Advanced Air Mobility News

AutoFlight Establishes U.S. Presence and Hires Two Senior Industry Leaders

AutoFlight Establishes U.S. Presence and Hires Two Senior Industry Leaders

AutoFlight has established its first office in the U.S. and hired two senior aviation veterans to lead the company towards its first eVTOL transition flight.

The Chinese eVTOL developer appointed Omer Bay-Yohay, the co-founder and former chief executive officer of Eviation Aircraft, as President, and Chad Cashin, former head of business development and corporate strategy at Joby Aviation, as Chief Commercial Officer.

The company intends to capitalize on the opportunities available within the U.S. market for growth through its newly-established presence, and hopes to soon complete a successful transition flight of its eVTOL, called Prosperity I, over U.S. soil.

“Our name is synonymous with simplicity, safety and getting things done. I’m delighted to be joining this fantastic team,” said Bay-Yohay. “Chad and I have been welcomed with open arms and we’re excited to support our new colleagues on their inspiring journey to unlock the skies for mass individual transport by creating safe, efficient, eVTOL aircraft that make economic sense, too.”

AutoFlight, which already has an engineering and certification center in Germany and manufacturing centers in Eastern China, opened its first office at Napa Country Airport in California.

The company completed over 100 full transition flights of its aircraft in 2022 and in June, released a video demonstrating the enhanced lift and cruise configuration, optimized lifting propellers and improved hover and cruise performance of  its Prosperity 1 eVTOL.

AutoFlight hopes to be certified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) by 2025, an accreditation that would help the company avoid any regulatory issues, Cashin said.

INDUSTRY REPORTS