eVTOL – a 'Wright Brothers' moment, but concerns remain over certification, financing, acceptance

Now 122 years after the Wright Brother's achieved the first successful powered, controlled, and sustained flight in a heavier-than-air aircraft, an eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) aircraft flew between two airports in California - for the first time in recorded history.

Perhaps more should have been made of it in the media, because apart from the advent of the turboprop powered aircraft, the helicopter, then the jet engine, the widebody commercial aircraft, Concorde, fly-by-wire and carbon fibre/composite aircraft - there have been few more significant moments in aviation history.

But the world isn't the eVTOLs oyster just yet, apart maybe for the military.

For example, eVTOLs are a lot heavier than air than the 'Wright Flyer' was. That matters for road vehicles, but a lot more so for an aircraft, and until batteries are much lighter it will remain an issue.

And it is one of the reasons that 'hybrid' versions of eVTOLs are already under production; the environmentalists nightmare (and aren't we going to know all about it)?

Technical matters are not the only issue, by any means. There are deep concerns about certification, financing and public image and acceptance of these vehicles.

And much the same applies to the legions of 'vertiports' that are being planned to house them.

And what exactly can they do that helicopters can't?

These and other questions come under the spotlight in this report.