EASA has certified the EngineUs 100 electric motor developed by Safran Electrical & Power for new air mobility applications, including VoltAero’s Cassio family of hybrid-electric aircraft. The approval process took four years and involved the European aviation safety agency defining specific airworthiness rules for electric propulsion and developing a process for assessment and certification that is set to benefit other OEMs.

The FAA and ZeroAvia have agreed on a certification basis for the 600-kilowatt electric propulsion system ZeroAvia is developing as a key component in its planned ZA600 hydrogen-electric powertrain. On February 3, ZeroAvia announced that the FAA issued the company a G-1 issue paper, which establishes the criteria for certification.

Pipistrel has achieved a first hover flight with its Nuuva V300 hybrid-electric VTOL uncrewed aircraft. On January 31, the Textron eAviation subsidiary announced the flight had happened at its base in Ajdovščina in Slovenia, marking the start of a flight test program that will soon be supplemented by a second full-scale prototype of the 600-pound payload, multi-role drone.

Canadian airline Nolinor Aviation has placed a firm order with San Diego-based aircraft developer Natilus for an unspecified number of Kona aircraft, an autonomous cargo freighter with a unique blended-wing-body airframe designed for maximum efficiency. The charter operator plans to use the Kona aircraft for remote cargo operations in Canada’s Northwest Territories and Nunavut, where growth in mining activity has led to increasing demand for both passenger and cargo flights.

Charter operator Copenhagen Helicopter has started working with eVTOL aircraft developer Crisalion Mobility on plans to provide new flight connections between several of Denmark’s islands. Under an agreement announced on January 28, the companies said they will focus on assessing the case for introducing passenger- and cargo-carrying eVTOL services between the island of Funen and other islands in the southeast of the Scandinavian country.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority has launched a second round of its Hydrogen Challenge program, which aims to foster industry collaboration to boost the adoption of hydrogen propulsion by the air transport sector. Announced on February 3, this round is expected to expand the scope of existing research and development work and operational trials.

NASA is seeking input on proposed plans to build a cryogenic hydrogen test facility that would support the development of future hydrogen-powered aircraft. The agency’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, issued a request for information on January 23 calling stakeholders to chime in on the technical feasibility and “reasonableness” of the idea. 

Vertical Aerospace has wrapped up the second phase of flight testing with its full-scale VX4 eVTOL prototype. Announcing the milestone on February 4, the company released a new video of the aircraft during piloted thrustborne hover trials over Cotswold Airport in England. It is now preparing to begin piloted wingborne flights as it advances toward achieving a full transition from vertical to horizontal flight.