The company on Friday said it successfully completed a series of drop tests on Midnight’s battery packs, an evaluation it will need to complete again during for-credit testing with the FAA. A key step toward type certification for eVTOL designs, for-credit testing allows the regulator to gauge how well an aircraft conforms to its approved specifications.

Archer said it wrapped up the first phase of uncrewed Midnight flight testing in January and intends to begin piloted evaluations later this year. Following the completion of those tests, it will prepare for the FAA’s final exam.

The manufacturer considers the battery pack drop test significant, claiming it is regarded by the electric aviation industry as “one of the most difficult tests to pass for an eVTOL aircraft.”

Midnight’s six lithium-ion battery packs power a dozen electric engines. The aircraft’s tiltrotor configuration positions six propellers on each side of its fixed wings: During cruise, the front propellers tilt forward to provide thrust, while the back propellers lock in place.

The air taxi can carry a pilot and up to four passengers (or 1,000 pounds of cargo) as far as 100 sm (87 nm) at a cruise speed of 130 knots. It is optimized for back-to-back, 20-to-50 sm (17-to-43 nm) trips, with minimal charge time in between.

The drop test is designed to ensure Midnight’s battery packs could withstand a significant impact, similar to the 50-foot fuel tank drop test for rotorcraft and fixed-wing aircraft. Like fuel tanks, battery packs are flammable and could leak, catch fire, or even explode in the event of a crash.

The first 50-foot drop test for eVTOL aircraft batteries took place in 2022 at a National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) lab at Wichita State University in Kansas. It was sponsored by the FAA and conducted by NIAR and Beta Technologies, which is producing an eVTOL air taxi as well as a conventional takeoff and landing (eCTOL) variant. Recently, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) adopted the test as a formal part of its own certification for battery-powered aircraft.

To simulate “extreme impact scenarios,” Archer dropped packs from a height of 50 feet at 100 percent, 30 percent, and 0 percent charge at a NIAR lab. The company said the batteries showed no signs of failure, and they actually functioned properly after each drop.

The company attributed the test’s success to its choice of using cylindrical cells produced by Molicel in its proprietary design. U.K.-based eVTOL manufacturer Vertical Aerospace is also using cylindrical cells from Molicel on its VX4 model.

Archer believes it will be able to replicate the results of the drop test for the FAA when the time comes. In February, the company began production of three type-conforming Midnight models to be used in those for-credit evaluations.

“Successfully passing the battery pack drop tests marks a pivotal moment that paves the way for future ‘for-credit’ certification testing with the FAA,” said Alex Clarabut, battery lead for Archer. “This accomplishment highlights our dedication to not just meeting but exceeding safety standards. It is a critical step towards our goal of ensuring that Midnight will be among the safest aircraft in the skies.”

Archer also has a battery testing collaboration with NASA. The space agency will gauge the batteries’ safety, energy, and power performance using the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), one of the world’s most advanced high speed X-ray facilities. The partners aim to understand how battery cells function in “extreme abuse cases” in order to safely integrate them into advanced air mobility (AAM) services and, potentially, spaceflight.

Archer said the partnership’s focus on batteries will expand to other technologies under a Space Act Agreement calling for the development of “mission critical” eVTOL systems.

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As of Saturday, the FAA’s Remote ID rule—which mandates that all drones required to be registered with the agency include a “digital license plate” that broadcasts information such as ID number, location, and altitude—is in full effect. The rule is intended to allow the FAA, law enforcement, and other federal agencies to monitor unsafe flights as more drone pilots earn their wings.

Congress in 2016 directed the FAA to develop standards and regulations for remote identification of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) pilots and operators. The agency delivered its final remote ID guidelines in 2021 and began enforcing them on a discretionary basis in September, allowing additional time for some noncompliant models to be updated.

However, with the rule now in full effect, businesses, law enforcement agencies, and even recreational flyers face the possibility of their drone pilot license being revoked or civil penalties up to $27,500 for flying a drone without remote ID.

What Is Remote ID, and How Can You Comply?

Put simply, remote ID is like a drone’s digital license plate.

