, 33, 35, and 36 requirements to certify its eVTOL. BETA applied for eVTOL certification under Part 23 with the FAA. BETA was the first manned eVTOL to receive military airworthiness from the Air Force. All VTOL and eVTOL aircraft that carry persons or property for hire must be flown by an appropriately certificated operator. Joby applied for a FAA Part 135 certificate to operate their own aircraft for UAM projects. Lilium partnered with Luxaviation to operate eVTOL jets in Europe. Pilots need to be certified to operate an eVTOL and remote eVTOLs. Pilots can obtain

483-443: A catalytic membrane. Small fuel cells can power light drones for three times longer than equivalent batteries. Fuel cells are in development for larger aircraft. Experimental regional aircraft retrofitted with fuel cell-electric propulsion systems have flown in 2023. In January 2023, ZeroAvia flew a Dornier 228 with one original Honeywell TPE 331 turboprop engine on the right wing and a proprietary ZeroAvia hydrogen-electric engine on

552-444: A detection and avoidance radar to navigate traffic, and software to track landing zones for repeatable vertical landings. Fly-by-wire systems translate a pilot's inputs into commands sent to an aircraft's motors, propeller governors, ailerons, elevators and other moving surfaces. They are essential in multirotor designs because human pilots cannot control multiple propellers without computer assistance. In June 2019, Honeywell introduced

621-628: A flight of its eVTOL that flew a 150-mile flight on a single battery charge by flying in a 14-mile circle 11 times for a total flight time of one hour and 17 minutes. Air mobility is progressing along both manned and UAV directions. In Hamburg , the WiNDroVe project – (use of drones in a metropolitan area) was implemented from May 2017 through January 2018. In Ingolstadt , Germany the Urban Air Mobility project began in June 2018, involving Audi , Airbus ,

690-670: A large scale prototype in flight test. Canadian simulation technology company CAE Inc. and Volocopter forged a strategic partnership to produce the world's first AAM pilot training curriculum. Construction was to begin in Dubai in 2023 by Canadian vertiport infrastructure group, VPorts , for an Advanced Air Mobility Integrator Center. The center will facilitate eVTOL testing. Vertical Aerospace earned an AAM Reality Index score of 7.2, ranking 8th. Virgin Atlantic along with Cranfield University and other industry and academic partners created

759-422: A miniaturized computer specifically designed for UAM aircraft. Advanced autonomous eVTOL fleets require management software to scale to profitable levels. Pilot training is costly and expensive, and pilots themselves take up much of an aircraft's payload. So many manufacturers are designing aircraft that can fly autonomously as automation technology improves. Sikorsky is developing MATRIX technology, while Honeywell

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828-490: A multimodal ride service. Annual Elevate summits hosted from 2017-2019 helped develop the eVTOL and UAM markets pursued by dozens of OEMS . In 2022 Volkswagen 's Chinese subsidiary announced plans to build AAM aircraft in Beijing . NASA acoustic testing concluded that eVTOLs are "vastly quieter than helicopters". McKinsey aerospace expert Kersten Heineke noted that electric aircraft are "completely emission-free". During

897-602: A one-way fare was $ 4–11. From 1964 to 1968, PanAm offered regular helicopter connections between midtown Manhattan and John F. Kennedy International Airport, allowing for passengers to connect directly to their flights from the New York City Pan American building. The service was halted in 1979 after a crash in 1977 killed four people on the roof and one on the ground below. In the 1980s, Trump Shuttle offered helicopter service between Wall Street and LaGuardia Airport , utilizing Sikorsky S-61 helicopters. The service

966-593: A positive attitude towards UAM, while 71% were ready to try UAM services. Projects underway include Lilium announcing to create the first U.S. vertihub in Orlando for its on-demand electric jet service and EHang created an UAM pilot program in Spain in the city of Seville. In December 2016, the Vertical Lift Research Centers of Excellence (VLRCOE) announced its new academic teams for its program. The joint effort of

1035-431: A prototype crash in rural California, achieved an FAA Part 135 air service certification, and signed Delta Air Lines as investor and strategic partner. As of 2024, Joby tied with Beta Technologies and Volocopter with an industry leading AAM Reality Index score of 8.0, followed by Archer Aviation (7.9), Wisk Aero (7.4), Pipistrel (7.2) among the top ten eVTOL manufacturers. The Federal Aviation Administration

