FutureFlight

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has published new proposed regulations governing the operation of vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) aircraft, including drones and air taxis, in Europe’s cities.

Search the Securities and Exchange Commission filings for any of the eVTOL aircraft developers that have chased capital injections via a Wall Street listing and you’ll find lengthy assessments of the multitudinous risks facing those racing toward the loudly self-promoting advanced air mobility (AAM) sector. But how many people read all the caveat-laden, backside-covering small print in the hope of getting an objective assessment of risk variables?

The comment period for the FAA’s proposed Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) for Integration of Powered Lift: Pilot Certification and Operations closed on August 14, with the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) submitting comments on behalf of multiple member companies looking to introduce new advanced air mobility (AAM) services. The proposed rules are intended to form a foundation for the introduction of eVTOL aircraft in the U.S. in 2025.

The market for electric-vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) aircraft could be worth around $23.4 billion in 2035, one decade after the first eVTOL air taxis are slated to enter service, according to a market research report published on July 25 by analysts at Markets and Markets.

The FAA has released the first version of its advanced air mobility (AAM) implementation plan, a document that outlines all the steps that the U.S. air safety regulator and other stakeholders will need to take to enable AAM operations in the U.S. by 2028. The living document, which the FAA intends to periodically update, was published online on July 18. 

Joby Aviation has released an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) report for 2022. The publication is a first for the California-based company and appears to be the first of its kind by an eVTOL aircraft developer.

In recent years, much of the mainstream buzz surrounding advanced air mobility (AAM) has focused on small, futuristic aircraft concepts like electric air taxis and so-called “flying cars” that affluent urbanites might use to bypass traffic jams in crowded cities. While the thought of whizzing around cities like characters in The Jetsons may captivate the public’s imagination, there’s another revolution brewing in the aviation industry that is far more likely to affect the lives of ordinary people: a resurgence of regional air mobility. 

Would-be manufacturers of aircraft in what is broadly defined as the advanced air mobility (AAM) sector advance their cheerleading efforts with a relentless flow of sales commitments for products that remain anywhere between the drawing board and type certification. The deals announced are variously described as “orders” or “letters of intent,” but almost without exception, it is next to impossible to assess the solidity of these supposed transactions due to a lack of transparency by the companies announcing them.

Just like uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS, aka drones), eVTOL aircraft require access to low-altitude airspace in and around cities to operate productively. They also need to fly in existing controlled airspace alongside larger aircraft, especially in close proximity to airports.

Hybrid-electric propulsion evangelist Ampaire has published a new treatise spelling out the central tenets of what it calls, “our approach to repowering aviation.” Given the California company’s core mission to convert existing regional and utility turboprop aircraft, such as Cessna Caravans, there is an element of ‘they would say that wouldn’t they’ in some of the arguments. Nonetheless, it also provides an informative overview as to how hybrid-electric propulsion works.