By David Shepardson
FARNBOROUGH, England July 21 (Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said it was working to help industry deploy air taxis, supersonic airplanes, boost space launches and expand drone operations as it embraces next-generation aviation.
Deputy FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau told Reuters in an interview at the Farnborough Airshow the agency is moving to address issues with certification and regulations.
“We want to make sure that we’re not being too prescriptive in those standards, and that we’re letting the industry drive the innovation,” Rocheleau said.
The FAA created a pilot program last year to help nascent electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, known as eVTOLs, begin deployments. Rocheleau said data from the pilot program with eight partner companies in 26 states will help inform certification efforts.
“The whole idea behind this is to take this new technology, these new aircraft, and put them into the national airstream in a safe and efficient manner,” Rocheleau said.
Air taxi firms are racing to secure approvals and commercialize air taxi aircraft to meet the growing demand for faster and more sustainable urban transportation. They tout eVTOLs that can take off and land vertically to ferry travelers to airports or for short city trips, allowing them to beat traffic.
Archer Aviation CEO Adam Goldstein compared the rollout of eVTOLs to the city-by-city deployment of Google’s Waymo self-driving unit.
“I think the world has learned a lot in how the autonomous vehicles have launched,” Goldstein said.
The FAA pilot program gives the eVTOL industry the ability to “roll this out to a couple cities in a confined area that we can kind of work through the kinks in the system,” Goldstein said.
In June, the FAA proposed the first of two rules needed to lift a ban imposed in 1973 on supersonic air transport over land. The agency plans to propose a second rule to define acceptable noise thresholds for takeoff, landing, and supersonic cruise flight and finalize both by mid-2027.
“We think the rules are old and outdated,” Rocheleau said.
The era of regular commercial supersonic flights ended in 2003 when Concorde, flown by Air France and British Airways, was retired after 27 years of service.
After the rules are in place, the FAA and other regulators will need to certify supersonic aircraft.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Sharon Singleton)
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