April 1, 2021 - No. 25 In This Issue : Airlines for America pledge to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 : British Airways leads $24.3m investment in hydrogen aircraft developer ZeroAvia : Martin UAV Unveils V-BAT 128, Featuring Increased Payload, Endurance for Defense and Private-Sector Application : Fuel Cell Technology for Larger Aircraft Could Lower Emissions : German air shuttle start-up Lilium merges with Qell : FACC and Airbus Develop Wings of the Future : Rolls-Royce officially begins work on UltraFan aero engine : Sustainable Taxiing with TaxiBot Uses Half the Fuel of Standard Taxi Process : Joby’s electric aircraft inches us closer to a future full of flying taxis : Commercialization of next-generation transportation platforms begin at AllianceTexas : SpaceX is adding a glass dome on Crew Dragon for 360 views of space Airlines for America pledge to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 Industry trade organisation Airlines for America (A4A) has announced that its member airlines have pledged to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The A4A represents the leading passenger and cargo carriers in the US. Under this commitment, the carriers will work with US federal, state and local governments and other industry stakeholders to deploy commercially viable technology, operations, infrastructure and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). By 2030, they will make two billion gallons of SAF available to US aircraft operators. A4A president and CEO Nicholas Calio said: “We are proud of our record on climate change. But we know the climate change challenge our country and the world face has only continued to intensify. “Today, we embrace the need to take even bolder, more significant steps to address this challenge.” Various members of A4A have so far already started investing in SAF. However, the aviation industry requires a similar urgent commitment from policymakers, along with fuel producers and parties in the feedstock and fuel supply chain to achieve significant scalability. To achieve the 2030 SAF goal, the annual average SAF production needs to be increased to 84%. Calio added: “Given that airlines are already driven to be highly fuel-efficient, pushing technology, SAF, operational and infrastructure advances even farther to achieve net-zero is a massive undertaking. “To move the needle, we must all work together, and the government needs to be an active partner and provide positive infrastructure and other investments to complement our efforts.” Alaska, American, Atlas Air, Delta, FedEx, Hawaiian, JetBlue Airways, Southwest, United and UPS are A4A members while Air Canada is an associate member. https://www.aerospace-technology.com/news/airlines-for-america-net-zero-2050/ British Airways leads $24.3m investment in hydrogen aircraft developer ZeroAvia Hydrogen-electric flight specialist ZeroAvia has secured further financial backing to help accelerate the development of its first 50+ seater zero emissions aircraft, with British Airways (BA), Shell Ventures, and Systemiq among funders today jointly announcing $24.3m investment in the start-up. Leading the investor group, BA said the latest cash injection would help ZeroAvia launch a new development programme to further demonstrate the credibility of its technology and accelerate the development of a larger hydrogen-electric engine, capable of flying further and enabling larger zero emission aircraft as soon as 2026. ZeroAvia, which last September completed the world's first hydrogen-electric test flight of a commercial-grade aircraft, claims it could achieve commercialisation for its hydrogen-electric technology as soon as 2024, with flights of up to 500 miles in a 20-seater aircraft. And, with the new investment announced today, the firm said it expected to begin operating zero emissions commercial aircraft carrying 50 or more passengers in five years' time, as part of its aim to deliver its first 100-seater, single-aisle plane by 2030. Others supporting the latest investment round announced today include Horizons Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Ecosystem Integrity Fund, and Summa Equity. The global aviation sector, which is estimated to account for around two to three per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions is under increasing pressure to decarbonise, but faces significant financial headwinds in the immediate term from the devastation wrought by Covid-19. British Airways said its investment in ZeroAvia would support the airline's commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, alongside its efforts to scale up the use of sustainable aviation fuels, develop more fuel-efficient aircraft, and explore the use of carbon capture technologies. It comes just weeks after BA's parent company IAG announced a partnership with ZeroAvia through its Hangar 51 accelerator programme to explore how hydrogen aircraft could play a role in the future of green aviation. Both companies are also members of the UK's Jet Zero Council, an initiative spearheaded by the government alongside figures from across the aviation sector that is aimed at helping deliver the UK's first zero emission commercial flight. "Innovative zero emissions technology is advancing fast and we support the development of hydrogen as an alternative fuel source because we believe it has the potential to enable us to