The technology transmits information such as the UAS’s unique ID number, location, altitude, velocity, and plenty more over a 2- to 3-mile range. That data (which does not include personal identifying information) is then made available to private and public stakeholders, which can alert the FAA of unsafe flight, request an aircraft be grounded, or simply find out more information about a drone.

A good rule of thumb is that if your UAS must be registered with the FAA, it needs to have remote ID. But as with many FAA rules and regulations, there are a few exceptions.

Drones weighing less than 0.55 pounds, for example, are exempt under the regulator’s Exception for Limited Recreational Operations. The agency can also waive remote ID compliance for operators conducting aeronautical research or in special cases under Part 89, such as for home-built drones.

Flights without remote ID in FAA-recognized identification areas (FRIAs)—areas of highly monitored airspace dedicated to drone flight, a full list of which can be found here—are also permitted. But the pilot must keep the drone within their visual line of sight. Educational institutions and FAA-recognized community-based organizations can apply to establish FRIAs.

According to the FAA, the vast majority of drones manufactured since September 2022 contain remote ID-compliant hardware. The catalogs of major brands such as DJI and Parrot, for example, largely contain models with the technology already installed.

If a drone was purchased before December 2022—the month the FAA began enforcing remote ID compliance for UAS manufacturers—owners can check the FAA website for a Declaration of Compliance (DOC), which confirms the model is equipped with the proper systems.

Additionally, recreational and Part 107 pilots can retrofit drones with remote ID capabilities using a remote ID broadcast module. Firms such as uAvionix and Dronetag offer FAA-approved modules that can make just about any drone compliant, though these limit pilots to visual-line-of-sight operations. Adding a module to a noncompliant drone requires the operator to register it with the FAA, even if it is already listed.

If the remote ID-compliant drone being registered is the user’s first, FLYING’s Part 107 remote pilot certification guide explains those steps. Recreational and Part 107 flyers with one or more drones already registered, meanwhile, can add new devices on FAADroneZone.

For Part 107 pilots, each device must be registered individually with a unique ID number. Recreational flyers can use the same registration number to cover all devices in their inventory and transfer broadcast modules from drone to drone. More information on registering remote ID drones and broadcast modules can be found in FLYING’s remote ID guide.

Manufacturers will also need to comply with the remote ID rule, unless an exception applies. These include exceptions for drones built at home, produced for the U.S. government, weighing less than 0.55 pounds, or designed exclusively for aeronautical research or to show compliance with another rule. Type-certified UAS are also exempt in many cases. Otherwise, the manufacturer must produce drones with remote ID systems already installed.

Further, UAS manufacturers must allow the FAA to audit their facilities, technical data, and any remote ID drone or broadcast module produced. Recurring audits must be performed and results provided to the FAA upon request.

On Monday, the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) and Commercial Drone Alliance (CDA)—two of the drone industry’s largest nonprofit organizations—published answers to frequently asked questions about remote ID, providing more guidance to pilots and manufacturers.

“Remote ID harmonizes the needs of UAS operators and law enforcement stakeholders, and compliance is absolutely necessary for the secure and scalable integration of UAS into the airspace,” said Michael Robbins, chief advocacy officer at AUVSI. “By providing a resource that addresses our community’s questions around the rule, our aim is to support widespread commercial drone operations and the benefits they bring to the communities where they operate.”

The reference document contains additional information about what remote ID is, how to comply with the new rule, and conditions for exemptions, among other guidance. Both AUVSI and CDA applauded the FAA’s commitment to enforcing provisions they believe will enable safer drone flight.

“Addressing safety and security is necessary in order to achieve scaled commercial drone operations,” said Lisa Ellman, executive director of the CDA. “Ultimately, industry [remote ID] rule compliance will enable communities across the United States to fully realize the safety, security, sustainability, public health, and equity benefits of drone technology.”

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Reliable Robotics, which completed the landmark flight using its remotely operated aircraft system (ROAS), claims to be the first in the industry to agree on a testing and analysis campaign for these systems with the FAA. The company will demonstrate how its ROAS aligns with the regulator’s safety and performance requirements for operations in the contiguous U.S. and Alaska.

