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FAA settles pilot training, accreditation guidelines for air taxis

The Federal Air Travel Administration said on Tuesday it was settling extensive training and pilot certification rules for flying air taxis, attending to a secret hurdle to the deployment of electrical vertical departure and landing airplane.

The White Home cleared the FAA's final guidelines on Friday that were first proposed in June 2023. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker verified the final guideline at a conference in Las Vegas on Tuesday. That is light speed for rulemaking, Whitaker said. This is a new type, a new category of airplane. This guideline will develop an operating environment so these companies can determine how to train pilots, they can determine how to operate.

Low-altitude urban airplane referred to as eVTOLs have drawn extreme global interest, with many companies going public like Joby Air Travel and Archer Aviation.

Whitaker stated the rule is designed to be really versatile. The policy has a performance-based approach, so you can take a look at fuel reserves and other things with this brand-new technology, account for security, he stated.

Airlines and other companies are looking at developing transportation services using battery-powered aircraft that can take off and land vertically to ferry travelers to airports or for brief city trips, enabling them to beat traffic.

Previous acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen, who is primary safety officer at Archer, stated the statement is a big turning point for the deployment of flying air taxis. Now we've got a roadmap, he said.

The FAA stated formerly that air taxi operations will begin at a low rate, similar to helicopters, and utilizing existing paths and facilities such as helipads and vertiports.

Under the FAA's 2023 proposal, pilots working for eVTOL producers could function as the initial cadre of flight trainers, who would then train trainers at flight schools and carriers. Alternate eligibility criteria would make it possible for some pilots to fulfill flight-time experience requirements much faster.

Delta Air Lines

invested $60 million

in Joby in a collaboration aiming to use travelers air taxi transportation to and from airports in New york city and Los Angeles within a few years. Earlier this month,

Toyota invested $500 million in Joby

.

(source: Reuters)