After completing the world’s first electric air taxi flights in Guangzhou and Hefei in December, EHang on Sunday made debut passenger carrying flights in the city of Taiyuan.

The trips, completed using EHang’s self-flying EH216-S air taxi, follow the company’s delivery of 10 aircraft to Xishan Tourism, which in May signed a purchase order for 50 units. The companies have a tentative agreement for EHang to deliver 450 aircraft over the next two years, with an eye toward launching aerial tourism and sightseeing services across North China.

“We have gradually delivered EH216-S by batches to Taiyuan, Hefei, Wuxi, Wencheng, Zhuhai, and other places, and are actively assisting our local partners who are creating application scenarios to obtain [air operator certification],” said Zhao Wang, chief operating officer of EHang.

EHang received its own air operator certificate last week from China’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAC).

The province of Shanxi, in which Taiyuan is located, has been designated by the Chinese government as a national demonstration province for the country’s low-altitude economy, an analog to the advanced air mobility (AAM) industry forming in the U.S. and elsewhere. Taiyuan is the region’s capital and largest city and is considered a political and economic center.

The measure subsidizes regular, low-altitude tourism flights in the region, as well as the construction of infrastructure and other capabilities needed for routine service.

“Taiyuan is a national civil unmanned aerial vehicle test zone, with the foundation and advantages to develop the aviation industry, and will actively seize the lead in the emerging low-altitude economy industry,” said Jicheng Yang, executive vice mayor of Taiyuan and a member of the city’s municipal committee. “Taiyuan will enhance policy support, essential guarantees, and innovation capabilities, and promote the deep integration of technological innovation and the low-altitude economy.”

Xishan Tourism plans to use the designation to launch low-altitude sightseeing and tourism routes to local sites such as Yuquan Mountain, Paddy Field Park, and Juewei Mountain.

On Sunday, two EH216-S aircraft, carrying two passengers each, took off and flew autonomously from Paddy Field Park in a ceremony attended by regional government officials and industry experts. Two of the passengers were officials within the newly formed Taiyuan Xishan Ecological Tourism Demonstration Zone.

Xishan Tourism, though, said it is still working toward “regular operation”—in other words, the flights are not yet routine, as is the case in Guangzhou and Hefei.

“Xishan Tourism plans to collaborate with EHang and other partners on low-altitude scenarios of air mobility, tourism, and public services to establish multiple flight camps or landing pads, alongside various low-altitude sightseeing routes for pilotless eVTOL within Taiyuan and nearby scenic areas,” said Yaozong Chang, chairman of Xishan Tourism. “We aim to build an urban low-altitude tourism mobility network and a new urban air traffic management system, and to establish a low-altitude economy industrial park.”

EHang at the event also demonstrated its longer-range, passenger-carrying VT-30, firefighting EH216-F, and EH216-L for cargo logistics.

All four aircraft were on display in the Middle East in May, when the manufacturer completed that region’s first passenger carrying eVTOL flights in the United Arab Emirates.

The company’s flagship EH216-S is the first and only eVTOL design to receive type certification from a national aviation regulator, the CAAC. The regulator in December also handed the EH216-S the world’s first eVTOL airworthiness certification and in April gave the green light for EHang to begin mass manufacturing the model.

That puts the company well ahead of competitors in the U.S. such as Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation, which are building piloted air taxis but have yet to obtain any of those three approvals. Both companies are targeting commercial rollouts in 2025.

Like EHang, Boeing air taxi subsidiary Wisk Aero is building a self-flying design but does not expect it to fly commercially until the end of the decade.

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The post EHang Completes More Passenger-Carrying eVTOL Flights in China appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The Chinese firm on Monday announced it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with China Southern Airlines General Aviation (CSGAC), the GA subsidiary of China Southern Airlines, which in 2023 ranked as one of the 10 largest public airlines by revenue. EHang and CSGAC will focus mainly on flight operations, infrastructure support, demonstrations, and the development of new use cases for the former’s flagship EH216-S.

Since the aircraft is self-flying, the partners will not need to worry about pilot training, a common concern among U.S. manufacturers of piloted eVTOL models. Boeing air taxi subsidiary Wisk Aero is one of the few U.S. manufacturers seeking to fly autonomously at launch.