1104-415: A system to connect cities, states, drone operators, and the FAA into a single space to map out the safest routes for autonomous drones using publicly available flight data. Governments around the world have begun debating changes to their airspace rules to accommodate high numbers of autonomous or semi-autonomous aircraft operating at low altitudes. NASA and EASA have proposed concepts for the requirements of

1173-598: A temporary vertiport near Rome Fiumicino airport , as preparation for an intended airtaxi service to downtown Rome during the 2025 Jubilee . In 2023, VoloCity hoped it would be flying athletes for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris but that did not happen as it had not obtain the certification for the engine. In September 2023, the Bristow Group announced that it had ordered two Volocopter VoloCity eVTOLs with an option to purchase 78 more. The helicopter company plans use

1242-402: A type of propeller mounted within a duct, which optimizes the thrust from the tips of the blades. Tiltrotor aircraft lift exclusively by rigid propeller and have no other horizontal propulsion type. They generate horizontal thrust by physically tilting the rotors into a horizontal position once airborne. Tiltwing aircraft are similar to tiltrotor aircraft, but rather than independently rotating

1311-427: Is a specific air traffic management system designed around the unique needs of unmanned and low-altitude aircraft. UTM provides airspace integrations necessary for ensuring safe operation through services such as design of the actual airspace, delineations of air corridors, dynamic geofencing to maintain flight paths, weather avoidance, and route planning without continuous human monitoring. Airspace Link developed AirHub,

1380-414: Is also the parent company of Volvo Cars , Terrafugia and Lotus Cars , led a round of funding that raised $ 55 million in private investments for Volocopter. In September 2020, Volocopter started flying pre-sales promotional trips for Volocity, the company's prospective electric air taxi service. On 21 October 2019, Volocopter unveiled its "world first air taxi airport", and the company also demonstrated

1449-433: Is an emerging industry, there are not yet regulations in place to do so for the relevant aircraft and technologies. Applications include commute, law enforcement, air medical, fire, private security, and military. Public acceptance of UAM relies on a variety of factors, including but not limited to safety, energy consumption, noise, security, and social equity. Safety risks overlap with most current aircraft risks, including

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1518-602: Is constructing 4 vertiport locations in Paris . French multinational corporation Thales Group has agreed to integrate its custom avionics solution into the Eve Air Mobility flight deck. French start-up Ascendance Flight Technologies ranked 15th on the 2022 AAM Reality Index. Airbus Helicopters is developing a flying taxi, CityAirbus NextGen , targeted to begin service between 2026 and 2030. The 2024 Olympic Games presented an opportunity to showcase Volocopter eVTOL air taxi flights. Swedish start-up Heart Aerospace

1587-477: Is developing a hybrid RAM aircraft, earning a 5.1 score in the AAM Reality Index. United Airlines is both a customer and investor. In Fall 2021, Honda announced plans to enter the hybrid eVTOL market. Toyota switched its support from a Japanese start-up to Joby Aviation . The following year, SkyDrive secured a strategic partnership with Volatus Infrastructure to develop AAM vertiports. Japan and

1656-544: Is developing integrated avionics systems comprising a vehicle management system, autonomous navigation, a fly-by-wire control system, and compact satellite connectivity. The avionics are modular and able to integrate with third-party applications. The architecture can also incorporate simplified vehicle operations, which replaces traditional pilot displays with imagery that is similar to a car GPS system or smartphone app. UAM requires infrastructure for vehicles to take off, land, be repaired, recharge or refuel, and park. The size of

1725-432: Is partnered with Pipistrel and other manufacturers to develop automatic landing systems for their respective aircraft. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are necessary to develop autonomous craft, but pose a complication to certification because they are non-deterministic, i.e. they may behave differently given the same input in the same scenario. Avionics are electronic systems designed for aircraft. Honeywell

1794-809: The CityAirbus demonstrator, the Lilium Jet or the Volocopter , the EHang 216 and the experimental Boeing Passenger Air Vehicle . In the concept phase, urban air mobility aircraft, having VTOL capabilities, are deployed to take off and land vertically in a relatively small area to avoid the need of a runway. The majority of designs are electric and use multiple rotors to minimize noise (due to rotational speed) while providing high system redundancy. Many of them have completed their first flight. The most common configurations of urban air mobility aircraft are multicopters (such as

