FutureFlight
UAM Panel Sees Strengths and Weaknesses in Both eVTOL Startups and Established Aerospace Players
A discussion at July's FIA Connect event considered which of the eVTOL pioneers is likely to make it to market first.
Wisk Cora
Wisk, which is developing the Cora eVTOL aircraft, is a joint venture between startup Kitty Hawk and aerospace industry leader Boeing. [Photo: Wisk]

While start-up companies enjoy an advantage in developing the disruptive technologies driving the urban air mobility (UAM) revolution, there is still a crucial role to play for the incumbent aerospace industry giants, according to panelists speaking during an FIA Connect session on Thursday.

With a forecast requirement for about 200,000 vehicles over the next 20 years, and with most of them being eVTOL aircraft, the incumbents certainly have an interest in the UAM marketplace. While their relative inertia to innovate internal processes might give start-ups the edge in terms of rapidly prototyping and maturing technological innovations, those companies typically do not have the internal expertise to oversee regulatory compliance for either the air vehicles or their manufacture. That's where companies such as Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer play a major role.