We plan to have our first flight during springtime in South Hemisphere. Our team is working hard and precisely to have our prototype ready. This prototype is an almost full-scale vehicle with a wingspan of 5.5 meters. In the meantime, we are improving our facilities in the testing area in Airfield SDA4 (Fazenda Maristela) to receive the Moya eVTOL.

Preparing for flight is an exciting phase when the most critical decisions are made that will influence our future success. We have purchased 100% of aircraft equipment from renowned and innovative suppliers. Last week, the team had training sessions at the Autopilot System supplier to adjust the vehicle's control loops.

The aircraft's central parts, such as wings and fuselage, are manufactured with composite materials, mainly carbon fiber and epoxy resin, through molds for lamination, which will make the Moya eVTOL lighter and more efficient. Thus, with the use of composite material, there will be more excellent reliability and reduction of components and mass without compromising the airframe stiffness. The great advantage is the weight reduction, which leads the system to have a greater payload capacity and range, further increasing productivity and facilitating the operation of the aircraft. We have already built around 90% of the structure in composite material, ready to go to the paint shop in our facilities in São José dos Campos. Our colleagues will dedicate the final days to producing the last fairings and landing gear, specially developed for the vehicle. At the same time, the wiring of the power systems (engines) and the electric power system (batteries) are ready.

But we have different fronts to act. Our digital simulation model is under development, running fast to match the date. The team is building a small drone to perform test flights for autopilot verification. It will save time and allow slight adjustments before the first flight.

In the meantime, powertrain and battery tests are in progress, and Ground Station is in the completion stage. Regarding the aero-propulsive interaction, we explored several trade-offs during the engineering design phase through parametric studies using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The primary purpose of these studies is to explore the design universe of an innovative configuration, such as the shape of the wing plan, wingspan, and wing incidence.

Therefore, we have analyzed the horizontal flight configuration's drag to obtain the most appropriate fuselage configuration. Moya's design reduces by over 50% the total drag compared to other eVTOL Lift + Cruise configurations.

Not only technical and production people are working nonstop. Market people just finished the consulting program with UFV - Universidade Federal de Viçosa, a university referenced in Brazil's agriculture. The program aimed to intensify analysis and build an ongoing operation in agriculture.

Finally, we started conversations around certification with ANAC, the Brazilian aviation authority.

Moya eVTOL is progressing on schedule and budget, which is significant for a new project, starting from a blank sheet of paper. We have in our favor the track record of our professionals, who are very experienced in aeronautical project development and electrification. They finalized the project with all technical specifications defined. Moya eVTOL program is sponsored by FINEP, a Brazilian government organization that promotes science, technology, and innovation.

Moya eVTOL is on track to be the first high-capacity cargo drone to fly in Latin America.

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Suggested images: Moya eVTOL Prototype & Team and Moya eVTOL flying over the field