1863-692: The FAA , a vertiport is an identifiable ground or elevated area, that can be associated with various equipment and facilities, used for the take off and landing of tiltrotor aircraft and rotorcraft. The industry has used different terms for describing the various levels of equipment and sizes of these facilities. Vertipads are simple landing pads designed to be used by one aircraft at a time. Vertiports or vertibases can feature one or more final approach and takeoff (FATO) and touch-down and lift-off (TLOF) areas, as well as several VTOL stands and other aircraft and passenger facilities. Vertihubs are larger aviation facilities serving

1932-484: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) formally adopted the term. According to a May 2021 market valuation by Morgan Stanley , AAM is projected to be worth $ 1 trillion US dollars by 2040 and up to $ 9 trillion a decade later. However, consulting firm Drone Industry Insights , which primarily focuses on the commercial drone market, offers a more conservative forecast of $ 20.8 billion by 2035, with

2001-605: The Kitty Hawk Flyer . On October 5, 2011, Marcus Leng, Founder of Opener, piloted the first manned flight of a fixed-wing all electric VTOL aircraft. On October 21, 2011, the co-founder and primary designer of Volocopter , Thomas Senkel, flew the first manned flight of an electric multicopter , the Volocopter VC1 prototype. In 2012, Joby Aviation and NASA partnered to prototype an experimental eVTOL. In 2014, The Leading Edge Asynchronous Propeller Technology (LEAPTech) project

2070-627: The MassDOT Aeronautics Division are the only non-European governmental bodies to commit to AAM principles as UIC2 International City/Region Partners along with communities across 15 European nations. In Summer 2022, Tokyo hosted the inaugural International Advanced Air Mobility Expo. As part of World Expo 2025 in Osaka Japan plans to orchestrate nearly 30,000 eVTOL air taxi flights. Horizon Aircraft, based in Lindsay Ontario has

2139-863: The United States Army , United States Navy , and NASA aims to foster direct collaboration between the government and academic institutions. Universities have been associated into various teams: Georgia Institute of Technology , Iowa State University , Purdue University , University of Michigan , and Washington University ; University of Liverpool , Pennsylvania State University , Embry Riddle Aeronautical University , University of California, Davis , and University of Tennessee , University of Maryland, United States Naval Academy , University of Texas at Arlington , University of Texas at Austin , and Texas A&M University ; Technical University of Munich , Roma Tre University , and Technion – Israel Institute of Technology . Volocopter and CAE partnered to create

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2208-742: The Advanced Mobility Ecosystem Consortium and earned a £9.5m grant by the UK's Future Flight Challenge. According to the World Economic Forum , Air-One became the world's first operational vertiport when it opened in April 2022 in Coventry . In 2020, Joby Aviation acquired the rights to Uber's Elevate and in August 2021, the company went public. In 2022, Joby set a new eVTOL speed record, had

2277-748: The BlackFly a personal air vehicle, after nine years of development. Joby Aviation tested its tilt-rotor UAM vehicle in flight in March 2021. In June 2021, EHang completed the first pilotless test flight of the AAV EHang216 in Honshu, China. In the same month, Volocopter demonstrated its first public flight of an electric air taxi in France along with remote-controlled flight of its eVTOL, the Volocopter 2X. In July 2021, Joby completed

2346-627: The Carisma Research Center, the Fraunhofer Application Center for Mobility, the THI University of Applied Sciences (THI in the artificial intelligence research network) and other partners. Envisioned was use of UAM in emergency services, transport of blood and organs, traffic monitoring, public safety and passenger transport. The German, Dutch and Belgian cities Maastricht , Aachen , Hasselt , Heerlen and Liège joined

2415-708: The U.S. Army and Air Force took over development of the Avrocar in 1958. The Avrocar encountered issues with both thrust and stability and the project was eventually canceled in 1961. Beginning in the early 1950s, air operators offered UAM air taxis services via helicopters in a handful of U.S. cities, including New York , Los Angeles , and San Francisco . In 1964, New York Airways (NYA) and Pan American offered more than 30 flights between John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport with stops in Manhattan such as Wall Street . The average cost for

2484-751: The UAM Initiative of the European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities (EIP-SCC). Toulouse , France, is participating in the European Urban Air Mobility Initiative. The project is coordinated by Airbus, the European institutional partner Eurocontrol and EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency). The concept was realized in São Paulo , Brazil, with over 15,000 passengers flown by Voom. There, urban air mobility