reach true zero emissions on short-haul routes by 2050," said British Airways CEO Sean Doyle. "There is a huge amount of energy and excitement building around the possibilities of a zero emissions future for aviation and while there is no single solution to this challenge, we acknowledge the need for urgent action to tackle the impact flying currently has on our planet and are making progress on our journey to net zero." BA is not the only company to invest in ZeroAvia, with the hydrogen plane start-up having late last year secured $21.4m backing in a fundraise from a raft of major companies including Shell and Amazon. The company, which earlier this month completed a successful ground simulation at Cranfield Airport for its planned upcoming 60-mile cross-country flight, has also secured $16.3m UK government funding via the Aerospace Technology Institute. Val Miftakhov, CEO and founder of ZeroAvia said the new funding, would "significantly accelerate our path to zero-emission solutions for larger regional aircraft at a commercial scale". "With the airline industry lining up and ready to shift to zero-emissions, we expect to see wide-scale adoption of this technology," he said. "We are extremely grateful to British Airways and our other investors, who are helping speed up our progress and ultimately the aviation industry's adoption of zero-emission flight." https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4029285/british-airways-leads-usd-3m-investment-hydrogen-aircraft-developer-zeroavia Martin UAV Unveils V-BAT 128, Featuring Increased Payload, Endurance for Defense and Private-Sector Application Martin UAV, a leading advanced aviation technology manufacturer in the United States, announced the public release of the latest unmanned aircraft system (UAS), the V-BAT 128, for defense and commercial use, including search and rescue, firefighting, logistic resupply, and energy and oil and gas operations. Martin UAV previously demonstrated its upgraded version of the V-BAT featuring an increase in power, payloads and endurance at the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment (AEWE). Over the course of several weeks, the V-BAT 128 flew numerous missions, showcasing its VTOL capabilities and the versatility of its small footprint; one of the impressive features noted from those involved in the exercise is the aircraft's ability to transition from take-off to a vertical hover and persistent stare capability while maintaining a sensor line of sight, in spite of difficult terrain. "Martin UAV continues to push the boundaries of what is possible for unmanned aircraft systems," said Heath Niemi, chief development officer. "We have listened to the customer and expanded the capabilities and agility of the V-BAT 128, delivering technology that serves a wider range of mission needs. We're proud to make the V-BAT 128 available to the broader market and to provide more power and payload that can be transported in the bed of a pick-up truck, or, inside a Black Hawk." As the interest and adoption of UAV/UAS increases across commercial industries, the company stated a renewed commitment to support these verticals adapting to new technologies. Most recently, the company announced the addition of industry veteran Bill Irby as the Chief Operating Officer, who previously held leadership roles with Textron, L3 Harris and Northrop Grumman. Martin UAV strives to make UAVs more accessible and easier to implement, empowering organizations to streamline operational efficiencies, security and increase the safety measures for its staff. The V-BAT 128 is designed to make transportation and rapid tactical deployment easier for both defense and commercial applications. It can be assembled by two personnel in less than 30 minutes. The aircraft's duct fan propulsion design provides for top operational safety by eliminating exposed rotors, which are commonly found in propeller-driven VTOLs. V-BAT 128 is ideal for takeoff and landing on both stationary and moving platforms, in areas with a footprint of less than 12-feet by 12-feet. The upgraded V-BAT provides significantly enhanced payload capacity of 25 pound and interchangeable payloads to meet mission-specific requirements. Increased endurance of up to 11 hours, and higher thrust were made possible by leveraging a more powerful engine, the Suter TOA 288 model. With a wingspan of 9.7 feet, the V-BAT 128 can reach over 90 knots reaching altitudes of 20,000 feet. https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/unmanned/press-release/21216789/martin-uav-martin-uav-unveils-vbat-128-featuring-increased-payload-endurance-for-defense-and-privatesector-application Fuel Cell Technology for Larger Aircraft Could Lower Emissions The aerospace industry has proven it can utilize fuel cells for small aircraft. Now, industry experts want to integrate fuel cell technology into larger aircraft and think they can create lower emissions operations while doing so, industry experts said during a March 24 webinar. “The approach to integrating a fuel cell into aerospace systems is well established and has been proven out,” Jim Sisco, principal systems engineer at Honeywell Aerospace, said. “There’s a strong utility has been established for the small applications, and as we've seen, there's a range of products available and the flight time improvements have been demonstrated pretty clearly. So, we get to these