Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

Senior Editor

Just over a week ahead of closing a business combination with Zanite Acquisition and a New York Stock Exchange listing on May 9, Eve Urban Air Mobility said the number of provisional sales commitments received for its planned four-passenger eVTOL aircraft has reached 1,825. In an April 29 statement, the subsidiary of Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer also confirmed that it plans to publish an air taxi concept of operations for Rio de Janeiro.
Depending on how many of Zanite's current investors redeem their shares on completion of the deal announced in December 2021, Eve says it could raise more than $500 million in new capital. The business combination is backed by a $357.3 million private&nbsp;investment in public equity that now includes an additional $52.3 million pledged by additional strategic partners including Thales, Acciona, and Space Florida. Embraer, which will remain the majority owner of the new Eve Holding business with an anticipated 82 percent stake, also has increased its investment in it.
Having now secured letters of intent from 19 customers, Eve highlighted developments including the previously announced publication of a concept of operations (Conops) for urban air mobility (UAM)&nbsp;operations in Miami-Dade County and the UK, as well as the expected publication&nbsp;in the coming weeks of a new Conops&nbsp;for planned eVTOL air taxi services in the Brazilian mega-city&nbsp;Rio de Janeiro. The company also plans to develop a Conops plan&nbsp;for the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau and continues to work with other regulators, communities, and partners in Australia, Europe, and the Americas.
The new Conops for Rio de Janeiro will combine analyses that cover the perspective, points of attention, and operational needs of eVTOL vehicles, passenger journey, and services and support. To simulate a UAM “ecosystem,” the Rio CONOPS will include data from helicopter flight operations completed in November 2021 between Rio’s Barra da Tijuca neighborhood and Galeão International Airport.
Meanwhile, Eve says it is advancing&nbsp;key technical milestones, such as the completion of proof-of-concept and wind-tunnel tests and simulations needed for type certification of its eVTOL vehicle, for which the company formalized an application with Brazilian certification authority ANAC in February. It is aiming to have the aircraft certified in 2026.
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Gregory Polek

As it prepares to raise funds via a Wall Street share flotation in May, Embraer subsidiary Eve is stepping up preparations for commercial air taxi services by developing concept of operations documents for cities including Florida. (Image: Eve Urban Air Mobility)

Eve Sales Commitments Mount as the Embraer Unit Readies for Wall Street Listing

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