FutureFlight

EASA has introduced a proposed regulatory framework for the operation of drones that it says will also cover crewed “VTOL-capable aircraft (VCA).” Its NPA 2024-01 document, published on February 6, explains how the European air safety agency plans to establish the acceptable means of compliance requirements and guidance materials needed to support the regulatory framework set out in the earlier Opinion No 03/2023 document.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has confirmed component failure resulting in the separation of a propeller as the probable cause of the February 16, 2022, accident in which one of Joby Aviation’s eVTOL prototypes crashed during testing in a rural area of California.

Advocates for hydrogen fuel to be at the forefront of decarbonizing air transport know this journey must start with a series of first steps. One such step is being made in the UK with the launch of Project Heart, through which multiple partners are preparing to support trial operations at several regional airports.

SMG Consulting has been closely tracking and supporting advanced air mobility since the new sector’s earliest days when there were certainly more doubters than backers. Sergio Cecutta and his California-based team have never shied away from making bold predictions, and its recently published latest outlook is no exception.

EASA this week issued the fourth version of its proposed means of compliance (MOC) for aircraft developers to achieve type certification under its Special Condition VTOL rules that were issued in July 2019. The new MOC-4 SC-VTOL document includes proposals for additional means of compliance, as well as supplements and amendments to those published in three earlier consultation documents. The changes are based, in part, on input received from earlier rounds of consultation which are now closed.

UK air navigation service provider NATS and multiple partners recently concluded a series of simulation exercises to assess how eVTOL aircraft can best be integrated into the country’s public airspace. In a report published this week, members of the Advanced Mobility Ecosystem Consortium summarized how they are preparing for planned demonstration flights in late 2024.

The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) has launched an advocacy initiative for the advanced air mobility sector. The AAM Prepared campaign, which got underway on December 6, will bring together industry stakeholders to educate state, tribal, and local lawmakers in the U.S. in the hope of influencing legislative decisions the drone industry group anticipates in 2024.

As the aviation industry looks to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, new battery-electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft could be the most effective solutions for reducing its dependence on fossil fuels in the long term. But in the short term, the market for hybrid-electric aircraft could prove to be more fruitful.