larger aircraft, where there's a lot of promise as well for low emission operations, we really need to focus on getting the power-weight ratio of the fuel cell plan out to meet these applications.” The benefits of fuel cell technology over internal combustion include improvements in reliability and operational benefits like lowering the acoustic signature and improving throttle control, Sisco said. These benefits have resulted in the expansion of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). “As the kind of the familiarity with fuel cells increase, as well as really a lot of its being driven by future regulations and greenhouse gas emissions, there's a lot of interest now in proton exchange membrane fuel cell applications to larger aircraft, such as Skydweller, urban air mobility applications, air transport applications, package delivery,” Sisco said. “Those are larger aircraft with higher power requirements which leads to unique requirements on the fuel cell system and new challenges.” Sisco said there are two types of PEMFC: air-cooled and liquid-cooled. Air-cooled PEMFCs use a single air mover for power and thermal management. They have a simpler balance of plant and are lighter but they derate under adverse environmental conditions, have a shorter stack service life and have limited integration flexibility. Liquid-cooled PEMCFs have a dedicated air mover for power and liquid coolant loop for stack thermal management. They limit derating under adverse environmental conditions, longer stack service life, and flexible integration, but require additional balance of plant components and operational complexity and are heavier. While there are many current applications for using PEMFC in smaller aircraft, larger aircraft are going to require a low more power than the current technologies used. Sisco said because of this, these PEMFCs will have to be liquid-cooled. “Once you get to this kind of power output level the liquid-cooled fuel cells have much better metrics when you get to these high powers,” Sisco said. “It's difficult to scale air-cooled in a volume and mass efficient way once you get to these high powers.” Sisco said to develop a PEMFC for larger aircraft there needs to be a targeted design. “What we think is needed to get there is really a targeted design for aerial applications,” Sisco said. “These higher power applications are really focused on cost. Life is also a big driver. It's not to say either of those things aren't important for aerospace applications, but maybe not quite as severe as the weight. It’s a huge driver for making these things viable.” At Honeywell, they have been looking at aerospace materials and methods of construction to final a solution for PEMFC in larger aircraft. They are also looking at running at higher air pressure to create a higher compression ratio on the cathode air blower, Sisco said. “What's really needed there is a lightweight, high-pressure ratio air compressor and Honeywell has quite a bit of expertise in that area,” Sisco said. “Related to that is higher stack temperature. Higher stack temperature means more delta between the stack and the ambient environment, that tends to reduce cooling requirements heat exchanger size. And really, the higher cathode pressure helps to enable that, but in conjunction with that, there's the membrane electrode assembly which is the core technology in the fuel cell stack. Those need to be tailored for this high-temperature environment. And again there's technology that already exists for motive applications and we need to pull that into these aerospace fuel cell systems.” https://www.aviationtoday.com/2021/03/31/fuel-cell-technology-larger-aircraft-lower-emissions/ German air shuttle start-up Lilium merges with Qell German air shuttle start-up company Lilium has entered into merger agreement with publicly listed special purpose acquisition company Qell. Established last year in San Francisco, Qell specialises in developing next-generation and sustainable mobility. The post-merged company is expected to receive gross proceeds of approximately $830m from the deal, which includes $450m from a fully committed common stock PIPE offering and $380m cash. Upon closing of the transaction, the combined business will be valued at $3.3bn. The merged entity will be called Lilium and listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol LILM. In a separate development, Lilium has unveiled a new seven-seater model to complement its five-seater fixed-wing prototype. Designed for ease of manufacturability and scalability, the aircraft will feature 30 times fewer components compared with commercial aircraft. The seven-seater Lilium Jet will have a range of more than 155 miles and cruise at 175mph. The aircraft will be the first model to go into serial production. It has already received the CRI-A01 certification basis last year from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. Lilium co-founder and CEO Daniel Wiegand said: “We’re incredibly excited to reveal the development of our seven-seater Lilium Jet and announce the next stage of our growth. This is a validation of all the hard work over the last five years from our talented team and our world-class partners and investors. “Our vision is to create a sustainable and accessible mode of high-speed travel and bring this to every community. Transport infrastructure is broken. It is costly in personal