Just Flew In,

Welcome to Go Above Traffic.

The eVTOL newsletter that leaves you feeling better than taking a dip in a cold pool on a hot day.

But Summer is over, so onto eVTOLs!

What you need to know in eVTOLs this week

Vertical Aerospace

Vertical Aerospace successfully completed the first phase of its piloted flight test program by showing their VX4 prototype could go up and down, up and down…

The aircraft undertook 20 piloted test sorties in this phase, covering 70 test points. These included tethered flight simulations, killing the electric propulsion unit and ground tests designed to verify the aircraft’s safety under various operational conditions.  

The next phase will be testing thrustborne flights, but those wont be for a while.

Joby Aviation

The fight for dominance in the United Arab Emirates continues…

Joby Aviation applied for a certificate that will allow it to operate commercial air transport in the UAE. Their goal is to start operations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi as early as 2025.

In Mach, Archer Aviation announced plans to operate in Dubai despite Joby’s deal so it will be exciting to see how this plays out over the next year.

Running the world’s first successful electric air taxi operation in the UAE wont guarantee ultimate success, but if one company fails it would be a huge setback.

Lilium

A few weeks ago, German media reported that Munich based Lilium was toying with the idea of relocating abroad. France was in the cards as a possible new home.

Now, the German state of Bavaria says it could provide Lilium 50 million euros.

But there is a catch...

It will only do so if the federal government matches it as well.

The German Federal Transportation Ministry seems to be on board saying it would start the necessary steps to foot its end of the bill.

Wisk Aero

Wisk has nearly completed its first full-scale Gen 6 eVTOL prototype, and is preparing to fly it in the coming months.

They’re also making a bold bet that having no pilot is safer and more viable. Pretty sleek video on their thoughts is here:

*Is it just me, or does watching a 7 minute video feel like the same commitment as reading Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment”?

The International Aviation Organization

Roughly 400 high-level government officials from 75 countries and representatives of the United Nations (UN) System and International Aviation Industry Associations got together in Montreal Canada this week to:

“encourage the deployment of eVTOL technologies to heighten aviation’s ability to act as a catalyst for sustainable development worldwide.”

That’s one heck of a sentence and one heck of a goal.

Surely we’ll see the positives coming out of events like this in the years to come.

But usually the value of these types of events come from conversations happening outside the official agenda.

The Markets

Or “The Casino” if you prefer the Wall Street Bets mentality…

How I feel about this weeks price movement in the eVTOL Market:

Glimmers of hope are shining through.

It’s pretty minimal, but nice that it’s headed in the right direction.

The accumulation phase continues so build those positions.

Patience will be rewarded in the long term, as long as you pick the winner.

The $100K Life Savings Bet

"The most important quality for an investor is temperament, and not intellect."

-Warren Buffett

You can never go wrong following The Oracle of Omaha.

And this time, we’re actually dialed in.

The meme above is a joke. We have the temperament of a Buddhist monk living in a Tibetan monastery.

We are patience and content. We are present and self disciplined. We renounce all investments aside from Joby.

This $100K life savings investment will thrive because of our irreproachable temperament.

A lack of intellect will not ruin it.

So are we in the money?!

Yes, we’re up a tiny bit. About $2,500 bucks.

Up or down a few percentage points is just noise in the data.

This is not signal. This is not alpha.

It’s a random occurrence and we will treat it as such. By doing nothing.

Lighten Up

Final Question

What is one thing that has a chance of stopping eVTOLs from becoming a success?

— best reply gets a shoutout next week.

Best Answer From Last Week

I asked “What fictional character would make the best spokesperson for the entire eVTOL industry?”

Best reply came from Ethan in Ireland:

“It’s gotta be Tony Stark. Yes, he’s a bit arrogant and snarky, but he’s pretty well liked in the movie cannon. He’s a genius, billionaire, philanthropist and has a sense of justice. And he runs Stark Industries, so he could def be the face of any and all eVTOLS brands.”

Thanks for reading and let us know what you want to see more of next week. We read every single reply.

Stay above.

— The Above Traffic Team