VTOL On Demand Mobility

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YieG1Z6nMeA&ab_channel=Lilium


verticalmag.com

Lilium powers on first Lilium Jet in significant milestone toward first flight

The successful test procedure on the first in-production Lilium Jet, MSN 1, represents a significant achievement on the path to first flight and certification.
verticalmag.com verticalmag.com

Lilium Issues Dire Warning Over Need For Government Loan | Aviation Week Network

Lilium “requires additional capital immediately to continue to fund its ongoing operations.”
aviationweek.com aviationweek.com

On one hand they seem to be making some progress, but on the other they are running out of funding. I am surprised this project made it as far as it did.
 
All these companies bring on more and more high-profile staff/directors and the like and lose focus of what got them going in the first place.

Continual email updates I get from them are more about who has joined rather than how they are going.

Most of them come from the established airline industry and we all know how well that works.

All these high-cost directors are using these companies for their last hurrah/golden parachute.

Love to know the top managements total cost verses actual manufacturing.

Regards,
 
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Wow, Aurora shows a Very High Speed Vertical Lift Concept Design - well I guess that solves the problem then, because who needs a working prototype these days, when protohype is all that's required for marketing purposes...
 
It was noted also in another report how Aurora rendered images are devoid of any flight governs adapted for the cruise regime, some foreseeing here an early application of the CRANE program.
 
Halcyon66 said:
All these companies bring on more and more high-profile staff/directors and the like and lose focus of what got them going in the first place.

Continual email updates I get from them are more about who has joined rather than how they are going.

Most of them come from the established airline industry and we all know how well that works.
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I suspect it's more a case of they get so far on gosh-wow funding, and then start having to appeal to more business-oriented venture-capitalists (as opposed to the ones willing to throw $100m at something because it looks cool), at which point they start having to answer due-diligence questions such as "Has anyone in your C-suite ever run an actual company as opposed to a start-up?"
 
DWG said:
I suspect it's more a case of they get so far on gosh-wow funding, and then start having to appeal to more business-oriented venture-capitalists (as opposed to the ones willing to throw $100m at something because it looks cool), at which point they start having to answer due-diligence questions such as "Has anyone in your C-suite ever run an actual company as opposed to a start-up?"
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Hic Rhodus, hic salta.
 
No worries, if Lilium's technology is as disruptive as claimed they shouldn't have issues to find additional funding or get absorbed by a major aerospace company. Their electric ducted fan technology may indeed find some useful applications... Dyson? Sorry, couldn't resist :D
 
It looks like the eVTOL industry largely got what they wanted from the FAA in terms of relaxing the stringent reserve and training requirements that were in place for commercial ops.

www.flyingmag.com

FAA Finalizes Rules for Powered-Lift Aircraft

Agency publishes guidelines for pilot training and operations of powered-lift aircraft, including electric and hydrogen powered air taxis.
www.flyingmag.com www.flyingmag.com

"For example, powered-lift aircraft can use helicopter minimums for VFR and IFR fuel requirements and minimum safe altitudes when they are capable of performing a vertical landing at any point along the route, as a helicopter is. This will allow manufacturers to get around the issue of low battery energy density, for example, by lowering the fuel reserve requirement."

"The other major difference between the SFAR and the FAA’s initial proposal is the creation of a pathway to train powered-lift pilots with a single set of flight controls. Some programs will still require dual controls. But throwover controls and simulator training will be acceptable substitutes"
 
news.slashdot.org

Air Taxis and Other Electric-Powered Aircraft Cleared For Takeoff - Slashdot

The FAA has released final regulations for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles, introducing a new category of aircraft for the first time in nearly 80 years. These rules provide a framework for pilot training and operational requirements, addressing industry concerns while...
news.slashdot.org
 
alberchico said:
www.cnbc.com

Air taxi firm Lilium's shares plunge 52% after company says main subsidiaries will file for insolvency

Shares of Lilium tanked Thursday after the air taxi firm said in a filing that its two main subsidiaries plan on filing for insolvency in the coming days.
www.cnbc.com www.cnbc.com

Looks like the end of the line. :(
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I don't think they're quite there yet (though close). This way they cut their outgoings as low as possible while trying to find investors or sell the IP. Tough for the staff, though.

Grob are an example of an aerospace company that went all the way down to insolvency and shutting down ops and survived. Though they did have certified and in-production aircraft to offer an immediate return on investment for the new owners.
 