time, space consumption and carbon emissions. We are pursuing our unique electric jet technology because it is the key to higher-capacity aircraft, with a lower cost per seat mile while delivering low noise and low emissions. “Today’s announcement brings us closer to launching our passenger service. In Qell, we have found a partner who shares our ambition for sustainable mobility and brings tremendous experience in running mobility and hardware businesses.” https://www.aerospace-technology.com/news/lilium-qell-merger-evtol/ FACC and Airbus Develop Wings of the Future The aircraft industry is considered one of the most innovative and progressive technology sectors worldwide. As a technology partner, FACC ranks among the leaders in this field with its high-performance research and development and the production of innovative products and systems. In cooperation with the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, FACC is currently working on the “Wing of Tomorrow” program. The central goal is to start developing the wing technologies of tomorrow and make them ready for series production. With the development of an innovative flap, a subproject has now been successfully completed. “Joint research with leading international aircraft manufacturers is an important part of our innovation work,” reports Robert Machtlinger, CEO of FACC AG. “Our development engineers are researching new technologies and products for the next aircraft generations. One lighthouse initiative in this context is the 'Wing of Tomorrow' program, which Airbus launched in 2018 in cooperation with FACC and other industry partners.” Under the “Wing of Tomorrow” project, FACC is working on the development of innovative manufacturing processes to be employed in the production of three essential wing components: wing box lower covers, flaps and spoiler & droop panels. The goal is to produce complex components in a faster, simpler and more cost-effective manner. The first subproject, the development of lower covers for wing boxes, was successfully completed last year. FACC has now recently constructed a flap prototype in the course of the second subproject by means of resin transfer molding. Although this technique was already introduced in previous projects, it has never before been applied on this scale and with such a high degree of complexity. When developing the five-meter-long “multicell flap,” the focus was on sounding out technological possibilities. “With the new wing generation, Airbus is striving for a high degree of integration in order to reduce subsequent work steps as far as possible and thus become more cost-effective,” explains Patrick Petz, FACC lead program engineer for Aerostructures Airbus. “Integral construction enables us to avoid subsequent high assembly costs and thus achieve a high degree of maturity in manufacturing processes along with high rates.” Apart from the complex construction method and the use of new materials, so-called multiaxial fabrics, the tool design during production also proved to be a highly innovative feat. A multifunctional team comprising employees from Research and Development, Tooling and Program Management has been tackling this challenge for about a year, and recently presented the first component to the customer Airbus. Robert Machtlinger commented on the successful completion of the project as follows: “This represents a genuine milestone in our research cooperation with Airbus. We have jointly developed an entirely novel flap system. The wing component features a highly integral design; however, thanks to sophisticated solutions in terms of materials, processes and design, we are able to offer Airbus affordable lightweight construction while ensuring high suitability for series production.” https://www.aviationpros.com/engines-components/aircraft-airframe-accessories/press-release/21216724/facc-ag-facc-and-airbus-develop-wings-of-the-future Rolls-Royce officially begins work on UltraFan aero engine Rolls-Royce has officially commenced work on the UltraFan aero engine at its DemoWorks facility in Derby, UK. Work is currently being carried out on the engine’s first module with plans to complete the demonstrator engine by the end of the year. When completed, UltraFan engines will have a fan diameter of 140in and can power both narrowbody and widebody aircraft. The engine is designed to enhance fuel efficiency by 25% compared with the first-generation Trent engine. The first test run of the engine will be conducted using 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel. Rolls-Royce civil aerospace president Chris Cholerton said: “This is an exciting moment for all of us at Rolls-Royce. Our first engine demonstrator, UF001, is now coming together and I’m really looking forward to seeing it built and ready for testing. “It is arriving at a time when the world is seeking ever more sustainable ways to travel in a post-Covid 19 world, and it makes me and all our team very proud to know we are part of the solution. “I am delighted that the UK and German governments have supported us in making these significant groundbreaking technology investments. The Aerospace Technology Institute and LuFo programmes, as well as the EU’s Clean Sky, have all helped bring us a step closer to realising the enormous environmental and economic benefits of UltraFan.” UltraFan is part of Rolls-Royce’s IntelligentEngine vision. The