Air taxis and other powered aircraft are cleared to fly under the FAA’s final regulations

The Federal Aviation Administration has published the highly anticipated final rules for electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles that it says will chart the path for the “future of air travel.”

The FAA says these “power lift” vehicles will be the first completely new category of aircraft since helicopters were introduced in 1940. These aircraft will be used for a variety of services, including air taxis, cargo delivery, and rescue and pickup operations. The final rule published today contains guidelines for pilot training, as well as operational requirements such as minimum safe altitude and visibility requirements.

“Power-lift aircraft are the first new category of aircraft in nearly 80 years,” FAA Director Mike Whitaker said in a statement, “and this landmark rule will pave the way for future Advanced Air Mobility operations.”

Powerlifting includes aircraft that industry watchers describe as electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVTOL. Using tilt rotors, eVTOL aircraft are designed to take off and land vertically like a helicopter and transition to forward flight with fixed wings like an airplane.

Several startups, including Joby Aviation, Archer, and Wisk, plan to launch air taxi services with these new types of aircraft in the next few years. And for years, the FAA has promised that there will be a regulatory framework for power-lift designs approved under Part 23 like conventional aircraft.

But in 2022, the agency changed course, deciding that the aircraft would need to obtain Part 21 certification for special class vehicles. That began a process that took years to create a new set of rules for training, operation, maintenance, and more.

But the rules that were finally introduced last year were slammed by industry groups as too strict. They called for performance-based performance rules, rather than creating a new lift category, as proposed by the FAA. But the agency says its recently finalized rules should address those concerns, while maintaining the safety and robustness the industry is known for. Earlier this year, Congress gave the FAA more power to regulate these new types of aircraft.

“The FAA will continue to prioritize the safety of our system as we work to seamlessly integrate new technologies and operations,” Whitaker said. “This final rule provides the necessary framework to allow power-lift aircraft to operate safely in our area.”

Based on the final rules, it appears that the FAA took those criticisms seriously. New rules for pilot training and qualifications were needed because “existing regulations did not address this new category of aircraft, which can take off and land vertically like a helicopter and fly like an airplane during a cruise,” the FAA said. The law also provides a “comprehensive framework” to certify the first group of trainers and pilots using power.

According to the agency, the law will:

It makes changes to many existing regulations and establishes a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) with new requirements to facilitate instructor and pilot certification and training.

It implements helicopter performance requirements for other flight categories and adopts a performance-based approach to specific operational rules.

Allows pilots to train for powered-lift with a single set of flight controls; Legacy rules require two flight controls – one for the student and one for the instructor.

There are no power-lift aircraft operating commercially in the US, as it takes years for companies to obtain the necessary certifications from the FAA. Several companies are on the way, including Archer and Joby. They released a statement praising the FAA for issuing final regulations ahead of schedule.

“The regulation published today will ensure that the US continues to play a global leadership role in developing and achieving clean aviation,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby, in a statement. “Introducing laws ahead of schedule is a testament to the commitment, cooperation and hard work of the legislative body.”