FAA Issues Airworthiness Criteria for eVTOL Air Taxis

JAKARTA - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Monday 19 December issued airworthiness criteria that Archer Aviation must meet in order for its M001 air taxi to be certified for use.

The FAA released its public comment criteria for the Archer electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. This release comes after the FAA made a similar announcement last November for the JAS4-1 Joby Aviation eVTOL. Archer said earlier this month it was working on getting FAA certification for its eVTOL by the end of 2024.

Earlier this month, Archer said its eVTOL completed its first full transition flight on November 29, less than a year after its first hover flight, after several months of testing.

Archer, which is backed by United Airlines and Stellantis NV, said in October it aimed to build around 250 battery-powered air taxis by 2025 and increase production in the following years.

The eVTOL aircraft is touted as an air taxi that could be the future of urban air mobility. Low-altitude urban air mobility aircraft have generated a lot of public interest in the US.

The FAA said last May that it was modifying its regulatory approach because regulations designed for traditional airplanes and helicopters "did not anticipate the need to train pilots to operate a power-lift, which is to take off in helicopter mode, switch to airplane mode to fly, and then transition back to helicopter mode to land."

Reported by Reuters, the FAA said the Archer eVTOL "will be significantly quieter than conventional helicopter turboshaft engines and rotors. As a result, birds will have fewer clues of its whereabouts, due to the quiet approach environment" and as a result "the FAA proposes more comprehensive strike bird requirements."

Delta Air Lines in October invested $60 million in Joby, in a partnership initially expected to offer passenger air taxi transportation to and from airports in New York and Los Angeles.

Joby said in November it would start commercial passenger air taxi services in 2025 after receiving FAA approval. Joby said he previously planned to launch commercial services in 2024.