Air taxis and eVTOL craft finally cleared for lift-off thanks to landmark regulation

Large passenger drones are gathering on the horizon

News By Leon Poultney published 23 October 2024

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the government agency that regulates civil aviation in the United States, has published its final regulations that will facilitate the certification of ‘powered lift’ aircraft.

In a press release sent out by the FAA, it claims that the powered lift category is “the first completely new category of civil aircraft since helicopters were introduced in the 1940s”, paving the way for air taxis and futuristic cargo delivery solutions.

The final rule, which was issued earlier this week, forms a framework for the qualifications and training that instructors and pilots must have to fly this new-fangled type of aircraft, but it will also help speed up the certification of new models.

In essence, the powered lift category describes the numerous electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) craft that have been hogging the news agenda over recent years, with the likes of Hyundai-owned Supernal and Joby Aviation all seemingly ready to unleash the air taxi of the future.

The concept craft, which are often powered by battery packs and electric motors, feature tilting rotors that allow it to take-off and land on a vertical plane, then titling to allow forward or backward propulsion.

Many of those burgeoning start-ups dabbling in eVTOL concepts have been frustrated at the FAA’s proposal to create an all-new category of aircraft, claiming that it would slow down progress. But the FAA has continued to claim it wanted to “to prioritize the safety of our system”, rather than rush into things.

This new certification, which combines existing regulations and updates others, effectively allows air taxis to be used commercially. The FAA has even gone so far as to produce a blueprint for how Urban Air Mobility vehicles will operate in the near future. It is heavy-going, but fascinating nonetheless.

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