“We are immensely pleased with the FAA and the positive working relationship we’ve established together—it is clear that we share the common goal of improving aircraft safety through automation,” said Chris Schulenberg, certification program manager at Reliable.

Reliable’s ROAS is intended to reduce or eliminate accidents due to pilot error or impairment, such as controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) and loss of control in flight (LOC-I), which it says account for the bulk of fatal aviation accidents. Initially, the firm will supplement personnel in the cockpit rather than replace them. It intends for operations to include a single onboard pilot to perform “abnormal procedures.”

The means of compliance for assessing the ROAS’ navigation and autopilot systems have been accepted through the FAA’s issue paper process. The blueprint sets out criteria for approving the technology and comprises a portion of the company’s supplemental type certification (STC) process.

That campaign kicked off in 2022, when the FAA approved Reliable’s G-1 issue paper. The G-1 defines the certification basis for its STC on the Cessna Caravan, including navigation and autopilot systems. The company’s certification plan for continuous autopilot engagement—a road map that uses existing FAA regulations and processes for normal and transport category aircraft, with no special conditions or exemptions—was accepted in June.

The regulator has also conducted several test flights with Reliable through its Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Airspace Management Demonstration program, culminating in its signoff on December’s historic flight. The Caravan used in that demonstration—a loan from potential customer FedEx—is one of many Reliable intends to retrofit with its automated tech. 

The company is working with both Textron Aviation and Textron eAviation—the sustainable flight subsidiary of Textron—to install its ROAS onto the popular model. Textron has delivered more than 3,000 Caravans, making it one of the most widely used turboprops in the world. Reliable’s remotely piloted Caravan could introduce same- or next-day shipments of time-sensitive deliveries to locations currently served by piloted models.

However, the firm’s tech is also designed to be aircraft agnostic. It could one day be equipped on other Textron designs or those of different manufacturers. The company says this could even include cargo aircraft designed for 3,000-plus-pound payloads—small cargo aircraft are a possible candidate for early autonomous operations, with low risk due to the lack of passengers.

In addition to the FAA, Reliable has completed watershed technology demonstrations with NASA and AFWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Air Force. In January, it was awarded military airworthiness approval to begin further flight testing and perform operational missions for the Air Force using remotely piloted aircraft.

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The space agency on Monday announced a new collaboration with electric aircraft manufacturer Archer Aviation to explore how the company’s battery cell systems—designed for its flagship Midnight air taxi—could one day be applied for space. 

A core focus of the collaboration, the partners said, is ensuring U.S. leadership in the next generation of air transportation. It follows air taxi simulations NASA conducted with Archer competitor Joby Aviation, and both come in the wake of the world’s first electric air taxi flight for a paying customer, completed by China’s EHang in December. EHang has also begun deliveries to its operational partners.

The industry leadership of Archer, Joby, and other American air taxi manufacturers is being challenged by Chinese firms, such as EHang and AutoFlight, as well as European rivals such as Volocopter. U.S. lawmakers and government agencies fear those companies could undermine American firms by beating them to commercial launch and scale.

“Many countries around the world are challenging the U.S. in this new era of flight, and our country is at risk of losing its global leadership position unless we work together, government and industry, to ensure we seize the moment and pioneer this new era of aviation technology, which stands to benefit all Americans,” said Adam Goldstein, founder and CEO of Archer.

The initial NASA project will study and test Archer’s battery packs to see how they can safely support advanced air mobility (AAM) operations. The goal is to validate the technology for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis like Midnight, electric conventional takeoff and landing (eCTOL) designs such as Beta Technologies’ CX300, and potentially even usage in space.

According to Archer, the initial focus on battery cell safety is part of a “much larger partnership” with NASA under a Space Act Agreement for the advancement of “mission-critical” eVTOL aircraft technology.

The company believes the maturation of battery cell technology, in particular, will be key to U.S. mass production and adoption of eVTOL air taxis and other AAM services. Following testing, it plans to share the results with the industry to help it develop more efficient battery system supply chains.

