VTOL

New York-based medical transport non-profit Hatzolah Air has placed a preorder for four of Urban Aeronautics' CityHawk VTOL aircraft for emergency medical service (EMS) applications within urban environments.

Drone-like VTOL capabilities with a long-range, high-speed turboshaft cruise mode: South Africa's Pegasus Vertical Business Jet hopes to deliver the best of both worlds in a futuristic, transitioning luxury aircraft for high flyers.

VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) drones are quite versatile, as they combine the vertical flight of a helicopter with the efficient forward flight of a fixed-wing airplane. This one features an extended range, thanks to a fuel cell power system.

Lilium is one of a number of startups working to make flying taxis a reality, and is now offering folks a new look at its vision by divulging plans for its first “vertiport” planned for Orlando, Florida, in 2025.

The 300-horsepower, supercharged 4-cylinder engine from the Kawasaki Ninja H2R has found a new home in an autonomous compound helicopter Kawasaki has been flight testing. And like the H2R, this K-Racer aircraft will be much faster than its peers.

Austrian company Cyclotech is planning to begin flight-testing an 80-kg (176-lb) demonstrator of its unique electric VTOL airframe, which uses Voith-Schneider propellers instead of rotors for exceptional agility and control in the air.

When we hear about VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft, we usually think of passenger-carrying "air taxis." The autonomous Nuuva, however, is being designed to give cargo-carrying helicopters a run for their money.

Although "air ambulance" helicopters are life-savers, they typically can't land in the middle of crowded city streets. The CityHawk aircraft conceivably could, though, which is why it's now being developed with emergency medical response in mind.

Although numerous companies are now developing "air taxis," many of those groups have nothing but renderings of their aircraft. Switzerland's Dufour Aerospace, however, recently completed the first phase of testing of a large-scale demonstrator.

Vertical take-off and landing drones, or VTOLs, have some big advantages, but there's also a trade-off, which the Latvian-made Fixar is designed to address.

Airbus Helicopters' multi-role H160 helicopter has received type certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and it is now expected to gain US FAA certification before commercial deliveries begin later this year.

Although they're relatively large, manta rays move easily through the water, thanks to their sleek shape. Well, that form has been copied in the aptly-named Manta Ray aerial delivery drone, which recently won an international competition.