by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby
Electric take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) provider AIR has announced that its aerial vehicles will fly under the airspace coverage of leading drone management and uncrewed traffic management provider High Lander. High Lander is working towards the full integration of shared airspace between crewed and uncrewed aircraft through two scalable, drone-agnostic software solutions. The first of these two solutions is Mission Control, a platform for managing and automating drone missions for all applications. The other, Universal UTM, is an automated uncrewed traffic management platform that monitors all airborne activity over any airspace in real-time. Universal UTM autonomously approves and adjusts flight plans, and provides AIR’s eVTOLs with flight monitoring and in-flight conflict warnings to ensure safety and compliance with aviation regulations.
AIR ONE, AIR’s first eVTOL to market, is designed for private ownership and everyday, short distance travel. The aircraft was first showcased in October 2021 and earned its airworthiness certification in July 2022, after which it performed its first public hover test. The aerial vehicle is capable of flying for an hour on a single charge and can accommodate two passengers and their luggage, with a maximum weight capacity of 250kg. AIR ONE can take off and land on any flat surface, and can be folded to fit in the same space as a car for storage. The aircraft completed its first UTM-integrated flight at the May 2023 iteration of the Israel National Drone Initiative.
“We expect AIR ONE to become the flagship of a new age of personal transportation, and therefore we consider safety and compliance to be of the utmost importance,” said AIR CEO and co-founder Rani Plaut. “By taking advantage of the scalable and comprehensive air traffic coverage of High Lander’s tried-and-tested UTM system, we feel confident that AIR ONE will overcome its last regulatory hurdles and begin to show people around the world that piloting a personal aerial vehicle is as safe and reliable as it is easy and exciting.”
“AIR ONE is an impressive feat of engineering and stands to have a dramatic effect on the way people travel. This brings with it regulatory and safety challenges that must be overcome before this new market can take off,” said High Lander CEO and co-founder Alon Abelson. “All of these challenges can be overcome with Universal UTM, and we’re proud to be providing the safety network for this groundbreaking product and a whole new generation of pilots.”
Read more:
- Personal eVTOL: AIR ONE Prototype Showcased at Kentucky Derby
- Make Room in the Garage: AIR ONE Personal eVTOL Successfully Completes Hover Test
- Another Step Forward for AIR ONE eVTOL: and You Can Pre-Order Your Personal Aircraft Now
- Flying Cars Take Off: Skydrive Announces Consumer Pre-Orders
- From Mini Drone to Urban Air Mobility: NANCo Aero Flying Cars
Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer.
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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