aero engine’s carbon titanium fan system is currently being built in Bristol, UK, and its 50MW power gearbox is being developed in Dahlewitz, Germany. Earlier this month, Rolls-Royce collaborated with aeronautics manufacturer Tecnam and Scandinavian airline Widerøe to launch an all-electric passenger aircraft. https://www.aerospace-technology.com/news/rolls-royce-ultrafan-aero/ Sustainable Taxiing with TaxiBot Uses Half the Fuel of Standard Taxi Process Research carried out by Schiphol and TaxiBot partners in the sector has shown that sustainable taxiing uses at least 50% less fuel than standard taxiing. This can lead to significant environmental benefits as planes produce fewer emissions at the airport. The viability study revealed that major adjustments need to be made to infrastructure, processes and technology for sustainable taxiing to become standard procedure at Schiphol. All parties involved are identifying the steps necessary to make sustainable taxiing the standard procedure by 2030. Schiphol conducted the research together with Air Traffic Control the Netherlands (LVNL), KLM, Transavia, Corendon Dutch Airlines and ground handling companies dnata and KLM Ground Services. The study is part of the aviation sector's Smart and Sustainable plan and of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management's agreement for sustainable aviation. The conclusions of the research were drawn based on the results of the TaxiBot pilot study, simulations of fully sustainable taxiing at the airport and input from operational experts. The TaxiBot is a semi-robotic hybrid towing vehicle designed for taxiing airplanes from the boarding gate to the takeoff runway without the use of jet engine power. Kerosene Consumption Halved During the 2020 pilot, narrow-body aircraft were taken to and from the runway by a TaxiBot: a unique semi-robotic aircraft towing vehicle provided by Smart Airport Systems and jointly developed by TLD and Israel Aerospace Industries. The TaxiBot enabled aircraft to keep their engines off for most of the taxi process. This resulted in fuel savings of around 50%, depending on which runway was used. Fuel savings can be as high as 65% when an aircraft is taxiing to the Polderbaan in AMS – the runway with the longest taxi time. A Reality by 2030 The feasibility of introducing the operational concept of sustainable taxiing at Schiphol was also investigated. Safety, capacity and efficiency at the airport were the main focus points, along with the environmental benefits. Some significant adjustments to infrastructure, processes and technology are needed for sustainable taxiing to become standard procedure at Schiphol by 2030. Because many of these essential adjustments are new to aviation, and because Schiphol is the first airport in the world that wants to implement sustainable taxiing on a large scale, it will take some time for the technology and infrastructure to be developed and for it to be certified and approved. Joint Roadmap Schiphol and partners in the sector are working on a roadmap containing solutions and adjustments in order for sustainable taxiing to be established as standard procedure at Schiphol by 2030 at the latest. Another pilot study starts in spring 2022 as part of a European program, the Albatross project, that will see several TaxiBot coming to Schiphol. "We remain committed to sustainability and innovation, even during the coronavirus crisis. Coming back improved is the norm. It's great that we are working with the aviation sector to advance sustainable taxiing" says Dick Benschop, president and CEO of Royal Schiphol Group. https://www.aviationpros.com/gse/pushbacks-tractors-utility-vehicles/press-release/21216640/sustainable-taxiing-with-taxibot-uses-half-the-fuel-of-standard-taxi-process Joby’s electric aircraft inches us closer to a future full of flying taxis Joby Aviation wants to give you an electric taxi ride through the sky someday. Its aircraft features a half-dozen propellers, each more than 6 feet in diameter. It promises to be able to travel as far as 150 miles and go as fast as 200 mph. It seats four passengers and one pilot. Like combustion-engine craft that have come before it, the aircraft’s propellers can tilt. That allows it to take off and land vertically like a helicopter, and cruise through the air like a normal airplane. But this craft is electric. Battery-powered motors drive the props. While helicopters make a distinctive chopping noise as their powerful rotors cut through the air, this machine’s sound signature is “more like the wind in the trees,” JoeBen Bevirt, the company’s founder, says. Joby isn’t making this aircraft to sell it, but instead to offer rides via an urban mobility service. Someday, you might book an Uber to take you over a long distance—the first leg would be a car ride, the second would be via electric aircraft, and the third would be by ground vehicle again. Here’s what to know about the Joby aircraft and what the company’s plans for it are. How the Joby aircraft works Of the craft’s six propellers, four protrude off its wing, and two more from its v-shaped tail. While it’s easy to look at a designed machine and think that it was birthed into the world exactly as you see it today, Bevirt explains that it took some serious evolution to get there. “We built dozens of different configurations,” he tells Popular Science. “We had versions with different