2553-776: The VoloCitys to establish a commercial passenger and cargo service in the US and UK. On November 13, 2023, the company flew its Volocopter 2X in New York, marking the aircraft's first flight in the city. The demonstration took place at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport (DMH) as part of an announcement by the city of its intention to electrify the facility. Summary of all products designed and built by Volocopter GmbH: eVTOL aircraft Vertical take off and landings eVTOL aircraft specialised airport Drones Digital products At

2622-779: The Volocopter) or so-called tiltwing convertiplane aircraft (e.g. A³ Vahana ). The first type uses only rotors with vertical axis, while the second additionally have propulsion and lift systems for horizontal flight (e.g. pressure propeller and wing ). In order for UAM aircraft to be most efficient, recharging and refueling must be done as quickly as possible, whether that is swapping batteries, fast recharging batteries, or hydrogen refueling. Conventional fossil fuels are readily available and offer high power density (the amount of power produced per kilogram of fuel). However, traditional piston or turbine engines emit smoke and noise. The heavy mechanical linkages needed to distribute power limit

2691-506: The advanced air mobility industry. While urban and suburban air mobility utilize eVTOL aircraft within a greater metropolitan area, rural and regional air mobility utilize electric short take-off and landing eSTOL aircraft. Volocopter Volocopter GmbH (formerly called E-Volo GmbH ) is a German aircraft manufacturer based in Bruchsal (near Karlsruhe ) and founded by Alexander Zosel and Stephan Wolf. The company specializes in

2760-479: The appropriate governing body. Regulations for UAM aircraft are most similar to helicopter regulations but will need additional regulations for electric and/or autonomous craft. FAA established certification basis for its eVTOL craft. eVTOLs are classified with the FAA as an airplane that can take off and land vertically. EASA released special condition VTOL certification to separate VTOLs and eVTOLs from conventional rotocraft or fixed-wing aircraft. Archer Aviation uses

2829-534: The area and to fly its first proposed flight route to Sentosa . The demonstration also shed light to promote greater public visibility on the new transportation service to come in the next few years. There was extensive media coverage of the flight testing and the demonstrator vertical airport that Skyports built in collaboration with Volocopter within the Marina Bay area in Singapore, and attracted many people to witness

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2898-581: The burden of funding the technology involved. In January 2021, the company confirmed that the ADAC had reserved two of its VoloCity aircraft for operational testing in 2023. Also in January 2021, the company announced that the FAA had accepted its application to concurrently validate the European Union Aviation Safety Agency type certification it expects secure within the next three years. In

2967-421: The definition of AAM and UAM. The development of the earliest predecessors of UAM aircraft began in the early 1900s with early concepts of “ flying cars ” such as Glenn Curtiss's Autoplane, developed in 1917. Three years later, Henry Ford began prototyping “plane cars” as single-seat aircraft, but halted development after a fatal crash in early tests. One of the first vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft (VTOLs)

3036-526: The design of electric multirotor helicopters in the form of personal air vehicles , designed for air taxi use. The CEO is Dirk Hoke and chairman Stefan Klocke. The company flew the Volocopter VC1 and Volocopter VC2 technology demonstrators, followed by the two-seat Volocopter VC200 prototype. The VC1 was first flown on 21 October 2011. The two-seat project that became the Volocopter 2X started in 2013, evolved from early single-seat Volocopter VC2 prototype flown in 2011. The two seat prototype

3105-475: The development of physical infrastructure for vertiports as well as highly automated digital infrastructure, i.e. UAS traffic management (UTM). AAM combines both urban air mobility (UAM), which involves transporting persons and cargo above the traffic within a city and regional air mobility (RAM) which is focused more on connecting suburbs, villages and rural towns as well as islands or adjacent communities separated by mountainous regions. UAM has attracted

3174-520: The first eVTOL pilot training and development program in July 2021. Advanced air mobility Advanced air mobility ( AAM ) are systems that incorporate support for next-generation transport such as such as remotely piloted, autonomous, or vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. This includes those powered by electric or hybrid-electric propulsion. AAM seeks to support unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and sustainable aircraft. This requires

3243-399: The industry without construction of additional infrastructure or modification of existing helipads. Airports are already being used in limited locations to facilitate on-demand helicopter and eVTOL services. Such airports include John Wayne Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Portland International Airport. Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) traffic management (collectively UTM)

