Electric air taxis begin first federal test flights in Texas
A new US federal pilot program testing electric and autonomous aircraft has launched in Texas, with three eVTOL companies running a week of demonstration flights between cities and regional airports.
The Federal Aviation Administration has kicked off a new program testing the feasibility of electric, hybrid-electric, and autonomous aircraft, even before regulations governing the technology have been finalized. The Advanced Air Mobility and eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) selected eight state-led projects earlier this year to serve as early public tests.
The first of these launched in Texas, where three eVTOL companies — Joby, Beta, and Wisk — will conduct a week of test flights. The flights will demonstrate potential future routes between cities and regional airports, including Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. No passengers will be aboard, but regulators will be watching closely to see how the state's air traffic control system handles the increase in flight activity.
Racing toward certification
The participating companies hope the program will help speed up their path to commercial operation, since full type certification — required before any aircraft can carry paying passengers in the US — can take years to obtain. The White House has said data gathered through the program will also support development of new regulations to safely scale up the technology.
Joby Aviation founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt said he was excited about the potential for vertical-lift aircraft in Texas, citing the state's infrastructure and aviation expertise. Several companies involved have already conducted public demonstration flights before, including Joby, which earlier this year showed off a route between Lower Manhattan and JFK Airport in New York. Still, the Texas flights mark the first to take place officially under the new federal pilot program. Additional tests are planned in New York, Utah, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Florida, North Carolina, and New Mexico.
The industry's progress could be complicated by legal disputes — Joby and rival Archer are currently suing each other over alleged trade secret theft — as well as technical hurdles such as battery weight and sensor design.
