“On October 13th the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) awarded a ‘type certificate’, a crucial piece of aviation paperwork, to the world’s first electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) taxi. And in case that does not sound futuristic enough, the small two-seater, called the EH216-S, was also cleared to fly without a pilot on board.”
From The Economist.
“In response to ongoing disruptions in United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded supply chains, the Government of Ghana has partnered with autonomous drone logistics company Zipline to maintain the flow of essential medical supplies across the country…
According to a statement seen by Techpoint Africa, the partnership allows for an uninterrupted supply of medical essentials, including malaria test kits and treatments, medications for pain, cough, and parasitic infections, as well as nutrition supplements.”
From Techpoint Africa.
BMC Health Services Research | Health Systems
The drone delivery company Zipline is transforming healthcare in Ghana by ensuring fast and reliable access to medical supplies. According to a recent study, healthcare facilities in Ghana’s Ashanti Region that gained access to Zipline’s drone delivery service saw maternal deaths fall by 56.4 percent.
Aviation International News | Air Transport
“Joby Aviation has completed several piloted test flights with its eVTOL aircraft prototype, covering full transition from vertical to cruise flight and back again. On April 29, the company reported that the first such flight happened a week ago on April 22 and that since then, multiple transition flights have been made with three different pilots at the controls.
According to the manufacturer, the start of piloted transition flight tests is an important milestone as it progresses towards type inspection authorization (TIA) flights that are required at the end of the FAA type certification process. Joby has reported that it is now around halfway through the fourth of five certification stages and, in February, indicated that it expects to begin TIA flight testing within the following 12 months.”
“After hundreds of thousands of test flights and years of piloting drone delivery in the U.S., Zipline has officially taken flight in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex with partner Walmart.
The world’s largest drone delivery provider announced Tuesday that residents located within 2 miles of a Walmart Supercenter in the suburb of Mesquite are eligible for delivery of more than 65,000 items in 30 minutes or less. Zipline told FLYING the first order in Mesquite included a dozen eggs, a bag of Popcorners chips, and flower bulbs for spring gardening. The company said Walmart will set the price of the service, which at launch is available for free.
The launch also marks the official introduction of Zipline’s Platform 2 (P2) delivery system, a successor to its Platform 1 (P1) designed for quiet, precise delivery in cities and suburbs—even in rain or 45 mph gusts of wind.
According to Zipline CEO Keller Rinaudo Cliffton, the service delivers 10 times faster than cars, with flight times for most orders under two minutes.”
From FLYING Magazine.