3312-446: The lack of infrastructure required for recharging stations. Hybrid-electric systems use a combination of internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric propulsion system components. Different combinations are possible. These systems can provide combined advantages from different energy sources, but still must be viewed in terms of the overall system's efficiency. Hydrogen fuel cells generate electricity by circulating hydrogen gas through

3381-578: The largest structure in the UAM environment. They can offer service ssuch as FBOs and MROs . Vertihubs would serve concentrated high-traffic regions. In 2020, Lilium announced their plans to construct a vertiport near Orlando International Airport. Joby has partnered with REEF Technology and Neighborhood Property Group (NPG) to use the rooftops of parking structures as take-off and landing areas. Existing helipads, or helicopter landing pads, can be used to accommodate UAM aircraft. Helipads are insufficient to sustain

3450-466: The left wing. In March 2023, Universal Hydrogen 's electric Dash 8-300 made its maiden flight. Common VTOL and eVTOL configurations include: Multirotor aircraft have small wings, or no wings at all. They use downward-facing propellers or fans to generate the majority of their lift. Lift-plus-cruise aircraft utilize vertically mounted propellers for take-off and landing, but a horizontal propeller and wings for sustained cruise flight. Ducted fans are

3519-556: The majority of investment. AAM expands upon the principles of UAM to applications beyond the urban environment: In February 2020, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine expanded the scope of the developing UAM concept beyond Manhattan use cases. Since March 2020, UAM has been considered an element of AAM, as defined by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Four months later,

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3588-522: The number and configuration of rotors on an aircraft. Synthetic fuels have the potential to produce nearly CO 2 -neutral energy while utilizing existing refueling infrastructure. But they pose the same challenges as conventional fuel in terms of noise and mechanical limitations. Rechargeable batteries are often used in UAVs and eVTOLs. Emerging eVTOL vehicles are limited by the relatively low energy density to weight ratio in current battery technology, as well as

3657-667: The pandemic, the number and value of related investments grew markedly. In 2019, Chinese manufacturer EHang began extensive passenger flight testing with autonomous eVTOLs. The Spanish National Academy of Police in Avila celebrated a successful public maiden flight of the 'EH216-S' by Chinese manufacturer EHang in December 2022, making Spain the first nation in the European Union to operate an eVTOL for public safety . EVTOL manufacturers Volocopter and Lilium Jet , ranked 3rd and 4th in

3726-426: The physical infrastructure determines the market size, as trips can only be completed between established landing areas. While some components can be integrated into existing aviation and aerospace infrastructure, additional facilities need to be constructed. For large cities it is estimated that there could be 85–100 take-off and landing pads to accommodate a UAM environment. See main article vertiport According to

3795-531: The physical security of passengers in the absence of crew members and the cybersecurity of both the craft and the systems governing it. In regard to social equity, the high initial costs of UAM services could prove to be detrimental to public opinion, especially as the affordability of services and technologies is not guaranteed. In the NASA UAM market study, respondents with higher incomes were more likely to take UAM trips. An EASA survey showed that 83% of respondents had

3864-442: The potential for flights outside of approved airspace, proximity to people and/or buildings, critical system failures or loss of control, and hull loss. In the case of autonomous or remote-piloted aircraft, cybersecurity becomes a risk as well. The type of and volume of the noise caused by aircraft and rotorcraft are two leading factors regarding the public perception of eVTOL craft in UAM applications. Specific security concerns include

3933-407: The rotors, the entire wing is rotated. Flight controls consists of flight control surfaces, cockpit controls, and operating mechanisms to control an aircraft's direction in flight. Honeywell, Pipistrel, Vertical Aerospace, Lilium and other companies are collaborating to create new flight controls for a variety of eVTOL aircraft. Honeywell developed a fly-by-wire computer that controls multiple rotors,

4002-508: The same announcement, the company claimed it was exploring launching Volocity within the United States to provide intra-city air taxi services in major metropolitan areas such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. In 2022, Volocopter raised $ 170 million in funding to launch its first air taxi services. In October 2022 demonstration flights were performed also in Italy, in

4071-440: The test flight even though the weather was a little gloomy then. The eVTOL prototype airport is called the " Voloport ". After the demonstration, the prototype was dismantled, and moved for redeployment at subsequent launches. However, by Nov 2023, it was announced that the launch of Volocopter’s air taxi operations in Singapore had been put on hold indefinitely, due to lack of ability to secure local partners who can share

