Differentiating by performance

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) presented the new regulations for pilot training and the operation of aircraft with vertical take-off and landing capability at the National Business Aviation Administration-Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Las Vegas. This clears the way for Joby Aviation (CSE: IMCX, OTCQB: IMIMF, FRA: 3MX, WKN: A3DHG) and others to launch their electric air taxis.

The long-awaited special regulation from the German Federal Aviation Authority defines the training and operational plan for a new generation of aircraft. They are not helicopters because they move through the air like an aeroplane in horizontal flight, nor are they aeroplanes because they take off and land like helicopters.

This principle is made possible by tiltable propellers that can be swivelled by 90 degrees during flight. This means that these new types of aircraft act like helicopters when taking off and landing but move forward like an aeroplane when in the air.

A new type of aircraft is emerging

The ability to take off and land vertically makes long runways unnecessary, and the aircraft can therefore take off and land easily even in remote areas without a well-developed infrastructure. For a long time, the question was discussed as to whether these modern aircraft should be classified as helicopters or aeroplanes. In the end, this question was decided in such a way that new, separate rules were created that correspond neither 100% to those of aeroplanes nor to those of helicopters.

Now, for the first time since the advent of helicopters in the 1940s, a new type of aircraft is seeing the light of day. The machines are powered either electrically, by hydrogen or in the form of a hybrid solution. With the release of the new rulebook for pilot training and vehicle operations, the first commercial solutions are on the verge of being launched. The FAA sometimes refers to these modern aircraft as vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, but also as advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft, with the latter term covering the new technology more comprehensively.

For the last 80 years, there have only been two types of aircraft. Fixed-wing (aircraft) and rotorcraft (helicopters), which generate lift using a spinning rotor. Now there is a third type and it will be up to the companies to figure out how best to use these modern aircraft.

Differentiating by performance

The new regulations are structured in such a way that they focus primarily on performance, thus avoiding rigid rules. For example, an aeroplane must always have enough fuel in its tanks to reach the nearest airport. However, an aircraft like a helicopter, which can take off and land almost anywhere, does not need such restrictive provisions and can therefore be handled more flexibly.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has taken a similar approach by introducing the special class VTOL. In its operating guidelines, it focuses on situational factors such as reserve fuel levels rather than on the design of the aircraft. Manufacturers welcome this change because it now makes it possible to develop innovative aircraft for a wide range of applications.

Numerous start-ups such as Joby Aviation can now begin introducing their commercial air taxi services with the new aircraft types. Joe Ben Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby Aviation, welcomed the publication of the final regulations and stated that the regulation will ensure that the US continues to play a global leadership role in the development and introduction of clean aircraft.

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