“AAM promises to provide substantial public benefits to our communities, including transforming how urban and rural communities live and commute by maximizing mobility, bolstering cargo and logistics options, and creating pathways to manufacturing jobs and other ladders of social and economic opportunity,” Archer said in a news release. “Core to unlocking this potential is designing, developing, and mass producing batteries and electric motors that are purpose built for electric aircraft.”

Archer’s battery packs are designed specifically to power Midnight’s proprietary electric powertrain, which the company is beginning to mass manufacture. It said the cell’s cylindrical form factor “has a track record of safety, performance and scalability proven through decades of volume manufacturing, deployed across many applications globally, including in millions of electric vehicles.”

NASA will test the battery system’s safety, energy, and power performance capabilities using the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), one of the world’s most advanced high speed X-ray facilities. It will seek to understand how the cells function in “extreme abuse cases,” perhaps as a way to simulate the harsh environment of space.

NASA—which in addition to Archer and Joby is collaborating with the U.S. Air Force and other partners on an array of AAM initiatives—is one of many government agencies aiming to assert U.S. leadership in emerging aviation.

AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Air Force, is working with Archer, Joby, and plenty of other manufacturers in a series of “quid-pro-quo” arrangements. The manufacturers receive access to Air Force resources and feedback that can speed aircraft development, testing, and commercialization, and the Air Force gets to explore defense use cases for technology not yet on the market. AFWERX is also collaborating with the FAA to share flight test data and capabilities.

The FAA has been tasked with spearheading the growth of the domestic AAM industry. So far, the agency has released an AAM Concept of Operations, which will serve as the early blueprint for regulations and operational rules to enable scale. The first stage of that blueprint is detailed further in the regulator’s Innovate28 plan—a timeline of goals and milestones culminating in initial AAM operations by the time the 2028 Summer Olympics arrive in Los Angeles.

However, the U.S. may be four years behind its global competition: Germany’s Volocopter, China’s AutoFlight, and several other non-U.S. manufacturers plan to demonstrate or commercially launch their air taxis at the Paris Olympic Games this summer.

Both Archer and Joby anticipate entry into service in 2025, pending type certification of their respective aircraft. But though they may arrive on the scene after their foreign counterparts, the opportunity to lead remains. Later entrants will be able to evaluate the successes (or failures) of the initial wave of aircraft. Through collaborations such as the one between Archer and NASA, they’ll have more time to research safe, scaled operations.

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This week, the business lost a key executive. First reported by CNBC, Sean Cassidy, who led Prime Air’s safety, flight operations, and regulatory affairs and was Amazon’s primary liaison with the FAA, has stepped down. An Amazon spokesperson confirmed Cassidy’s departure to FLYING, though the company has yet to name a replacement.

A former Alaska Airlines pilot and first vice president of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), Cassidy was brought on in 2015 as Prime Air’s director of strategic partnerships before transitioning to a more expansive role.

As head of safety, flight operations, and regulatory affairs, Cassidy represented Amazon to regulators worldwide, led airworthiness and certification flight programs, and developed public policy initiatives, rulemaking, and regulatory language. He held the position for nearly eight years.

According to an internal company memo viewed by CNBC, Cassidy announced his departure last week.

“This is my last day at Prime Air and at Amazon, so a quick note to pass along my profound thanks to so many of my friends and colleagues here who have made this nearly nine year journey such an amazing experience,” Cassidy wrote.

While Prime Air will no doubt pick a new liaison to the FAA and other aviation regulators, the loss of a familiar face in Cassidy could pose a setback. The departing executive was influential in obtaining several key approvals, including the first standard Part 135 air carrier certificate awarded by the FAA to operate a drone larger than 55 pounds.

Cassidy has been on board for the vast majority of Prime Air’s decadelong existence. The unit was first teased by then-Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in 2013, when he predicted the service would be operational within two years. That vision did not come to fruition. But at the end of 2022, nearly a decade later, Prime Air drones finally took to the skies above Lockeford and College Station.

Early Turbulence

With a few exceptions—including Wing, a subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet—drone delivery companies are not yet serving the hundreds of thousands of customers many envisioned they would be by now. Prime Air, however, has struggled with scale more than most. And given Amazon’s bevy of cash and logistics capabilities, as well as the ambitious promises of Prime Air leadership, the firm’s early hiccups have been viewed in disappointing terms.

