Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

Latest news about Textron's eAviation division.

Textron eAviation’s Pipistrel subsidiary is displaying its Nuuva V300 and Surveyor multirole aircraft this week at the Paris Air Show. Earlier this year, the Slovenia-based company started flight testing a prototype of the uncrewed Nuuva V300, and it is set to start flying a second example later this year.
Its Surveyor models can be operated with or without a pilot onboard. They are already in service around the world in a variety of military and civil surveillance applications, including infrastructure inspection for the energy, utilities, and construction industries, as well as border security and disaster response. Installed mission equipment can include electro-optical/infrared sensors, lidar pods, wing hard points, and surveillance radars.
The hybrid-electric Nuuva V300 has a range of 300 nm with a 600-pound payload and the ability to operate from unpaved surfaces. Textron eAviation president and CEO Kriya Shortt told AIN&nbsp;that the vehicle has the potential to reshape cargo services by enabling deliveries to hard-to-access locations, with loading made easy via an upward swinging door in the nose section and space for three pallets.
With redundant flight control systems developed by Textron eAviation’s team in Germany, the V300 can safely operate in beyond visual line of sight conditions. It can be deployed with a two-person team, one to manage the point-and-click remote pilot interface and the other to handle cargo loads.
In January, Pipistrel achieved the first hover flight test with a Nuuva prototype. It has since expanded the flight envelope.&nbsp;
Meanwhile, Textron eAviation is continuing to develop plans for Nexus, an eVTOL aircraft, and appears not to have yet settled on a final design. “We are exploring additional technology variants, ensuring that we align closely with the voice of customers and shifting market dynamics,” Shortt said.

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