US utility secures FAA exemption for BVLOS operations news Yves Le Marquand 19 Feb 25 0 Southern Company has become the first utility company in the US to secure a Part 91 exemption for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations… Read more
‘US air taxi certification likely pushed to 2027’ news Yves Le Marquand 17 Jan 25 0 The first type certification of an eVTOL aircraft in the US is unlikely to be issued before 2027. That was the takeaway message following… Read more
Joby’s aircraft undergoes major FAA aerostructure tests news Yves Le Marquand 17 Dec 24 0 Joby Aviation has completed a series of major aerostructure tests for certification credit with the FAA. The company reported successfully completing static load testing of… Read more
Electra.aero flies NASA Administrator in Goldfinch demonstrator news Yves Le Marquand 9 Dec 24 0 NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has taken a flight aboard Electra.aero’s hybrid-electric EL2 Goldfinch ultra short prototype aircraft. The 24-minute flight on Electra’s two-seat fixed-wing aircraft… Read more
Building a drone network that matters to people Deep Dive Yves Le Marquand 13 Nov 24 0 In 2023, DoorDash alone delivered over two billion takeouts to US customers. That is one company. Between DoorDash and Uber Eats, the pair made nearly five billion… Read more
FAA authorises ANRA to deploy BVLOS technology in New York news Yves Le Marquand 8 Nov 24 0 Airspace management solutions provider ANRA Technologies has received a letter of acceptance (LOA) from the FAA to deploy its strategic conflict detection and aggregated conformance… Read more
The path to powered-lift operations: FAA publishes final SFAR rule news Yves Le Marquand 22 Oct 24 0 The FAA has published its Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) for powered-lift aircraft such as air taxis and cargo delivery. Passed in less than 18… Read more
Heart, JetZero and others awarded FAA FAST grants news Yves Le Marquand 16 Aug 24 0 The FAA has awarded Fueling Aviation’s Sustainable Transition (FAST) grants to a number of companies including Heart Aerospace, JetZero and Wright Electric. The FAA announced… Read more
FAA authorises BETA for dual seat eVTOL training news Yves Le Marquand 7 Aug 24 0 The FAA has granted BETA Technologies a Letter of Authorization (LOA) to begin dual seat training of pilots in its A250 eVTOL. With this LOA,… Read more
Joby applies to type certify in Australia news Yves Le Marquand 6 Aug 24 0 Joby Aviation has formally applied for type certification of its eVTOL aircraft in Australia. Built upon a bi-lateral agreement between the FAA and Australia’s Civil… Read more
FAA and EASA issue broader guidance for eVTOL certification news Yves Le Marquand 10 Jun 24 0 Today the FAA has published an Advisory Circular (AC) whilst EASA has updated its special condition for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft to give… Read more
Archer gets FAA green light to begin commercial airline operations news Yves Le Marquand 5 Jun 24 0 Archer’s subsidiary, Archer Air, has received its Part 135 Air Carrier & Operator Certificate from the FAA, allowing it to begin operating aircraft commercially. Operations… Read more
FAA finalises airworthiness criteria for Joby’s eVTOL news Yves Le Marquand 8 Mar 24 0 Today, the FAA will publish the final airworthiness criteria for Joby Aviation’s JAS4-1 eVTOL aircraft. The publication comes 15 months after Joby’s proposed airworthiness criteria… Read more
EASA accepts H55 battery pack compliance check list news Yves Le Marquand 23 Feb 24 0 EASA has accepted H55’s battery pack compliance check list (CCL), an “important milestone” that allows H55 to finalise completion of its test programme. A successful… Read more
FAA accepts requirements for Reliable’s navigation and autopilot systems news Yves Le Marquand 13 Feb 24 0 Taking a step further toward certification, the FAA has accepted the requirements for Reliable Robotics’ advanced aircraft navigation and autopilot systems. The acceptance means the… Read more