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Vertical Aerospace Readies for Takeoff
There are approximately 200 enterprises worldwide working on developing the world’s first eVTOL. Only a fraction of those have prototypes – working prototypes – so far. Vertical Aerospace, based in Bristol, UK, is one of those organizations with something tangible and functional to demonstrate today. To be sure, Vertical Aerospace’s current eVTOL, dubbed “Seraph,” has…
Eventful: Vertical Flight Society Roster of Upcoming Events
The Vertical Flight Society continues its aviation industry-leading confabs with five upcoming gatherings. Hampton, Virginia, is the site of the Propulsion Technical Meeting 2019 on October 29 and 30. The “Powering the Future of Vertical Flight” conference will focus on current and planned research and development of manned and unmanned rotorcraft and other VTOL vehicles….
South Korea Accelerates Plans for Flying Cars
To boost its flagging economy, the South Korean government announced it will invest US$50 billion (60 trillion Korean won) in the next decade to develop autonomous, electric, and flying cars. The investment is intended to shave three years off the current expected development time for flying cars slated for 2030 to instead be ready by…
Porsche Partners with Boeing to Lift eVTOLs into Premium Airspace
Boeing and Porsche have partnered to bring a luxury flying car into existence. A recent Memorandum of Understanding between Boeing and Porsche has been executed “to explore the premium urban air mobility market and the extension of urban traffic into airspace” according to the aviation and auto giants. According to Detlev von Platen, Porsche’s marketing…
Russians Join Quest for Flying Cars
Two Russia-based aircraft companies, Ilyushin and Sukhoi, are taking part in a state-run project called AeroNet to launch an air taxi by 2025. Scientists in Novosibirsk, Siberia’s largest city, are also actively engaged in the development of flying cars, according to the Russian Foundation for Advanced Research Projects. A laboratory dedicated to the project has…
Hyundai’s Flying Car Initiative Takes Off
With a market opportunity expected to reach US$1.5 trillion by 2040, Hyundai Motor Group recently signaled it’s ready to enter the quest for safe, reliable flying cars by forming an urban air mobility division. The South Korean automaker hired Dr. Jaiwon Shin, formerly an aeronautics engineer with NASA, to lead the initiative. Head of Hyundai…