Elan Head
Helicopter pilot and senior editor at The Air Current, often exploring the world by air. Signal: elanhead.07
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- Reposted by Elan HeadWisk CEO Brian Yutko, 38, departs to lead commercial product development at Boeing theaircurrent.com/industry-str... (via @elanhead.com) #staycurrent
- Big news today for both Wisk and Boeing as Wisk CEO Brian Yutko departs the eVTOL subsidiary to become VP of product development at Boeing Commercial Airplanes. My exclusive interview with Brian and new CEO Sebastien Vigneron is now live at @theaircurrent.com: theaircurrent.com/industry-str...
- New statement from Marubeni Corporation, sponsor of the Lift eVTOL flights in Osaka: "Any decision regarding the resumption of demonstration flights will be based on our conclusions as to the cause, with safety as our top priority" www.marubeni.com/en/news/2025...
- Lift Aircraft, developer of the ultralight Hexa eVTOL, shared more details with @theaircurrent.com on an incident that occurred during a demonstration flight at World Expo 2025 in Osaka: theaircurrent.com/dispatches/?...
- Lift Aircraft, developer of the ultralight Hexa eVTOL, shared more details with @theaircurrent.com on an incident that occurred during a demonstration flight at World Expo 2025 in Osaka: theaircurrent.com/dispatches/?...
- Congrats to Joby Aviation on its first crewed transition flights! For @theaircurrent.com, I spoke with the eVTOL company about how it leveraged uncrewed testing on the way to this milestone—and why it might be a new model for flight testing going forward: theaircurrent.com/aircraft-dev...
- Reposted by Elan HeadSCOOP: Boeing shelves plans to fly NASA X-66 flight demonstrator theaircurrent.com/feed/dispatc... (via @jonostrower.com) #staycurrent
- Like many helicopter pilots, I learned a simplistic rule of thumb for avoiding vortex ring state that didn't teach me much about its underlying causes and risk factors. A new accident investigation report from New Zealand's TAIC does a lot to fill in the gaps: verticalmag.com/news/new-zea...
- Clarification: hijacker was shot by passenger "as the plane landed," per this briefing (see around the 35:00 mark) www.facebook.com/watch/live/?...
- Wild morning here in Belize, a Tropic Air Caravan was hijacked by a US national. Hijacker stabbed multiple passengers but plane was able to land safely after one of the passengers fatally shot him. www.flightaware.com/live/flight/...
- Wild morning here in Belize, a Tropic Air Caravan was hijacked by a US national. Hijacker stabbed multiple passengers but plane was able to land safely after one of the passengers fatally shot him. www.flightaware.com/live/flight/...
- Blade CEO Rob Wiesenthal doesn't expect to see eVTOL air taxis flying in New York City until late 2027 or early 2028. But eVTOL companies are actively staking their claims in the market, as evidenced by today's route announcement from Archer and United: theaircurrent.com/feed/dispatc...
- Most people think of helicopter rotorwash as a steady flow, but it's actually quite unsteady, as this cool animation from a new UK CAA study shows: youtu.be/YHIIL-AQ6ZI For @theaircurrent.com, I wrote about the study's implications for the eVTOL industry: theaircurrent.com/feed/dispatc...
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- This is such a good analysis of the problems with FAA oversight of Part 135 operators — a consistent theme for virtually all of the major US civil helicopter accidents I've written about, from the Kobe Bryant crash to FlyNYON, Flight For Life, Survival Flight, Safari Aviation, the list goes on...
- I caught up with Unither Bioélectronique to learn more about the engineering challenges they faced on the path to first flight of their hydrogen-powered R44 helicopter. Thermal management was a big one, although they expect that to be easier on their next prototype. verticalmag.com/news/the-eng...
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- A must-read. Yet another instance in which the non-public military accident investigations uncover troubling technical problems and the public report just blames the pilot.
- NEW: A decorated Marine colonel speaks out about how ejected from an F-35 and how the top Marine threw him under the bus afterward. @longreads #military www.postandcourier.com/news/special...
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- More background on the 1,500-hour rule and surrounding debate: theaircurrent.com/aviation-saf...
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- 🧵: There are a few interesting aspects to eVTOL developer Joby Aviation's new partnership with Virgin Atlantic in the UK, announced last night. 1/ theaircurrent.com/industry-str...
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- Reposted by Elan HeadThe FAA issued a charting notice today, revising the available helicopter routes in Washington DC. The new chart removes route 4 and 6 in the vicinity of DCA airport. www.flightradar24.com/blog/flight-...
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- Reposted by Elan HeadHow Regent’s seaglider is melding maritime and aviation tech theaircurrent.com/technology/r... (via @elanhead.com) #staycurrent
- 🔓 We're dropping the paywall on my eVTOL downwash story in advance of next week's Vertical Flight Infrastructure Forum at Verticon in Dallas. There's a ton of research in here and a pretty cool gif. Hope you enjoy! theaircurrent.com/technology/t...
- In 2021, the downside cases in a Reinvent Technology Partners investment memo struck me as perhaps the most interesting part of Joby and Reinvent's pitch to eVTOL investors. Four years later, that memo looks remarkably prescient. My latest for @theaircurrent.com: theaircurrent.com/industry-str...
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- I know a number of people in Silicon Valley who were motivated to embrace the defense space specifically because they saw the defense of Ukraine as a worthy cause. It's gonna be interesting to see whether there are still moral principles there, or if "defense tech" is now just a funding ploy.
- Great reporting on the collapse of electric airplane developer Eviation by Dominic Gates of @seattletimes.com: www.seattletimes.com/business/boe...
- Spot the #eVTOL differences! Top picture is from Archer Aviation's press release this morning, lower picture is from a November 2024 press release. Presumably we'll hear more about their new Midnight prototype on their Q4 earnings call this afternoon.
- New perk for attendees of my eVTOL course at Verticon: Joby will be giving us a private, in-depth tour of their aircraft on display in Dallas, plus adding new course material on fire & crash safety. The course runs from 8-5 on Sunday, March 9. Register here: verticon.org/education/el...
- Lots of good quotes and replies on this post, underscoring how far the aviation industry's safety culture has progressed compared to the culture at large. Really hope we don't go backwards.
- Reminder: There's still time to sign up for my eVTOL course at Verticon in Dallas on March 9! I have amazing guest speakers, we're going to be covering lots of new ground, and you'll get a free trial sub to @theaircurrent.com. Register here: verticon.org/education/el...
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- It's the end of an era for the eVTOL industry as the US Air Force's Agility Prime initiative transitions to a new program called <checks notes> Agile Support Prime. The full implications of the shift are not yet clear, but it may impact some existing contracts. theaircurrent.com/defense/air-...
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- For Black History Month, my niece was assigned to do a one-pager on a person of her choosing. She picked Bessie Coleman. I'm a proud aunt! 😊
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- Mojave eVTOL mystery solved. 🕵️♀️ This one was really fun to sleuth out!
- New! Vertical Aerospace's chief engineer is joining my eVTOL course at Verticon as a guest speaker: www.linkedin.com/posts/elanhe... The course runs Sunday, March 9 at the Dallas Convention Center, register here: verticon.org/education/el... (You don't need to be a helicopter pilot to sign up!)
- Yet another reason to switch to Apple Maps! I couldn't believe it when this feature first assaulted me, adding exactly zero value.
- Other #eVTOL developers may be dropping like flies, but investors keep giving Archer Aviation more money. I caught up with Archer CEO Adam Goldstein yesterday to discuss why. My latest dispatch for @theaircurrent.com: theaircurrent.com/feed/dispatc...
