“The U.S. aims to accelerate the next era of aviation with eight pilot projects to test innovative electric aircraft across 26 states, the Trump administration announced Monday…
The approved projects announced Monday are part of the Trump administration’s Advanced Air Mobility and Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) Integration Pilot Program, or the eIPP.
The idea is to give U.S. companies an opportunity to test their operations in the real world, ahead of achieving final FAA certification of their aircraft. In essence, it’s a flying start for companies like Joby, Archer, Beta and five other U.S. aviation startups.
The projects include air taxi passenger flights in Manhattan, regional flights across Texas and cargo delivery and medical response in Florida.
Most of the projects involve the use of eVTOLs — imagine giant, low-flying electric drones carrying passengers or cargo — that take off like helicopters and fly horizontally like traditional planes.”
From Axios.
