Category: Regulations

Lilium announced earlier this week that it has obtained its G-1 certification basis from the FAA in advance of its efforts to certify Lilium in both the EASA and FAA regulatory spaces. The award is supplemental to the certification basis Lilium received from EASA in 2020 and highlights where Lilium will need to demonstrate conformance to FAA regulations of its...

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The FAA has released V2.0 of its Concept of Operations for the aerial mobility sector following on the documents initial release in 2020 with feedback incorporated from various stakeholders in the space. According to the release, “The UAM ConOps Version 2.0 is an iterative progression of work in the development of the concept that will be continued to mature through...

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The White House on Wednesday held a summit on advanced air mobility, including drones and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The summit, hosted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), included NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Federal Aviation Administration acting chief Billy Nolen and Joby Aviation (JOBY.N) CEO JoeBen Bevirt. The summit addressed how advanced air mobility...

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EASA has been working over the past two years to build the certification framework necessary for commercialized eVTOL operations. These efforts have included proposed rule-making for eVTOL design specifications, vertiport operations, and organizational streamlines to combine general aviation and eVTOL aerial mobility certification. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of the United Kingdom has this week announced that it will follow...

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As eVTOL creators across the country continue flight tests, certification remains a question at large for stakeholders in the industry. This week, the FAA released new guidance on eVTOL certification within existing regulatory framework. Under Part 23 certification (the standard for most general and business aviation air transport vehicles under 9 passengers), eVTOL will be categorized as powered-lift aircraft. In...

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Aerospace engineering company Horizon Aircraft is advocating that the safety bar for all eVTOL passenger aircraft, most commonly seen in the aerial mobility industry, should always be equal to if not higher than those in the commercial aviation industry. The company mentions that the global spotlight on the first air taxis will be intense to the point that any accidents...

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The United States House and Senate have introduced legislation looking to advance the development of aerial mobility, notably with bipartisan support. Under the name of “Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act,” the proposed bills call on U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to “establish an inter-agency working group to coordinate efforts to develop a complete AAM ecosystem to support...

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The following information was initially published by Aviation International News and can be found on AINOnline. According to a European Union Aviation Safety Agency spokesman, EASA has reorganized its certification directorate, merging the departments handling general aviation fixed-wing and vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, including drones. The news was reported in a recent publication by Aviation International News (AIN), and...

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The Specification for Express Delivery Service by Unmanned Aircraft (the “Standard”) issued by the State Post Bureau of the People’s Republic of China will be effective in the country starting on January 1st, 2021. The Standard was jointly formulated by industry-leading players including EHang (Nasdaq: EH), JD.com (Nasdaq: JD), and ZTO Express (NYSE: ZTO). As China’s first industry standard for express delivery...

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Consulting Firm McKinsey & Co published their analysis on the transition from piloted to pilotless aerial mobility aircraft on June 2nd, outlining a proposed four phase progression from the current status quo of completely piloted aircraft to completely autonomous aerial mobility operations. The analysis, compiled by Uri Pelli and Partner Robin Riedel, asserted that the development will mature through these...

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Flying Car Drivers

Dufour Aerospace announced on Monday that Karsten Fischer will join their Senior Advisory Team. Fischer is stated to join as an advisor for certification, configuration control, process and quality management, according to Dufour’s press release. Karsten brings over 20 years of experience from within the aerospace industry, and has previously worked on the “conception, implementation, and operatino of European Part 21...

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Dufour aEro 2

Public and regulatory preparedness for aerial mobility are two of the top priorities for seamlessly integrating the rapidly developing technology in to the current global infrastructure. Following the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao shared some thoughts about how the United States—specifically, the Federal Aviation Administration, which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation— is...

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Next month, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) will outline the certification process for eVTOL OEM’s to receive type certifications for their prototypes under the new Special Conditions VTOL rules.  This proposal will outline the critical regulations and rules eVTOL manufacturers must adhere to in achieving type certificates. It is expected as the technology advances towards commercialization that newer...

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EASA's headquarters in Cologne, Germany.

On January 13, The Transportation Research Board hosted a panel discussion with senior transportation officials to talk about automation technology in the transportation space. Representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) joined two deputy assistant Transportation secretaries to talk about various new technologies and the rulemaking processes governing them. The panelists discussed automated driving...

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The FAA has laid the groundwork for expanded UAS operation beyond line-of-sight The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced a proposed rule that would continue the safe integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), commonly called drones, into the nation’s airspace by requiring them to be identifiable remotely. “Remote ID technologies will enhance safety and security by...

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Wing (left), AirMap (center), and UASidekick (right) remote ID applications visualize 6 unique drone operations across multiple USS. Image courtesy of Wing.