The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) now expects to publish the final version of its means of compliance for its Special Condition VTOL type certification rules in early 2021. EASA confirmed to FutureFlight that it deferred planned publication in December because it needed more time to take account of the large volume of industry comments it received to draft proposals published on May 25, 2020.
An EASA spokesman also said that the final version of the means of compliance for a Special Condition for certifying hybrid and electric propulsion systems will be published in the early part of this year. The agency published its proposals for these in January 2020. Despite the delays in releasing final versions of these two sets of means of compliance for certifying eVTOL aircraft, the spokesman said the agency is “on track” with its plans for introducing the new regulations.
During EASA’s Rotorcraft and VTOL Symposium on December 9, the agency reported that has reorganized its certification directorate. As of Jan. 1, 2021, the general aviation and VTOL departments have been merged and are now being led by David Solar, who reports to EASA certification director Rachel Daeschler.
“This will deal with all general aviation products [including business jets] and all VTOL as well as the certification of eVTOL [aircraft] and of drones,” explained a spokesman. However, the directorate does not cover the regulation of operations and flight crew licensing for these categories of aircraft.
When EASA published its proposed Special Condition VTOL means of compliance last year, the agency described these as the “third building block” in establishing rules for certifying both hybrid-electric and all-electric aircraft. It followed the earlier publication of EASA’s special condition VTOL document in July 2019 and proposed certification requirements for propulsion systems, for which the consultation deadline has been extended until June 19.
The means of compliance cover requirements such as the structural design envelope for eVTOL aircraft, flight load conditions, crashworthiness, capability after bird impact, design of fly-by-wire systems, the safety assessment process, lightning protection, and ratings for minimum handling qualities. These are based on input provided by companies in response to the special condition VTOL proposal.
Last year, EASA said it had followed a similar approach to establishing a type certification framework for eVTOL aircraft as it did with the CS-23 Amendment 5 rules for light fixed-wing aircraft. The planned requirements for the eVTOL category cover aircraft of the same size and capacity as the existing CS-27 rules for small rotorcraft, with nine or fewer passenger seats and a maximum takeoff weight of 3,175 kg (7,000 pounds) or less.
It is anticipated that under the Special Condition, there will be requirements for “enhanced” and “basic” categories of operation, depending on the purpose of flights and the operating environment.
The enhanced category will apply for the protection of third parties in commercial flights over congested areas, as envisioned by the so-called on-demand taxi urban air mobility business model. This will cover factors such as requirements for continued safe flight and landing, including the possibility of having to divert from the planned destination.
The basic category will likely apply for private operations and in less congested airspace. Aircraft operating in this mode will have to be able to make a controlled emergency landing through means similar to a controlled glide for a fixed-wing aircraft or autorotation for a helicopter.
