Volocopter has reshuffled its management team as it pursues new investment options and type certification of its VoloCity eVTOL aircraft with a revised target date in 2025. On November 18, the German company announced that former Lilium CFO Oliver Vogelgesang has joined in the same capacity, with Christian Bauer moving to the position of chief commercial officer.

EHang is ramping up production rates for its EH216-S two-passenger autonomous eVTOL aircraft. Reporting third quarter financial results on November 18, the Chinese company said it delivered 63 units in the three months ending on September 30, which was a 29% increase on output for the second quarter. EHang is seeking to expand its aircraft family and boost performance through the introduction of new solid-state batteries.

Three years after Honda announced its plans to produce an eVTOL aircraft for intercity travel, the Japanese carmaker is apparently preparing to fly its first prototype. While Honda has kept its eVTOL program under tight wraps, FAA records indicate that the U.S. air safety regulator recently granted an exemption to Honda Research Institute that would allow the company to fly a subscale prototype experimentally for research and development purposes.

AMSL Aero has started untethered test flights with its Vertiia eVTOL aircraft as it works to complete type certification in 2027. After logging some 50 tethered flights since 2023, the Australian start-up this week reported that it removed tethers for the first time earlier this month.

Beta Technologies has selected the Garmin G3000 Prime integrated flight deck for its Alia CX300 airplane and Alia 250 eVTOL model, making the Vermont-based manufacturer the first to use the touchscreen avionics suite in an electric aircraft. After the inaugural flight of Beta’s first production Alia airplane on November 13, two days later the company revealed that it was the first example to be equipped with the latest Garmin avionics.

Electra unveiled its plans for a nine-passenger EL9 ultra-short takeoff and landing hybrid aircraft that will rely on distributed electric propulsion and blown-wing technology to take off with as little as 150 feet of runway. Calling the EL9 “just an airplane,” Electra CEO Marc Allen told a gathering at the company’s facilities on November 13 in Manassas, Virginia, that the reveal marks the launch of a “real product” rather than a vision.

The U.S. Air Force has accepted Merlin’s airworthiness plan for a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker retrofitted with its autonomous flight control system, called Merlin Pilot. Announcing the news on November 12, the Boston-based company said it aims to begin flight demonstrations with the Merlin Pilot-equipped KC-135 inflight refueling platform in 2025.

With the first eVTOL aircraft nearing certification, the focus is on how FBO operators are preparing for the integration of advanced air mobility, panelists said at NATA’s recent Aviation Business Conference in Nashville.