Alright, aviation fans, let’s talk about a seriously cool moment: this past Thursday, May 15, Horizon Aircraft’s Cavorite X7 eVTOL prototype made history with a first-of-its-kind maneuver. It pulled off a flawless shift from vertical takeoff to cruising on wing power, thanks to a brilliant fan-in-wing design that’s next-level clever. Picture a craft that hovers like a helicopter but zooms like a jet—that’s the slick, game-changing energy the X7’s bringing to the skies.
Otto Aviation’s Phantom 3500 isn’t just a regular private jet—it’s a new way to think about flying. Introduced as a big step for eco-friendly flights, this stylish jet aims to beat even the fanciest planes, like Elon Musk’s Gulfstream G650ER, by being more efficient, cheaper, and better for the environment. Let’s look at what makes the Phantom 3500 special, from its technology to how it could change private flying.
By 2028, Los Angeles will be buzzing with Olympic fever. Athletes are sprinting, fans are cheering, and traffic is… well, non-existent? That’s the dream LA28 organizers are chasing, and they’ve enlisted Archer Aviation’s Midnight eVTOL aircraft to make it happen. Announced on May 15, 2025, Archer has snagged an exclusive deal to be the Official Air Taxi Provider for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as Team USA. Buckle up—this is urban mobility with a gold-medal twist.
Imagine sinking into a lie-flat suite, savoring Ossetra caviar with a glass of Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Champagne, and settling in for a movie on a 27-inch 4K OLED screen—the largest in-flight entertainment display offered by any U.S. carrier. This is the reality United Airlines is crafting with its new Polaris Studio Suites, as part of the “United Elevated” interior for its incoming fleet of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.
Another year, another flying car, but Klein Vision’s AirCar was something we covered years ago and it’s finally slated to go on sale in 2026. The Slovakia-based company has revealed images of the production model, a two-seat flying car that can hit 124 mph on land and 155 mph in the air, with a price tag around $800,000 to $1 million.
United Airlines recently completed a successful test flight with Starlink Wi-Fi on an Embraer E-175 regional jet. The 90-minute round-trip flight took off from and landed back at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.
Photo credit: Stratolaunch / Julian Guerra / Stratolaunch / Julian Guerra
Stratolaunch announced that the Talon-A2 completed its second hypersonic flight and recovery in March 2025, after its first in December 2024. These flights, completed over the Pacific Ocean, saw the Talon-A2 achieve speeds in excess of Mach 5 (about 3,836 mph or 6,174 km/h at sea level) and land autonomously at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.
No, the Volonaut Airbike isn’t an AI-generated vehicle—it’s a real hoverbike that looks like it came from Star Wars. Created by Polish inventor Tomasz Patan, who also made the Jetson ONE eVTOL (a personal electric takeoff and landing aircraft), the Airbike is a one-seat, jet-powered hoverbike built for personal air travel.
You’ve seen the production Jetson ONE, so it’s only fitting that another company tries to take the crown from them, or at least eventually. Introducing the AltoVolo Sigma, a hybrid-electric eVTOL targeting the private market that combines electric motors with a fuel-based generator to significantly extends its range.
Joby Aviation has been in the news a lot lately, especially since they just hit a significant milestone with their S4 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. On April 22, 2025, they successfully completed their first crewed transition flights, moving from vertical takeoff to forward cruise flight and back to vertical landing, using their tilt-propeller eVTOL prototype at their test facility in Marina, California.