For most of 2021, the soundtrack to the advanced air mobility (AAM) movie has sounded like a noisy modern jazz ensemble, with multiple performers trying to outplay each other to get the attention of the audience, namely investors for their eVTOL and eSTOL aircraft. Then last month, from Toulouse in France, we heard the sound of the Airbus symphony orchestra playing the opening movement of what the European aerospace group believes will be its magnum opus in this highly competitive new sector of aviation.
On September 21, Airbus unveiled its long-awaited plans for an eVTOL aircraft, building on extensive flight trials with the CityAirbus and Vahana technology demonstrators. The fixed-wing aircraft CityAirbus NextGen model, with a V-shaped tail and eight sets of electric motors and propellers, will carry up to four passengers on flights of up to 80 km (50 miles) and at speeds of 120 km/h (75 mph).
