Charles Alcock

Charles Alcock is a senior editor with AIN Publications, having returned to the company in 2019 to launch FutureFlight.aero. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. In his new UK-based role, he focuses on covering new aerospace technologies and international news.

Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at Manchester University in the northwest of England and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

News

Wisk-Archer Trade Secrets Case Goes to Full Trial after Preliminary Injunction Denied

A federal judge did not grant Wisk's motion for a preliminary injunction against eVTOL aircraft rival Archer, arguing that the request for an expedited process was not backed by sufficient evidence and likelihood of success.

Archer characterized the federal court's denial of Wisk's motion for a preliminary injunction as a victory in its defense against charges that it was complicit in using stolen trade secrets for its Maker eVTOL technology demonstrator. The full trial is now set to begin in San Francisco on August 11 and is likely to include more extensive testimony from employees of both companies and arguments over the basis for their competing eVTOL aircraft designs.

News

KinectAir Offers Fractional Shares in VoltAero's Hybrid-Electric Cassio Aircraft

The private aviation platform says it will announce details of its Pioneer fractional ownership program at next week's EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh with Cassio manufacturer VoltAero.

Through KinectAir's Pioneer fractional ownership program, an unspecified number of VoltAero's four-seat Cassio 330 aircraft will be based at U.S. airports. Shareowners will be able to earn revenue by allowing other people to use the aircraft, but full details for the terms and conditions have yet to be released. The Cassio aircraft is expected to enter service in late 2023 and have a projected range of up to 800 miles.

News

Beam Touts Off-Grid Solar Power for Electric Aircraft

Beam Global is claiming a world record for a flight across central California in a Pipistrel electric aircraft charged exclusively by off-grid solar energy.

Beam Global's Electric Vehicle Autonomous Renewable Charger uses a moving array to capture energy from the sun before storing it in batteries and then supplying DC power directly to aircraft or ground vehicles. The units operate entirely off-grid and can be quickly installed in space of around the size of a standard car with no construction costs. The California-based company demonstrated the technology's potential application for aviation by making a record-setting flight across the state.

News

Universal Hydrogen Joins Deutsche Aircraft's Project To Convert Dornier 328 Regional Airliner

Universal Hydrogen is looking at how its modular capsules could be integrated with the new version of the Dornier 328 aircraft being developed by the German company.

Deutsche Aircraft is already working with another German company called H2Fly to build a hydrogen-powered technology demonstrator version of the Dornier 328 regional airliner using H2Fly's fuel-cell system. Now it may opt to integrate Universal Hydrogen's modular fuel capsules into the converted aircraft and through a new partnership is exploring the technical ramifications of this plan.

News

Volocopter Steps Up Plans for eVTOL Air Taxi Network Across Malaysia

The German eVTOL aircraft developer has partnered with Malaysia Airports and Skyports to study the business case for investing in urban air mobility across the Southeast Asian country.

Volocopter says the business case for investing in urban air mobility services in the Asia Pacific region is supported by the conclusions of a Porsche Consulting study that said this part of the world will account for around 45 percent of the global market. The eVTOL aircraft manufacturer wants to work with the Malaysia Airports group to establish vertiports across the country.

News

European Cities Join Forces to Plan for Urban Air Mobility

City planners in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy are stepping up efforts to include new electric aircraft in their integrated public transportation options.

Aachen in the west of Germany is cooperating with neighboring cities in Belgium and the Netherlands to integrate eVTOL and eSTOL aircraft into their public transportation networks. They say local citizens want flexible and environmentally sustainable services for moving in and around cities, including Maastricht, Liege, Hasselt, and Heelen.

News

Archer Attorneys File New Brief Rebutting Wisk Trade Secret Theft Allegations

The federal court for the Northern District of California is due to hear Wisk's motion for a preliminary injunction against its eVTOL aircraft rival Archer on July 21.

The latest court filing in the intellectual property dispute between eVTOL aircraft developers Wisk Aero and Archer Aviation urges federal judge William Orrick to reject Wisk's motion for a preliminary injunction. Archer's lawyers say Wisk has not proven any of its allegations that Archer's Maker eVTOL demonstrator is based on designs developed by Wisk that were passed on by former employees moving between the California-based companies.

News

New eVTOL Promises 'Fly by Intent' Simplicity for Personal Air Mobility Customers

Israeli start-up Air this week came out of stealth mode, while declining to reveal more than a few bare details about its planned eVTOL aircraft for the personal air mobility sector.

Having tested several prototypes of its planned two-seat eVTOL aircraft, Air is now building a full-scale technology demonstrator that it intends to start flying early in 2022. The company claims that owners will require minimal flight training to operate the aircraft, thanks to unspecified "fly by intent" flight control technology based on systems previously employed on drones.

News

JetPack Starts Taking Preorders for Speeder VTOL Vehicle

JetPack completed flight testing of its first Speeder prototype in May, and is now producing more developed prototypes to test in the coming months.

The first prototype of JetPack's Speeder VTOL vehicle was used for tethered test flights, and development work will now be stepped up with further prototypes. The California-based company says that it is ready to start taking preorders, with customers expected to include people requiring personal transportation, freight delivery providers, emergency medical support team, and the military.

News

Porsche Study Tempers Urban Air Mobility Hype With Sober Assessment of Demand and Challenges

Three years on from its 2018 report, Porsche Consulting's new study on the urban air mobility market sees strong potential for eVTOL air taxi services, but with big investments required.

Porsche Consulting's projected $32 billion value for the global eVTOL air taxi market by 2035 is tempered by expectations that achieving this number will require investments across the industry totaling $20 billion. Its new report, which updates an earlier study conducted in 2018, provides details on the number of anticipated passengers, ride frequencies and operating locations.