Kerry Lynch

The FAA's has published eagerly awaited standards on vertiport design that will provide infrastructure developers with important guidance on topics such as the recharging of electric aircraft. The U.S. aviation safety agency has advised that standards will need to evolve as more complete information on the performance of new eVTOL aircraft becomes available.

Asia stands to offer the biggest opportunities for advanced air mobility companies, according to Vertical Aerospace president Michael Cervenka, who urged industry and regulators in the U.S. and Europe to collaborate

Congressional leaders expect are eying a range of issues for the FAA reauthorization bill that will be in the works next year that includes "clear direction" for the FAA to make sure the proper resources are dedicated to the advanced air mobility industry.

FAA's shift of certification rules for advanced air mobility vehicles opened the door to other concerns, including operational and training requirements as well as international validations. However, the agency is working toward the release of a special federal aviation regulation by 2024.

Embraer is expanding its partnerships with BAE Systems under memoranda of understanding signed on Tuesday during the 2022 Farnborough International Airshow to explore defense and security applications for the Eve eVTOL.

Aviation training group CAE is developing a flight trainer to address the emerging needs of the advanced air mobility (AAM) sector, and it has partnered with Piper Aircraft to develop a supplemental type certificate (STC) for an electric powerplant conversion of the single-engine Piper PA-28-181 Archer light airplane, the companies announced Tuesday at the Farnborough Airshow.

Under the partnership announced on February 8, electric-propulsion specialist MagniX would collaborate with Desaer on an ATL-100H hybrid variant that would be powered by two magni350 electric-propulsion units and two turboprop engines. The aircraft is mainly intended to serve as a regional airliner in the same class as 19-seaters like the Dornier Do-228.

Bell executives are pleased with the maturation of its Autonomous Pod Transport and believe the program is ready for pilot partnerships and commercialization in the air freight sector. As part of the maturation and in conjunction with NASA, Bell recently tested its capabilities in complex airspace using ground-based radar sensors in flight trials conducted at the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Market research from Valuation Reports is estimating that the market for electric aircraft reached $6.754 billion in 2020—even though few had entered service—but will reach $9.566 billion by 2027 as deliveries ramp up and so too does demand for sustainability.

The Advanced Aviation Infrastructure Modernization Act (AAIM), H.R.6270, would direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a pilot program that would provide planning and construction grants to support advanced air mobility infrastructure development. The proposed legislation closely mirrors a bill that has already been backed by the U.S. Senate.