FAA opens US skies to air taxis and other electric aircraft

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved the final rules for the certification and operation of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft. The new rules govern pilot training and operational requirements, including minimum safe flight altitudes.

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The FAA states that “these historic rules will create the foundation for significant advanced air mobility operations in the future.” The rules apply to innovative eVTOL (Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing) vehicles, which take off vertically like helicopters and then transition into horizontal flight using fixed wings like airplanes. The Verge writes that they will be used for a variety of purposes, including air taxis, cargo delivery, and also be used for rescue and search operations.

Many startups, such as Joby Aviation, Archer and Wisk, are planning to launch commercial air taxi services based on this class of vehicles (eVTOL) in the coming years. The FAA initially planned to certify them as conventional aircraft under Part 23 standards, but in 2022 decided to move the certification to Part 21, which began the process of developing new training, operation and maintenance rules.

Previously, the proposed rules had drawn criticism from the industry for being too restrictive. However, the final version takes into account all the comments, while maintaining the requirements for a high level of security. It is noted that the new certification was necessary due to the fact that existing standards did not cover the category of eVTOL devices and pilot training for them.

Although there are currently no commercial electric aircraft in the United States, several companies are already close to obtaining the necessary certifications. For example, Joby Aviation commended the FAA for its timely release of the final rules, with its founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt saying, “The rules released today will ensure U.S. leadership in the development and implementation of clean flying.”