Trouble began in January, when Prime Air was impacted by companywide layoffs at Amazon. Confidential sources told CNBC the drone delivery unit lost a “significant number” of personnel, while former employees told DroneXL that up to 80 percent of its flight operations team had been let go.

In May, five months after launching its two commercial services, Amazon announced that Prime Air had completed just 100 deliveries—a far cry from the 10,000 trips predicted by vice president David Carbon, a former Boeing executive. The company cited operational restrictions by the FAA on its Part 135 certificate as the culprit.

Among these are limitations on flying at night, over people or roads, and beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) of the operator without a visual observer (VO). Under most BVLOS exemptions, the FAA requires VOs to be stationed along the route for safety purposes. Removing them, therefore, can lower an operator’s human capital costs and enable flights over longer distances.

Cassidy’s exit isn’t the only leadership loss Prime Air has faced in recent months. The business also lost chief pilot Jim Mullin and head of flight test operations Robert Dreer—who had been with the company for seven and four years, respectively—in August.

Correcting Course?

Despite its setbacks, Prime Air has soldiered on, and it appears things are beginning to turn around. In October, the company added prescription drone delivery for its College Station customers and announced an international expansion to the U.K. and Italy, where it expects to fly in late 2024. New service locations—including a third, unnamed U.S. market—will be named in the coming months.

Accompanying that announcement was a first look at the firm’s new MK30 drone, which will replace its existing model in the United States. Prime Air said the design flies twice as far as its predecessor while producing half the noise. It can also operate in light rain, hot and cold temperatures, and congested landing areas.

Adding to the recent momentum is a fresh exemption from the FAA, obtained in October. The regulator told FLYING the approval—which authorizes BVLOS flights without VOs—does not yet apply to Prime Air’s commercial services. As a Part 135 operator, the company’s operations specification documents, which are required to be held by certificated providers, do not allow for such flights.

However, the agency said Prime Air now has the opportunity to prove it can fly safely without VOs. If it does so, the FAA can add those permissions to the operations specification.

The regulator told FLYING that Prime Air’s exemption is a summary grant based on one of the BVLOS waivers it awarded in September to four operators: Zipline, UPS Flight Forward, Phoenix Air Unmanned, and uAvionix. Summary grants are essentially streamlined authorizations for “copycat” companies with similar infrastructure, technology, and operations to those who have already been approved.

According to CNBC, Cassidy led Amazon’s efforts to secure the approval, asking the FAA in July to sign off on the removal of VOs. Now, the company will need to find a way forward without its longtime liaison.

CNBC also reported that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is conducting a Class 4 investigation into a November 10 crash at Prime Air’s test site in Pendleton, Oregon, per a federal crash report. No injuries or destruction to the site were reported, though the drone suffered “substantial” damage.

As things stand, Prime Air is playing catch up in an increasingly crowded industry.

Zipline and Wing are the dominant players in medical and consumer drone delivery, respectively, each having made hundreds of thousands of deliveries. Both firms are partnered with Walmart, which has also made thousands of deliveries with a third company, DroneUp. Meanwhile, another operator with more than 150,000 flights logged, Ireland’s Manna, just launched in the U.S. Israel’s Flytrex has also cemented itself as a player.

This likely was not what Bezos envisioned when he revealed Amazon’s drone delivery plans a decade ago, and the loss of Cassidy will surely sting. But with its massive financial and logistical capabilities, the e-commerce giant is always a candidate for a rebound, and there’s still time for it to establish Prime Air as an industry stalwart.

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Aviation software and safety technology firm Skyryse this week announced it completed the world’s first fully automated autorotation procedure for an emergency landing—a feat certified by Guinness World Records. The flight took place on July 22 with a Skyryse-equipped Robinson R66 single-engine helicopter.

“Every year, more than 400 people lose their lives in general aviation accidents just in the United States alone,” said Mark Groden, founder and CEO of Skyryse. “Fully automated autorotation is just one example of how our technology will bring a commercial grade of safety and beyond to general aviation.”

