That’s a Wrap! Transformative Vertical Flight 2020

With 60 invited speakers, 60 technical paper presentations, and record-breaking attendance, the Vertical Flight Society (VFS) wrapped up its Transformative Vertical Flight 2020 conference and the 7^th Annual Electric VTOL Symposium in San Jose, CA, January 23^rd.

The event informed industry professionals where eVTOLs are today, where the industry is headed, and what challenges remain to be overcome.

Mike Hirschberg, executive director of VFS, and Jim Sherman, VFS’s director of strategic development, along with their team, created a comprehensive conference bringing together the urban air mobility initiative’s leading players. These included representatives from eVTOL manufacturers such as Skydrive, Sabrewing, Joby, Uber, and Airbus, suppliers and manufacturers such as Honeywell and BAE Systems, government, including NASA and the US Air Force, and venture capital firms, such as NEXA and Radius.

Topics ran the gamut from manufacturing opportunities to supply chain management, thermoplastics, aviation electrification, infrastructure, and the economics of, and investing, in eVTOL.

Jack Withinshaw presented “Racing for the Advancement of eVTOL,” the world’s newest racing competition, designed to spur innovation in eVTOL.

NASA’s Starr Ginn illuminated attendees on NASA’s Grand Challenge. USAF Lt. Colonel Nathan Diller of the US Air Force and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) outlined how the US military envisions implementing eVTOL in its defense capabilities.

The 8^th Annual Electric VTOL Symposium will take place in January 2021 in Mesa, AZ. For more information on how urban air mobility is taking shape and attending next year’s conference, visit the Vertical Flight Society.