numbers of tilting propellers.” They even explored tail-sitters, he says, which are aircraft like the Bell APT 70 drone that begin and end their journey propped up vertically on their tails. Another example is the Space Shuttle, which launched as a tail-sitter but landed like a regular airplane. “In the early days, we would come up with new configurations on a regular basis which became our leading contender,” he adds. “And then at some point, we stopped coming up with configurations that were superior.” While companies such as General Motors have revealed concepts for autonomous air taxis that need no pilot, Joby has built this aircraft to be flown by a human. Two control sticks, called inceptors, allow the pilot to control the craft. Unlike a helicopter, it has no rudder pedals; a pilot uses those in a traditional helo to control which way the nose is pointing. While this version of the craft requires a human pilot, Joby hasn’t written off a self-flying future. “Autonomy is something that we believe is inevitable in the long run—this is the direction that the winds are blowing in this industry,” says Eric Allison, the head of product at Joby. “I do think that the way to get to market is to have a pilot.” Redundancy is a key part of any aircraft. If one system fails, another can quickly compensate. Other tiltrotor aircraft, like Bell’s V-280, use internal mechanical systems to ensure that if an engine fails, for example, the remaining engine could still power both of its rotors. With an electric aircraft like Joby’s, the propulsion system relies on a distributed network of electric motors, inverters, and batteries. Two motors power each propeller, and those motors are in turn each fueled by their own inverter. “We have layer on layer of redundancy across the aircraft,” Bevirt says. “We have triple-redundant flight computers—everything on the aircraft is architected much more like a commercial airliner than a typical small aircraft.” Even if the company proves the craft’s safety and reliability, it still has to answer the noise question. “There’s a general perception that people have that electric means quiet—but that’s not a given,” Bevirt says. That’s because while electric motors are not loud, the things they spin, like propellers or fans, do make noise. “We’ve spent more than a decade simulating and then building and then testing really quiet propellers.” He says the goal wasn’t just to make it quiet, but to make sure the sound quality is acceptable—not the whop sound of a helicopter, nor the whine of a drone, but instead that promise of “the wind in the trees.” A quiet aircraft would have obvious military uses, and indeed, the Air Force could utilize Joby’s aircraft at some point. “At the moment, we’re really focused on helping them move goods around bases here in the US,” Bevirt says, of their work with the US government. ‘A throwback to the early days of aviation’ Joby isn’t the only company trying to usher in an era of electric taxi flight, although they’re notable for having acquired Uber’s flying taxi initiative, Uber Elevate, in December of last year. In fact, hundreds of concepts are out there for what flying taxis could look like. “In that mix, there is a small handful of companies that I would say are very serious, and have the potential to bring a product to market—and certainly I think Joby would be leading the pack,” says Elan Head, a helicopter pilot and the editorial director of evtol.com, which covers the burgeoning industry. Other notable outfits working in the field—which seems to produce companies that have brisk, one-word names—are Archer, Beta, Volocopter, Wisk, and the controversial Lilium. The fact that this group of firms, and others, are trying to figure out what the best flying machine is for this new type of mission means that what’s happening now is reminiscent of an older era. “It’s really a throwback to the early days of aviation, both fixed-wing and helicopters,” Head says. “If you go back in history, there used to be a lot more diversity in helicopter designs before they converged on a design that actually worked.” Something similar is happening with electric aircraft that can take off and land vertically. “It’s still not clear which of those concepts the industry will converge on as actually being viable,” she adds. The question of safety looms. On that point, aircraft in this field have both the potential to be more dangerous in the short term—and eventually possibly less hazardous down the road thanks to autonomy. “I think it’s inevitable that there’s probably going to be accidents related to mechanical failures that were not forseen by the designers, or during the certification process,” Head says. “There’s an adage in aviation: Never fly the A-model of anything.” But with newness comes novel, hopefully helpful features. “Because they do incorporate such high degrees of autonomy, they really do ultimately have the potential to increase safety by an order of magnitude compared to helicopters today,” she says. That’s because helicopters are flown by people, and human pilots can suffer from problems like spatial disorientation. A new type of transportation Then there’s the question of ride quality: Will these new aircraft be comfortable for people who are used to commercial airliners, have never climbed into a small airplane before, and may be in the habit of jumping into their Ubers with hot coffee