EHang’s model is intended to be a part of China’s low-altitude economy, an analog to the advanced air mobility (AAM) industry taking shape in the U.S. and abroad.

“CSGAC is actively exploring expansion into the emerging low-altitude industry,” said Erbao Li, chairman of CSGAC. “This cooperation will create innovative archetypes for the low-altitude economy, unlocking new growth opportunities for the general aviation industry and driving the high-quality advancement of the low-altitude economy industry chain in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area.”

The companies intend to create demonstration sites at Zhuhai Jiuzhou Airport (ZGSD) and Zhuhai Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, a popular theme park, that will serve as hubs for aerial tourism in Zhuhai and the surrounding Greater Bay Area.

“As a frontrunner in the eVTOL industry, we believe that the safe operations of pilotless eVTOL aircraft is crucial to the industry’s development,” said Zhao Wang, chief operating officer of EHang. “Together with CSGAC, we will establish demonstration sites for pilotless eVTOL operations in the Greater Bay Area and spearhead safe, sustainable, and efficient low-altitude operations.”

The partners will also look at potential island-hopping use cases for the EH216-S, including cargo transport, emergency response, and medical evacuations. CSGAC will help train EHang operational personnel, build vertiport infrastructure, develop a platform for flight services, and define maintenance standards.

The arrangement is somewhat similar to those between Archer Aviation and United Airlines and Joby Aviation and Delta Air Lines, for example.

Unlike Archer and Joby, EHang already has begun delivering aircraft to customers. In December, the EH216-S became the first eVTOL air taxi to complete a commercial flight, a feat made more impressive by the fact that the aircraft flies entirely on its own. It followed that in May with the Middle East’s first passenger-carrying eVTOL demonstration.

The two-passenger aircraft has a range of about 22 sm (19 nm) and cruises at about 80 mph (70 knots), making it smaller and less capable than most piloted eVTOL designs, such as Archer’s Midnight or Joby’s air taxi. While those companies are focused mainly on transportation to and from airports, EHang will prioritize out-and-back aerial sightseeing trips.

A wingless design, the EH216-S deploys a coaxial dual-propeller architecture, with eight foldable arms housing 16 lift-and-thrust rotors.

The Chinese manufacturer has received plenty of help, obtaining financial and regulatory support from local and regional governments, particularly those in the cities of Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Hefei. Unlike the FAA or European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), China’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAC) wants to get autonomous aircraft in the skies first, perceiving them as safer than their crewed counterparts. EHang’s closest competitor is Autoflight, another manufacturer of self-flying eVTOL air taxis.

In addition to being the first to receive type certification, the EH216-S is also the first aircraft of its kind to be approved for airworthiness and mass production, which began in April. In February, the manufacturer revealed the price tag for the model: around $330,000, which, based on FLYING’s analysis, would make it one of the cheapest eVTOL air taxis on the market.

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So this week, Wisk released a “first-of-its-kind” report detailing how vertiports and related systems and infrastructure could better accommodate automated air taxis. 

The report touches on an issue that could make or break the nascent eVTOL industry. Experts have long said the planned business model for eVTOL air taxis will not succeed without permanent, established vertiports where these new, battery-powered aircraft can safely and efficiently land, takeoff, and recharge, as well as securely handle passengers and luggage. 

In fact, vertiports are already being designed and planned, with at least one expected to be completed by this fall in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, though the FAA hasn’t even weighed in yet on requirements. 

• READ MORE: Oshkosh’s Wittman Airport Is Building a Vertiport | FAA Solicits Public Comments on Vertiports

Just think for a minute about how airport operations and configurations are driven by the types of aircraft they serve. Now, extrapolate that to factor in how airports would need to be different if the aircraft were automated. The concept triggers several questions:

• How would automated eVTOLs taxi at vertiports?
• Who would act as the pilot in command (PIC) of a self-flying aircraft and who would maintain situational awareness (SA)?
• What redundancies may be needed to maintain safety levels achieved by piloted aircraft?

Though Wisk’s two-seat air taxis will be self-flying, the company says a human will always “be in the loop,” ready to intervene if necessary—so-called pilot-over-the-loop (POTL) mechanisms. Wisk’s competitors—Joby Aviation (NYSE: JOBY), Archer Aviation, (NYSE: ACHR) and others—plan to launch on-demand services with onboard pilots flying their aircraft. 