I hope the board and the senior executives are okay and are not out of high paying jobs for too long. :cool::cool::cool::cool:

It will be restructured and up and running again in no time, all investors will get a serious haircut probably 90%

Regards,
 
leehamnews.com

Bjorn's Corner: Air Transport’s route to 2050. Part 2. - Leeham News and Analysis

October 24, 2024, ©. Leeham News: We do a Corner series about the state of developments to replace or improve hydrocarbon propulsion concepts for Air Transport. We will find that development has been very slow. We don’t have,... Read More
leehamnews.com leehamnews.com

A quick recap of where we are in regards to electric aircraft projects for short flights. You have to give credit to Alia for quickly converting their aircraft to a more traditional design when they started encountering problems with transitioning to vertical flight. That move probably saved their project and gives them a fighting chance unlike Lilium which is going down in flames.
 
But the Alia design is now not very optimised since it had still all the features of the VTOL aircraft. My money would be on Pipistrel.
 
Another E-VTOL.... *sighs ( ;) )
"Manta Aircraft (Sesto Calende, Italy) and Chinese aircraft manufacturer Shenyang Aviation Industries Group (Liaoning) are establishing a partnership to develop the Manta Ann hybrid electric vertical and short takeoff and landing (VTOL/STOL) aircraft for regional air mobility (RAM), a sector of the advanced air mobility (AAM) market."

 
alberchico said:
www.cnbc.com

Air taxi firm Lilium's shares plunge 52% after company says main subsidiaries will file for insolvency

Shares of Lilium tanked Thursday after the air taxi firm said in a filing that its two main subsidiaries plan on filing for insolvency in the coming days.
www.cnbc.com www.cnbc.com

Looks like the end of the line. :(
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Every time I see those tiny fans I'm puzzled how this was seriously considered a good solution for VTOL. However, it may be well suited for STOL operations. I still hope we will see the final version flying... maybe with a proper landing gear attached ;)
 

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VTOLicious said:
Every time I see those tiny fans I'm puzzled how this was seriously considered a good solution for VTOL. However, it may be well suited for STOL operations. I still hope we will see the final version flying... maybe with a proper landing gear attached ;)
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In Lillium’s 2015-6 configuration the wing was at the rear with no forward lifting surface, so it would have just tumbled end over end. It struck me as drawn by a school child who hadn’t done basic engineering mechanics, except it came from recently graduated engineer that got a first from a prestigious German Ackeflug (Aero University). How did such an obviously flawed concept attract its initial seed corn funding? a fair bit of came from the EU taxpayers via ESA?
 
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We have indeed a serious problem in Europe with all those Startups to Nowhere that get access to money they should never even dream of.
 
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Boeing Wisk FAA approval for noise emission level:

Boeing’s subsidiary, Wisk Aero, is actually working on said autonomous flying taxi system, and it recently managed to land a Stage 2 G-1 issue paper, according to a report from KING 5 in Seattle. The paper in question, the report noted, “…lays out airworthiness and environmental regulations,” and represents a “big milestone.”
While the vehicle is autonomous, it will not be left alone. Flights will be monitored from the ground
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www.tipranks.com

Boeing’s (NYSE:BA) Air Taxi Gets Past an FAA Roadblock - TipRanks.com

Did you know that aerospace company Boeing ($BA) was working on an autonomous air taxi? As it turns out, one of its divisions is working on just that, and it <d...
www.tipranks.com www.tipranks.com

*Notice also how they tapped into NG brains reserve to augment their military activities.
 
Zoo Tycoon said:
In Lillium’s 2015-6 configuration the wing was at the rear with no forward lifting surface, so it would have just tumbled end over end. It struck me as drawn by a school child who hadn’t done basic engineering mechanics, except it came from recently graduated engineer that got a first from a prestigious German Ackeflug (Aero University). How did such an obviously flawed concept attract its initial seed corn funding? a fair bit of came from the EU taxpayers via ESA?
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They were all post-grads at TU Munich, but without any experience from an aerospace company.
 
Zoo Tycoon said:
In Lillium’s 2015-6 configuration the wing was at the rear with no forward lifting surface, so it would have just tumbled end over end. It struck me as drawn by a school child who hadn’t done basic engineering mechanics, except it came from recently graduated engineer that got a first from a prestigious German Ackeflug (Aero University). How did such an obviously flawed concept attract its initial seed corn funding? a fair bit of came from the EU taxpayers via ESA?
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I totally agree, but the correct name is "AKA-Flieg" (Aka stands for akademisch/academic and Flieg as abvivation for Flieger = Flyer, meaning a person who flies) and this is not an university but an academic flying club which is present around all German technical universities.
 
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