AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2022 - 36

VERTICAL AEROSPACE
BRIEFING
FUTURE FLIGHT /
NEWS /
SQUAWKS
Visit aopa.org for the
rest of the story
Passenger with no flying experience
lands aircraft
Eyes on eVTOL
Down to business-and out of this world
THOMAS A. HORNE
ONE STRONG MEASURE of the growing acceptance of electric vertical takeoff
and landing aircraft (eVTOLs) has been the willingness of several airlines to
sign up with them. In the past year or so, some airlines have signed purchase
agreements, among them American Airlines. One eVTOL design in particular,
Vertical Aerospace's VX4-a design from the U.K.-has attracted a lot of
attention. American signed a preorder agreement to buy 250 VX4s, with an
option to buy 100 more. This deal represents about $1 billion in sales. It's all
part of American's efforts to invest in fuel-efficient aircraft across the board,
which includes moves to buy some $9 billion gallons of sustainable aviation
fuel (SAF) to demonstrate its commitment to environmentally friendly
policies. The VX4, a five-seater, claims a 200-mph maximum cruise and a
100-mile maximum range.
Through special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), Vertical Aerospace
has even gone public on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: EVTL)
in a deal valued at $2.2 billion. The company says it has conditional preorders
for 1,000 eVTOLs worth $4.4 billion.
Through Irish leasing company Avolon, which has ordered 500 of Vertical
Aerospace's VX4 eVTOLs, agreements to lease up to 100 of the eVTOLs have
been made with Turkey's Freebird Airlines, and a similar deal was made with
Air Greenland, pending an assessment of demand. Partnerships with American,
Rolls-Royce, Virgin Atlantic, Honeywell, and Microsoft have also been formed.
United Airlines announced a partnership with Archer Aviation, and plans to
use Makers to shuttle passengers to Los Angeles International Airport. Brazilian
manufacturer Embraer is working on a partnership with Republic Airways to
explore opportunities to use its Eve eVTOL. And while it's not an airline, fractional
ownership giant NetJets announced plans to buy 150 Lilium eVTOLs.
This all sounds pretty heady. Let's all remember that these deals may not
all be firm. Many contracts may be in the form of letters of intent, or memoranda
of understanding, or conditional on any number of contingencies. Then
there's the matter of certification and manufacturing. Those dates keep moving
to the right. The VX4 says first deliveries could come in 2024; ditto for
the Maker. Lilium says it will sell its first units in 2025. We'll keep an eye on
things. tom.horne@aopa.org
36
AOPA PILOT / July 2022
When the pilot of a Cessna 208 became
incapacitated while flying from the Bahamas to
Florida, a passenger with no flying experience
kept cool, contacted air traffic control, and
followed controllers' guidance to a safe landing.
Aerospace Center for Excellence
names new director
A Florida aerospace school operated by the
Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo team in Lakeland
will have a new executive director June 1,
although Eric Crump is a familiar face.
FAA pumps brakes on eVTOL
A May 10 statement from the FAA cast doubt
on ambitious timelines for bringing a new
generation of electric vertical-lift aircraft
into service.
House committee approves National
Center for the Advancement of
Aviation
The U.S. House Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure approved legislation to
establish the National Center for the
Advancement of Aviation Act (H.R. 3482)
on April 28. Nearly 200 organizations
across all aviation and aerospace sectors
expressed support for the creation of the
NCAA in a letter to the committee.
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2022

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