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The electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) revolution is gaining momentum, as evidenced by the unveiling of the Bell Nexus hybrid-electric VTOL air taxi concept at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), affirms Mike Hirschberg, executive director at the Vertical Flight Society (VFS), a non-profit organization working to advance vertical flight, in Fairfax, Virginia.

LIFT has developed an electric, vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft called “Hexa” and plans to open LIFT locations in scenic and uncongested areas near major metro areas, tourist destinations, and entertainment hubs where individuals can rent and operate Hexa aircraft without a pilot's license.

Mobility engineers and executives at Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, in Fort Worth, Texas, are developing new concepts of mobility to make moving people and products more efficient and effective – and launching urban air mobility (UAM) innovations, including the Bell Nexus air taxi design, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week. They envision and are helping to enable a fleet of on-demand, quiet vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) aircraft capable of safely whisking passengers over traffic and across urban landscapes by the mid-2020s.

While the pandemic continues, aerospace companies are rising to embrace new and emerging challenges at a time when there’s so much innovation. This innovation can be seen in the emergence of urban air mobility (UAM), the rebirth of supersonic flight, the drive towards a “zero emission” aircraft, and the continued use of autonomous drones for delivery, freight, search & rescue, and defense. There are exciting new developments in space as companies are developing products for commercial exploration and space tourism, and new ways to launch satellites. A new generation of engineering is also emerging in the defense sector and its development of not only aircraft, but also ships, tankers, and even flight trainers.

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company (NYSE:LMT), in Stratford, Connecticut, and Boeing Defense, Space & Security (NYSE:BA) in Berkeley, Missouri, are introducing the SB>1 DEFIANT helicopter designed to fly with advanced agility and maneuverability at twice the speed and range of current conventional helicopters. Jointly developed for the U.S. Army’s Joint Multi-Role technology demonstrator program, the new rotorcraft design is intended to help inform the next generation of military helicopters as part of the U.S. Army's Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program.

The flight established compliance with demanding regulatory and safety systems necessary for future unmanned flight in France. During the exercise the VSR700 demonstrator performed a 30-minute flight, successfully executing a variety of flight patterns before landing in an autonomous mode.

By using three hydrogen fuel cells, the five-passenger Skai can carry up to 1,000 pounds and fly for up to four hours, or approximately 400 miles, in between 10-minute refueling periods.

Continental Aerospace Technologies is partnering with VerdeGo Aero Inc. to develop VerdeGo’s Integrated Distributed Electric Propulsion (IDEP) concept for urban air mobility and vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) applications.

The “Know My PT6” app is a digital gateway to maintenance recommendations and to the services and facilities that P&W offers through its global customer service network for engine maintainers, owners, operators and pilots. It is designed to help PT6 customers and operators optimize the performance and availability of their PT6-powered aircraft.

During a public demonstration, an unmodified production Impossible Aerospace Corporation’s US-1 quadcopter, carrying both a FLIR Duo Pro R thermal camera and HD video transmitter, crossed Nevada’s “playa,” or salt flats. In repeated 72-minute flights, the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) flew with and against prevailing winds, covering distances of 29 and 21 miles, respectively.

The first serial Airbus Helicopters H160 medium utility helicopter to roll off the brand-new assembly line in Marignane, France and performed its first flight in a unique “signature” livery.

The digital automatic flight control system can be programmed for autonomous operations such as flight stabilization and unmanned flight to set checkpoints; however, Boeing is currently working with the Canadian military to increase the Chinook’s autonomous capabilities.

Alphabet’s Wing project has become the first UAS delivery service to obtain air carrier certification from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and will test autonomous commercial air delivery services in southwest Virginia.

To maximize H130 safety, Dart Aerospace Limited (Dart) has acquired supplemental type certificate (STC) approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for a newly developed emergency float system (EFS) for unexpected water landings.

Sikorsky tested a new full-authority, fly-by-wire flight control technology kit for the first time on a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk medium-lift utility helicopter. The flight marked the beginning of the flight test program for the soon-to-be optionally piloted rotorcraft.

Lockheed Martin Corporation has released the latest version of RELY3D, its advanced visualization and training tool for sensor system maintainers working on the Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter.

The strategy identifies 2025 as a target year to collaborate with communities around the globe and create products focused on environmental performance, emissions and waste reduction, and lower levels of water and energy consumption at work sites.

Bell Helicopter will partner with Rolls-Royce to develop an optimized propulsion system for the Bell V-280 Valor and unmanned V-247 Vigilant vertical lift tiltrotor aircraft – the company’s candidate platforms for the U.S. Army’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program.

The Raytheon Company is testing a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool developed to help determine when the multi-mode radar installed on U.S. Air Force CV-22 tiltrotor aircraft is in need of service.

In its report, Deloitte points to an ongoing challenge to manage and regulate an increasingly diverse airspace and overcome significant psychological barriers of consumers.