-Fully certified aircraft and pilots will be ready by then
-Smaller for-profit operations to get waivers in the meantime
FAA Acting Administrator Chris Rocheleau says there will be certified eVTOLs in the airspace in 2028 as the push to establish the industry moves from technological to regulatory. In an interview with Helicopter Investor, Rocheleau said the establishment of the Special Federal Aviation Regulation for the new category of “powered lift” aircraft reported by AVweb at last year’s NBAA/BACE convention provide the framework, and a recent executive order from President Donald Trump on drones that included references to eVTOLs adds the impetus to move things along. “It is really less about us being ready to handle it and more about the manufacturers being able to meet the standards that I think we all agree on,” Rocheleau told the publication. “I don’t hesitate to say that we will see certified aircraft flying in the airspace before the end of 2028.”
He also said that before large-scale operations begin, there will be smaller revenue-producing operations in business. The FAA will issue waivers or exemptions for the vanguard operations in a case-by-case assessment process. He said the agency’s focus will be on safely integrating the new aircraft into the airspace system and as a new transportation tool. “There’s a lot of technology out there that the president and secretary have made it clear that we want to be leaning in on these things, safely. That’s my job,” Helicopter Investor quoted Rocheleau as saying.
I’ll be ordering larger quantities of Popcorn.
For Paris flying taxis the promise was 2024. Still waiting.
The Economist said they will be buzzing all over China “soon.”
My guess is probably yes in China, until one crashes and is filmed and put on the web before the authorities react. Then prison for all involved.
One French TV reporter talked her way into a “flight”, up and down ten metres or so on one of the flying Chinese prototypes last year, which looked a lot less slick than the computer renderings you usually see.
Open cockpit and she was terrified, large blades turning a metre away very fast, and very noisy.
More extreme motorsport than taxi.
Extreme motorsport is the best description I’ve heard so far for these devices.
I still do not understand how they are bypassing traditional certification standards.
Meanwhile on the FAA regulatory front, crickets on MOSAIC. Hopefully we’re going to by pleasantly surprised at Oshkosh in a couple of weeks.
Innovation in propulsion systems has always lead to innovation in aviation. Electric propulsion is a technology that will bring much needed improvement and change in many sectors of aviation. Flight instruction, urban mobility, aerial tours, short haul commuter and cargo flights are just some of the applications in the near term. I too will be sitting back and watching the show, but not as the observer critic, but rather as a participant in this new and exciting sector of aviation.
Electric powered vehicles are not new; in fact, they predate gasoline powered vehicles.
I do criticize the hype that these are “new” or “clean” or even give any overall efficiency.
I also criticize the lack or material testing and safety testing that other aircraft undergo.
If these things work, fine, but they will still compete with cheaper and thoroughly mature designs for the foreseeable future.
Jetson has 500 orders for the Jetson 1 and has built through serial number 5. I have requested on an FAA form 7711-2 waiver for using populated airspace below 1000 feet AGL above: alleys, streets, boulevards, public parking lots, and driveways. The local MSP FSDO has erroneously said no. So I need Mr. Rouchleau’s email and/or mail address to email: tdwelander@gmail.com.; to explain this to the MSP FSDO. So, far, the MSP FSDO does not get it. The safety features of the Jetson 1 superseed everything FAA. The Jetson 1 with: 3 separate softwares that continually talk to each other to keep craft stability; LIDAR sensors for obstacle avoidance, and a ballistic parachute in case more than one motor or propeller fails. It is now safer to go up than down the road in an auto. And proving this by coming and going from my private property driveway in town is necessary for this 1000 hour commercial/instrument rated pilot; needs to be next. And for all experienced pilots!
It is good that the FAA is facilitating operational potential for battery aircraft but it is very unlikely that they will be profitable or achieve anything other than highly subsidized uses. Fossil fuels won’t be replaced in my lifetime.