US FAA to roll out pilot training and certification rules relating to eVTOL air taxis

The United States aviation regulator, the FAA, has announced that it will be rolling out a raft of rules relating directly to comprehensive training and pilot certification for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air taxis which are seen as the solution to urban air mobility.

Recently a multitude of eVTOL-focused companies have gone public, and the FAA sees the need for new aircraft-type regulation. This is primarily because while eVTOL aircraft take off and land like a helicopter, en route to their destination, they fly like an airplane. The FAA has confirmed that its proposal is in line with International Civil Aviation Organization requirements and therefore this will allow certified pilots to operate in other countries.

In May, the FAA issued an “updated blueprint” for airspace and other changes to accommodate future air taxis. In 2022, it issued a proposal to update its air carrier definition to add “powered-lift” operations to regulations covering other commercial operations such as airlines, charters and air tours. The FAA stated that under the blueprint, it anticipates air taxi operations will begin at a low rate, similar to helicopters, using both existing routes and infrastructure such as helipads and vertiports.

The FAA has confirmed it anticipates first eVTOL will begin commercial operations either in late 2024 or early 2025.

In 2022, the FAA issued the airworthiness criteria that air taxi start-up Joby Aviation had to meet for its Model JAS4-1 eVTOL aircraft and Archer Aviation for its air taxi to obtain certification for use. Delta Air Lines has invested US$60 million (£48 million) in Joby in a partnership aiming at offering passengers air taxi transport to and from airports in New York and Los Angeles in the near future, REUTERS news agency reported.