Beta Technologies wrapped up a five-day flight demonstration campaign in Utah on October 7, using its Alia CX300 electric airplane to show how electric aircraft could deliver radiopharmaceuticals and other time-sensitive medical cargo across the state. The Vermont-based aircraft manufacturer conducted the flights with cargo airline Alpine Air Express of Provo, Utah, as part of the uFLY project under the FAA’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program.

Folding wingtips could be considered something of a proven concept since they are a signature feature of the 777X. But before such technology can enable greater wingspans on the eventual successors to the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 Max families, several technical challenges still must be resolved.

Innovators, regulators, and other stakeholders are converging on Springfield, Ohio, this week for the fifth annual National Advanced Air Mobility Industry Forum. The October 15 event is staged at what appears to be an inflection point as new aircraft, propulsion systems, and autonomous flight technology begin entering service across multiple applications straddling defense and civil use cases.

Australian electric aviation group FlyOne has signed a letter of intent with Germany’s MD Aircraft for 10 of the MDA1 eViator aircraft. FlyOne, which is entirely separate from the Moldovan low-cost airline of the same name, appears to have plans to deploy the nine-passenger eViators for on-demand charter services.

Zuri has selected Norway’s EdgePerformance to provide the engine for the latest technology demonstrator of its hybrid-electric uncrewed VTOL cargo aircraft. On October 13, the Czech start-up announced it will use a heavily modified version of the Rotax 912 ULS piston engine that its partner has adapted to drive the generator for the powertrain of the aircraft, which is set to start flight testing in early 2027.

Heart Aerospace has won a $2.9 million award from the FAA to develop and flight-test the turbogenerators for its ES-36 hybrid-electric regional airliner. The award comes from Phase IV of the agency’s Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions, and Noise program, Heart announced Monday, saying it will match the award for a $5.8 million, 24-month development and test effort called Project Hyper (short for “Hybrid Propulsion Environmental Readiness”).

If they are not already, composite materials and manufacturing processes are set to take center stage in the aerospace sector, according to industry media and events group JEC. The nonprofit group, which promotes the sustainable use of composites across industries, has published the first of a three-part series of white papers outlining the rapidly evolving impact of composite materials in aerostructures, engines, and aircraft interiors.

The quest to bring green regional aircraft to market is more likely to fail for financial than technical reasons, according to aviation consultancy Altea. In a white paper published on October 5, the UK-based group warns that investors in new aircraft and propulsion systems may lack the long-term commitment needed and that communities depending on the promised new air services could find themselves worse off if these fail.