Cargo eVTOL Matures
TVF 2020 covered the use of electric VTOL technology for goods as well as people.
By Kenneth I. Swartz
Vertiflite, March/April 2020
The Transformative Vertical Flight 2020 event in San Jose, California, in mid-January, featured a wide range of...
On Nov. 18, Bell announced that its Autonomous Pod Transport (APT) 70 had conducted additional envelope expansion, with a 60-lb (27.2-kg) payload in tow. Bell plans to expand this to 70 lb (31.8 kg), its maximum payload. Bell’s APT demonstration was in response to the US Navy’s PMA-263 Tactical Resupply Unmanned Aircraft Systems (TRUAS) Challenge. The challenge will be hosted in Yuma, Arizona in 2020.
The Vertical Flight Society recently added several eVTOL video interviews to its YouTube Channel:
eVTOL News In-depth Interview: Opener BlackFly - Marcus Leng & Ben Diachun (13:18 minutes)
This is an in-depth interview with the executive leaders of Opener, which is developing the BlackFly all-electric, single-seat electric-powered eVTOL personal air vehicle. The Vertical Flight Society interviewed Opener Founder & CEO Marcus...
On Aug. 26, Bell announced the first autonomous flight of its largest Autonomous Pod Transport (APT) to date. The APT 70 is part of the eVTOL family of vehicles the company is developing. It has a baseline payload capability of 70 lb (32 kg) and can reach speeds of more than 100 mph (160km/h). The demonstration, which was conducted with the media, was completed at their test site near Fort Worth, Texas. Bell says its APT systems allow for flexible...
On Monday, April 29, 2019, the Vertical Flight Society hosted a panel at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) XPONENTIAL 2019 trade show, with some 200 attendees.
This special interactive panel featured innovation leaders from Aurora, Bell, Sikorsky and NASA, as well as investment companies NEXA Capital and Starburst Accelerator discussing how autonomy, electric propulsion and other critical technologies are enabling an...
Bell Nexus Partners Connect
By Kenneth I. Swartz
Vertiflite May/June 2019
Bell and its partners talk about its Nexus eVTOL and the team’s approach to creating a revolutionary new type of aircraft.
As its name suggests, the Bell Nexus hybrid-electric VTOL is all about making connections.
From a development perspective, Bell has leveraged the...
The Electric VTOL Industry Shifts Gears
By Kenneth I. Swartz
Vertiflite May/June 2019
A VFS panel and other discussions at Heli-Expo provided an opportunity for the commercial helicopter operating community to ask some tough questions about eVTOL technology.
For the second year in a row, the Vertical Flight Society organized a panel discussion at Heli-Expo to brief the civil...
The Vertical Flight Society Salutes Bell’s Nexus eVTOL Air Taxi Design
Bell Executive Thacker to Keynote Upcoming VFS eVTOL Symposium
Fairfax, Virginia, USA — The Vertical Flight Society, the world’s leading non-profit organization...
Bell announced new membership in its eVTOL air taxi development team. In addition to various companies revealed over the past several months — including Garmin, Honeywell and Safran — the Ft. Worth, Texas, company announced that Thales, Electric Power Systems (EPS) and Moog would also join its team. Bell meanwhile published another patent on Oct. 23, which showed another possible eVTOL approach that the company may be pursing. US patent 10,106,253...
Bell announced on Oct. 2 that it had signed teaming agreement with Garmin International, Inc. on the development and integration of the autonomous vehicle management computer (VMC) systems to support the company's eVTOL on-demand mobility aircraft, the Bell Air Taxi. As noted previously, Safran will provide the hybrid-electric propulsion system for Bell’s VTOL aircraft.
Bell president and CEO Mitch Snyder also echoed previous statements that the...
