The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has welcomed the announcement of a pilot program aimed at accelerating the adoption of advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft.
The program, known as the Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), will form public-private partnerships with state and local government agencies and private sector companies to develop new frameworks and regulations for enabling safe operations.
“NBAA strongly supports this new initiative, which will advance the adoption of AAM, and bring enormous benefits to the United States, changing the way goods and people move within rural and urban areas,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “We look forward to the integration of AAM into the National Airspace System (NAS) and commend the administration and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for their commitment to this mode of transportation.”
In June, President Trump signed an executive order, “Unleashing American Drone Dominance,” which called for accelerating the safe integration of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) into the NAS. This pilot program was initiated by the president’s order.
The eIPP will include at least five pilot projects and will run for three years after the first project becomes operational. Envisioned eIPP operations include piloted and unmanned approaches to:
- Short-range air taxis
- Longer-range, fixed-wing flights
- Cargo
- Logistics and supply serving emergency management, medical transport or offshore energy facilities
- Increasing automation safety
NBAA has long supported the development of a safe and robust operational infrastructure for AAM, including through NBAA’s Emerging Technologies Committee comprised of experts with backgrounds in technology, aviation regulation, operations, business, law and more
Additionally, the NBAA AAM Roundtable provides a forum for original equipment manufacturers of AAM aircraft and other systems to engage in high-level planning discussions on the integration of AAM technologies. Read more about the NBAA AAM Roundtable.
At the 2024 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE), the FAA released a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) to establish requirements for the safe, efficient integration of AAM aircraft into the nation’s aviation system. The SFAR establishes rules for AAM aircraft specific to a variety of business aviation operations in Parts 91, 135 and 136, including intracity and regional transportation, medevac and disaster relief operations and air tours. Read more about the SFAR.