in hand? “It will not be the same as being at 30,000 feet in a 787,” Allison, the head of product at Joby, says. “We think that’s okay—because it’s pretty exciting.” But before Joby can start schlepping passengers through the skies—which it hopes begins happening in 2024—it needs the aircraft to be certified by the FAA. So while this vision of an air-taxi service could begin in just three years, there’s no guarantee that timeline will hold up in reality. “We are heads down on two pieces: One is completing the certification, and the second is scaling manufacturing,” Bevirt says. He’s excited about what the future could hold for this new type of transportation. “We are at the dawn of a new age,” he adds. “When you think back through history at the profound impact that the shift from horses as our daily mode of mobility to automobiles [had]—this shift is going to be just as profound.” https://www.popsci.com/story/technology/joby-aviation-electric-aircraft-air-taxi/ Commercialization of next-generation transportation platforms begin at AllianceTexas The true process for creating an idea, making it a reality, testing it, proving it - and then commercializing it – moves business and our world forward. In 2020, Hillwood launched the Mobility Innovation Zone (MIZ) at AllianceTexas as a first-of-its-kind "do tank" in collaboration with Deloitte, leading the nation in smart infrastructure deployment to create a digital and physical commercialization environment for partner companies. Connecting people, places and ideas that push innovation in surface and air mobility forward by leveraging its one-of-a-kind infrastructure, the MIZ offers mobility visionaries full access to an unparalleled testing ecosystem, resources and partnerships essential to comprehensively test, scale and commercialize the latest mobility technologies. "Making the implementation and commercialization of next-generation mobility initiatives, such as autonomous package delivery drones, a daily reality is much closer than you might think," said Russell Laughlin, executive vice president of Hillwood. "What we're telling people today is that we're not years away from it, we're months, even weeks away from some of these things happening." In fact, TuSimple, a global technology company with a focus on self-driving, heavy-duty trucks, is launching expanded autonomous trucking operations from the MIZ with a Hillwood-developed freight terminal. This facility will support the company's continued expansion into the "Texas Triangle" (Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin) and connect into TuSimple's cross-country autonomous freight corridor with routes beginning this year. "The AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone provides the perfect infrastructure, landscape and scale for the company to launch its national expansion and 'Texas Triangle' operations," said Texas Governor Greg Abbott in an announcement addressing the partnership between this autonomous trucking innovator and Hillwood. "Companies like TuSimple are drawn to the unique opportunity that a location within AllianceTexas offers,'' noted Lee White, TuSimple's vice president of strategy. "TuSimple is building the world's first autonomous freight network, and an important part of our strategy is to secure suitable locations for our terminals. The Mobility Innovation Zone is exactly what we were looking for." "This is one of the most unique pieces of real estate combined with infrastructure in the United States," noted Ian Kinne, director of logistics innovation for Hillwood. "We are developing an ecosystem of technology-enabled logistics facilities directly between two 11,000-foot runways and one of the world's largest inland ports with immediate proximity to I-35W, I-30 and highways 114 and 170. This is an unmatched environment for our partners to commercialize revolutionary logistics technology.'' From the ground to the air, the cradle of innovation offered by the MIZ is taking flight into commercialized opportunities. Bell is one of a few companies currently conducting flight test activity at the newly established AllianceTexas Flight Test Center with its Autonomous Pod Transport(APT). Bell's APT program, designed to be capable of various missions from package delivery to critical medical transport and disaster relief, will carve a path forward for future commercial operations to solve the supply chain challenges our world currently faces. "Bell is proud to partner with Hillwood and have the opportunity to test our aircraft in our own backyard of Dallas-Fort Worth," said John Wittmaak, program manager, small-medium UAS. "AllianceTexas offers a unique testing ground for the Bell Autonomous Pod Transport to enhance the aircraft's autonomous features." The testing and launch of the APT program, which represents a unique partnership between Bell, Hillwood, BNSF, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), will create the opportunity to take the movement of goods airborne and create the set of standards by which they operate. "In this case, Bell is providing the airframe, BNSF the pathway, and the FAA the needed approval and oversight. This type of unique partnership is essential and will help bring cutting-edge technology to North Texas," said Christopher Ash, vice president of business development of Alliance Air Services/Fort Worth Alliance Airport. "Hillwood serves as the