On Monday, June 10, 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Washington, D.C., issued a statement concerning the certification of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The statement noted that the FAA and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) had achieved a significant milestone on the path to certifying electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The FAA stated that this measure also marked important progress in the agency’s effort to more closely align rulemaking and policy initiatives between the United States and the European Union. The FAA restated its commitment to ensuring the safety of the flying public both at home and abroad.
In furtherance of
this milestone, the FAA issued a Draft Advisory Circular for the Type Certification of
Powered-Lift (Draft AC) on June 12, 2024. Public comment on the Draft AC addressing the type,
production, and airworthiness certification of powered-lift are requested. Comments
must be received on or before August 12, 2024. Comments can be uploaded to Regulations.gov in
Docket No.
FAA-2024-1586. Commenters should include the subject line “Type
Certification – Powered-lift” and the docket number FAA 2024-1586 on all
comments submitted to the FAA. A comment matrix has been provided by the FAA for
use of comment submission at https://www.faa.gov/aircraft/draft_docs/ac.
Powered-lift is
defined in 14 CFR § 1.1 as a heavier-than-air aircraft capable of vertical
takeoff, vertical landing,
and low speed flight that depends principally on engine-driven lift devices or engine thrust for lift during
these flight regimes and on nonrotating airfoil(s) for lift during horizontal flight. The Draft AC
points out that powered-lift have characteristics of both an airplane and a
rotorcraft, providing the capability to function as a rotorcraft for takeoff
and landing and as an airplane during
cruise flight. This combination of lift capabilities creates the potential for increased speeds and duration,
compared to rotorcraft, during the enroute portion of the flight.
The FAA notes that
the Draft AC provides guidance for the
type, production, and airworthiness certification of powered-lift. The FAA states
that the Draft AC consequently establishes
a more efficient path in designating the type certification basis for certain
powered-lift projects, as the FAA will not need to announce the criteria for
each project in the Federal Register for notice and comment for those designs
that use the criteria in this AC with no additions or changes.
For the text of the Draft AC see https://www.faa.gov/aircraft/draft_docs/ac.