This vision of the near future comes less than three months after Boeing announced a nearly half-billion dollar investment in Wisk—as it seeks to test, certify and manufacture a 21-foot-long eVTOL with a range of about 25 sm, plus reserves. Wisk and its rivals hope to create a new form of environmentally friendly transportation that enables passengers to fly on zero-emissions aircraft over traffic congested cities.

• READ MORE: Boeing Invests $450 Million in Wisk Aero

The report, co-authored by U.K.-based vertiport developer Skyports, points out that now is the time to consider “autonomous eVTOL integration” to “help future-proof the development of [urban air mobility] UAM aviation infrastructure.” Also, the document “serves as a basis for discussion as industry and regulators begin to consider the integration of autonomous eVTOL aircraft systems into the [national air space] NAS.”

Here are a few interesting details contained in the report.

Vertiport Automation System

Wisk envisions a vertiport automation system (VAS) that “would passively interface with the existing ATC traffic flow management system.” Active coordination would be facilitated by a flight operations center (FOC) which “serves as a conduit between air traffic control (ATC) systems and the VAS.” The VAS also would “interface with uncrewed aircraft traffic management (UTM) provider systems for UAM-specific routes through controlled and uncontrolled airspace.”

How Would PIC Work for Self-Flying Air Taxis?

The PIC is defined in the Wisk/Skyports document as “an individual, employed by the eVTOL aircraft operator, who has responsibility and control over the aircraft’s beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations.” PIC would assume “responsibility and control” beginning “when the aircraft doors close on departure, through takeoff and landing, and until aircraft doors open at the destination.”

The PIC would be located at the vertiport’s FOC, where they would “monitor the aircraft “and could “step in to remotely pilot” it, “if the need arises. This individual will directly communicate with the aircraft, vertiport staff, and ATC where applicable.” The FOC, the document says, “may or may not be co-located with a vertiport.”

Passenger Safety

“The FOC will maintain open communication channels with the aircraft’s passengers and monitor passenger well-being and activities throughout the flight.”

What if the availability of resources at the destination vertiport during the flight threatens to affect the ongoing flight plan? 

In that case, the report proposes that “the FOC and vertiport will communicate such changes to the PIC. Fleet management and/or the PIC will maintain SA of the aircraft throughout the journey and may make changes to the current flight plan or future scheduled operations.”

• READ MORE: EASA Issues ‘World’s First’ Design Specs for Vertiports

Emergency Procedures

Out-of-the-ordinary flight situations and emergency procedures “will be designed to safely land an aircraft as close to the original destination or takeoff point as possible.” 

“For each scheduled flight, the eVTOL fleet operator will identify en route contingency landing sites—vertiports, heliports, airports, and other prepared landing sites. These locations can be used for emergency diversions, delay mitigation-prompted diversions, or aborted landings to ensure continued safe flight and landing (CSFL).”

Taxiing

Because of limited space and tight dimensions at vertiports, PICs would not remotely taxi their eVTOLs to designated parking positions. Instead, “autonomous eVTOL aircraft will most likely require a tow or tug solution that transports the aircraft on vertiport taxi routes,” the report says.

Weight and Balance

Air taxis, including Wisk Aero’s eVTOL, will be small—seating two to seven people. Therefore maintaining precise weight and balance for each aircraft will be critical to safety. 

The report says passengers would be weighed before boarding. “After passenger verification, passengers and luggage may go through a non-intrusive security scanner and weight check,” the report says. “Both of these activities will be overseen by a vertiport terminal agent who can perform in-person check-in and security actions as needed.”

During boarding, staff might be needed to designate specific seats based on the weight of each passenger, according to the report.

Things to Keep in Mind

In general, eVTOL commercial air taxis in the U.S. are expected to be operated as commuter and on-demand airlines under Part 135.

Obviously, aircraft or fleet operators would be required to fly type certificated eVTOL aircraft listed on their FAA operating certificates. It’s worth noting that, so far, zero eVTOLs have been type certificated in the U.S., although Wisk, Joby, Archer, and others are making significant progress. Wisk, a privately held company, has not publicly offered a timeline for type certification of its air taxi or when it plans to begin commercial operations. 

Clearly, before this vertiport vision can become reality, eVTOL developers and the FAA have much to do. 

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