Skyportz to optimise vertipad patent for Fly Now customers

Skyportz and FlyNow Aviation, manufacturer of the eCopter — a compact, low-noise electric air taxi designed for urban cargo and passenger transport, have announced a landmark collaboration, making FlyNow the first OEM to work directly with Skyportz and its research partner, Swinburne University, on adapting vertipad designs to meet the requirements of its aircraft. This collaboration marks Skyportz’s first step in a broader series of OEM-specific partnerships, aimed at delivering tailored infrastructure solutions to accelerate the roll-out of urban air mobility vertiport networks.

Under this partnership, FlyNow and Skyportz will co-develop an integrated landing pad system to be offered alongside FlyNow aircraft fleets. This will enable customers to quickly deploy operational networks in urban and suburban areas, overcoming one of the major barriers to market entry: access to ready-to-use vertiport infrastructure.

The partnership will adapt Skyportz’s proprietary vertipad designs to align with FlyNow’s performance and safety requirements, including:

• Pad size, load capacity, and markings tailored to FlyNow aircraft.
• Enhanced downwash and outwash management to enable vertipad installation on smaller footprints.
• Modular, flat-pack design for efficient transport and fast assembly at vertiport locations.

Skyportz has built a reputation as one of the world’s most forward-thinking vertiport developers, focusing on award-winning patented solutions to challenges such as downwash amelioration and fire safety. FlyNow, with its lightweight, cost-efficient and zero-emission electric eCopter, aims to make air travel and logistics more accessible and scalable than ever before.

The result of this collaboration will be a turnkey infrastructure kit offered alongside FlyNow fleets, enabling operators to quickly launch services in dense urban environments and underserved suburban areas.

Clem Newton-Brown OAM, CEO of Skyportz, commented: “Our goal is to make it as simple as possible for operators to get into the air and start servicing communities. By working with FlyNow and our research and development team on a bespoke landing pad package, we’re removing guesswork and delivering a turnkey solution that ameliorates downwash, meets regulatory requirements, operational needs, and property integration from day one. We see this as the first of many such collaborations in the pipeline with OEMs worldwide, enabling us to tailor vertipad solutions to the unique characteristics of each aircraft. FlyNow is a perfect partner for this pioneering step in what will be a streamlined version of our full vertipad design.”

Jürgen Greil, CEO of FlyNow Aviation, stated: “The future of Advanced Air Mobility depends on the seamless integration of aircraft and infrastructure. We are delighted to work with Skyportz, one of our valued partners in developing future-ready vertiport infrastructure. As we build a scalable and globally adaptable ecosystem, this collaboration is an important element within our broader network strategy. With such partnerships, we can offer our customers more than just an aircraft – we can provide the landing site infrastructure they need to get started immediately. This is a powerful way to accelerate adoption, reduce logistical friction, and give early fleet operators a competitive advantage.”