4140-483: The use of its VoloCity eVTOL aircraft around the Marina Bay vicinity of southern Singapore . The company also conducted a feasibility survey with Singaporean mega ride-hailing company Grab . The demonstration was well-received and supported by the Singapore government. The company worked closely together with various government authorities like MoT , CAAS and EDB to allow test flights for their ' air taxi ' service in

4209-530: The world for AAM vertiport infrastructure readiness alongside Urban-Air Port in the UK and BETA in the US. Supernal, a division of Hyundai Motor Group ranks 9th on the 2022 AAM Reality Index. American multinational corporation Honeywell agreed to integrate its Anthem avionics into the Supernal flight deck. MintAir along with American-Canadian firm Jaunt Air Mobility , signed a letter of intent to collaborate on air taxi development. FlyBIS Aviation,

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4278-655: The world on the 2022 AAM Reality Index, respectively. As of 2020 Lilium planned to build the first American vertiport outside the City of Orlando , Florida. UAV manufacturer Umiles Next tested its prototype 'Integrity3' and demonstrated collision-avoidance systems as part of its U-space initiative. According to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), U-space includes "all the services required to ensure [UAVs] operate effectively, safely, and securely." Spanish multinational corporation Ferrovial ranks 2nd in

4347-650: Was designated as the VC-200 and the derived production model the 2X. An on-line fundraising effort in 2013 on the Seedmatch website raised € 500,000 in 2 hours and 35 minutes, setting a new European Union record. The money was used to build the VC200 prototype. The aircraft entered serial production in April 2018 and will be built under contract by the German sailplane manufacturer DG Flugzeugbau . On 9 September 2019, Geely , which

4416-751: Was discontinued in the 1990s after Trump Shuttle was acquired by US Airways. In 1986, Helijet began as a helicopter airline with routes between Vancouver and Victoria in British Columbia . BLADE, launched in 2014 in New York City, providing helicopter-based air taxi services. BLADE has since launched similar services in the San Francisco Bay Area and Mumbai . In 2017 Voom, a subsidiary of aircraft maker Airbus , flew more than 15,000 passengers in São Paulo, Brazil using Airbus helicopters. The Voom UAM demonstration program operated for four years and

4485-618: Was launched as a collaboration of NASA Langley Research Center and NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center along with Empirical Systems Aerospace (ESAero) and Joby Aviation. Lockheed Martin debuted their optionally-piloted helicopter, the S-76B Sikorsky Autonomous Research Aircraft (SARA) in 2019, in downtown Los Angeles. In 2018, the Wisk Cora eVTOL test flight occurred in Mountain View, CA. That same year, Opener flew

4554-654: Was provided by helicopters . Helicopter air taxis are already available in Mexico City , Mexico. Fast air connections are still associated with high costs, and cause considerable noise and high energy consumption. The Voom UAM demonstration program operated for four years, and was shut down in March 2020. Urban-Air Port , a UK Government-sponsored helipad+ startup R&D firm, with a prototype at Coventry , equipped for eVTOLs, PAVs and drones, in conjunction with Hyundai . Personal air vehicles (PAVs) are under development for urban air mobility. These include projects such as

4623-791: Was shut down in March 2020. In 2019, Uber began to offer Uber Copter in Lower Manhattan New York to John F. Kennedy International Airport. Some cities have encouraged the idea of inexpensive, point-to-point air travel as a way of reducing traffic congestion and moving goods. By the mid-2000s, aircraft designers were incorporating technologies pioneered in small drones into new aircraft designs for passengers. These technologies included distributed propulsion (the use of multiple rotors or fans), lithium ion batteries , inexpensive accelerometers , miniaturized navigation systems and carbon-fiber construction. In 2010, Kitty Hawk Corporation , funded by Google Co-founder Larry Page, began development of

4692-454: Was the 1924 Berliner No. 5. It recorded its best performance when it reached a height of 4.57 m (15 ft) during a one-minute, thirty-five second flight. Pitcairn , Cierva , Buhl and other manufacturers developed autogyros prototypes. The Avrocar was a disk-shaped aircraft designed for military use. Initially funded by the Canadian government, the project was dropped due to costs until

4761-449: Was to outline its path to fully operational AAM air taxis before summer 2023. United Airlines invested in both Joby and Volocopter. The City of Los Angeles published Integrating Advanced Air Mobility: A Primer for Cities . In November 2023, Volocopter and Joby Aviation tested their respective eVTOLs in New York City , from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport . This section lists relevant companies by targeted market segment within

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