facilitator to create and nurture an ecosystem that will one day attract manufacturers and ultimately let these vehicles take goods to market." "Our goal is to provide an environment that attracts small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) manufacturers to North Texas. We want to assist in the process as they go through flight testing certification and the integration process into the national airspace system (NAS), and, when they're done, have the capability to deliver goods to your door," Ash added. "Whether it's on the ground side or the air side, the AllianceTexas portfolio, the complex airspace, the geographic location with the mass population of DFW - all of those things create this unique ecosystem and make us stand out." Activities in the MIZ include advancements in technology for short-haul trucking, or drayage, with autonomous movements in the yard and in the truck courts. Innovations here will help connect and enable end-to-end autonomy of the receipt of goods from ports like Long Beach, California, to distribution centers like those at AllianceTexas, making the opportunity viable for commercial applications across the country. "The MIZ, especially with the service-use applications, is all about the commercialization of these new technologies," Kinne said. "The MIZ was designed to be used for so much more than just testing. It's making cutting-edge, innovative ideas a reality for people across the country to see in their daily lives. That's the key to why we're different than every other incubator across the globe." For more on the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone visit us at www.alliancetexasmiz.com https://www.ainonline.com/sponsored-content/business-aviation/2021-04-01/commercialization-next-generation-transportation-platforms-begin-alliancetexas SpaceX is adding a glass dome on Crew Dragon for 360 views of space The Crew Dragon capsule poised to fly four civilian astronauts to space this year is getting an upgrade: a glass dome will be added at the top to give space tourists a 360-degree view of the cosmos. Plans for the window were announced on Tuesday as SpaceX and the team managing the tourist mission, Inspiration4, revealed the full crew for the upcoming expedition. The glass dome-shaped window replaces Crew Dragon’s docking adapter at its nose since the spacecraft won’t be docking to the International Space Station. It’s similar to the famed cupola aboard the International Space Station, but Crew Dragon’s appears to be an uninterrupted sheet of glass, with no support structures dividing the window’s view. Crew Dragon’s protective aerodynamic shell that shields the hatch door area during launch will pop open to expose the glass dome once the craft is safely in orbit. Based on the rendering SpaceX tweeted, the cupola would fit at least one crew member from the chest up, revealing panoramic views of space. SpaceX designed Crew Dragon under a $2.6 billion contract from NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, a public-private initiative to stimulate the development of privately built space capsules that’ll serve as NASA’s primary rides to space. Boeing is developing a competing capsule, Starliner, under the same program. Crew Dragon is already in its operational phase and flew its first two crews of government astronauts to space last year. NASA, which certified Crew Dragon for astronaut flights last year, said it doesn’t plan to use the cupola version of Crew Dragon for NASA astronaut missions and that the window’s installation doesn’t require NASA safety approval. “NASA currently does not have plans to fly a modified version of the Crew Dragon,” agency spokesman Josh Finch told The Verge. “As a fully commercial launch, NASA does not need to approve SpaceX’s design for the company’s private missions. NASA will continue to maintain insight into SpaceX’s systems through our normal work, including SpaceX sharing flight data from non-NASA missions.” The charity-focused Inspiration4 mission, led by billionaire tech entrepreneur and Shift4 Payments CEO Jared Isaacman, is slated to launch on September 15th, sending Isaacman and three other non-professional astronauts on a free-flying trip in Earth orbit for three days. It will use the Crew Dragon Resilience capsule that’s currently docked to the ISS in support of NASA’s Crew-1 mission, and the glass window will be installed during Resilience’s refurbishment in Florida after it returns. “We’ve done all the engineering work, we continue to go through all the analysis and testing and qualification to ensure everything’s safe, and that it doesn’t preclude any use of this spacecraft for other missions,” Benji Reed, SpaceX’s director of Crew Dragon mission management, said during a press conference on Tuesday. The Inspiration4 crew includes Christopher Sembroski, a Lockheed Martin engineer from Everett, Washington; Sian Proctor, a college professor from Tempe, Arizona; and previously announced Hayley Arceneaux, a St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital employee and bone cancer survivor. The new window was announced on the same day that Richard Branson’s space tourism firm, Virgin Galactic, unveiled an upgraded version of its suborbital spaceplane SpaceShipTwo called SpaceShip III. https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/31/22358313/spacex-crew-dragon-glass-dome-window-space-tourists Curt Lewis