Federal regulators have cleared the way for electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft to share U.S. airspace with planes and helicopters. It's a win for a fast-growing industry and a timely decision for startups like Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation, which plan to commercially launch air taxi networks. 2025.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday announced its long-awaited final ruling on the integration of “powerlift” vehicles. The vehicle is a category the FAA revived two years ago to accommodate eVTOLs, a category that describes aircraft that can take off and land like helicopters, but will later transition. It flies forward like an airplane.
“Powerlift aircraft are the first new category of aircraft in nearly 80 years, and this historic rule is important for future large-scale advanced air mobility (AAM) operations,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a statement. This will pave the way for a response.” Whitaker announced the rule during the NBAA Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Las Vegas.
The ruling also includes guidelines for pilot training and clarifies operational rules. For example, apart from a new type of power lift pilot certification, the ruling includes expanding the ability for operators to use flight simulation training devices to train and qualify pilots.
The operational rules are tailored specifically for electric lift vehicles, giving eVTOLs the flexibility to switch between helicopter and airplane rules as needed.
Joby, Archer, Beta Technologies, and Wisk Aero, which manufacture aircraft for urban air taxi networks, defense, cargo, and medical logistics, will work closely with the FAA starting in 2022 to support training, operations, and We've developed this new set of rules for training. maintenance.
“[The ruling] It's consistent with everything we've designed it to be,” Greg Bowles, head of government relations at Joby Aviation, told TechCrunch. “So the way we designed the operating system, the cockpit and the energy storage all align with FAA regulations.”
Bowles also said Joby could begin commercial operations once it receives type certification from the FAA, which means the startup's aircraft and other major aircraft component designs meet necessary safety and airworthiness standards. said to mean. Joby is currently in the fourth of five stages of type certification and recently received a $500 million capital injection from Toyota to help it cross the finish line.