Skyryse said it has completed “dozens” of automated autorotations. But until a few months ago, none were completely human-free. That changed in July, when the Skyrise-equipped R66 descended gently from altitude to the ground at the company’s Los Angeles-area flight test and performance facility. The helicopter’s two pilots simply sat back and watched.

Skyryse says its goal is to save lives when the engine cuts by bringing commercial-level safety to GA. The company’s autorotation technology is one of many safety features included in its universal cockpit (formerly called FlightOS) that will come standard on all Skyryse technology-equipped aircraft.

According to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), noncommercial helicopter accidents have held relatively steady over the past decade at around 80 to 100 per year. While more common than other aviation accidents, that figure is still relatively low. Perhaps the most high-profile case is the tragic death of basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and seven other passengers aboard a Sikorsky S-76B that went down near Los Angeles in 2020.

But per the AOPA, 76 of the 87 noncommercial helicopter accidents in the U.S. in 2021—about 87 percent—were pilot-related. Maneuvering and rotorcraft aerodynamics were cited as the cause for nearly half of them.

Though July’s autorotation used a helicopter, Skyryse said its system could be equipped on any aircraft. The startup claims it has the first and only solution that works with the pilot to manage complex emergency procedures, such as engine failure, using a “reimagined” human-machine interface. The two leading causes of GA accidents between 2012 and 2021 according to the National Transportation Safety Board? Powerplant failure and loss of control in flight.

How Automated Autorotation Works

In the rare case of an emergency engine failure, Skyryse wants to take the pressure off the pilot’s plate.

In a manual autorotation, there are typically four steps. The first and most pivotal is the entry, which includes three maneuvers that must be performed in quick succession: down collective, aft cyclic, and pedal input. If the engine fails, a pilot has only about two seconds to get the collective down—otherwise, drag can cause the blade to stall, removing lift entirely.

“If you did nothing, the rotor would stop, and the aircraft would fall out of the sky like a rock,” said Skyryse test pilot Jason Trask.

Next is the glide phase, during which the pilot needs to maintain air speed, trim, and rpm, making constant, tiny adjustments. Then comes the flare, where the pilot pulls the aft cyclic to slow the aircraft down, leveling it as it approaches the ground. 

And finally, there’s the landing: a pullup on the collective and the application of pedal inputs to keep the aircraft in trim, both at the same time. It’s an oft-practiced procedure in rotorcraft training because of the necessity to get it right.

With its built-in-house, redundant flight controls and suite of sensors, the Skyryse system can recognize power failures as they happen. This kicks off a series of automated procedures: lowering pitch, aligning the nose, maintaining level flight, completing the flare maneuver, and landing at the pilot’s desired location. Throughout all of this, the pilot will press a single button.

As of June, Skyryrse has been running a daily flight test campaign with its retrofitted R66, which follows testing with a piston-powered Robinson R44 since 2018. The turbine-powered R66 is the design the company plans to use to achieve an FAA supplemental type certification for its universal cockpit.

In February, Skyryse’s system reached 100 percent means of compliance with the FAA, which the company said marked a significant advance in its certification. Ground and flight testing represent the next major hurdles.

In March, Skyryse said it plans to sell a retrofitted R66 as the first single-pilot, fly-by-wire, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft with IFR certification and capabilities. In its view—and that of many competitors in the space—IFR will be essential for keeping urban air mobility (UAM) aircraft in the air. The firm said Thursday that it expects to unveil the first production helicopter equipped with its tech early next year.

And last month, Skyryse announced the delivery of the first Airbus H130 helicopter from partner Air Methods. It will be integrated with Skyryse tech as part of a 2022 partnership to retrofit 400 rotorcraft and fixed-wing aircraft. Air Methods’ fleet also includes single-engine helicopters such as the Airbus H125 and Eurocopter EC130 and AS350, as well as fixed-wing designs such as the Pilatus PC-12.

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According to multiple media sources, the two helicopters, a Bell and a Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane, were part of a six ship response to a fire in Cabazon, a small community in Riverside County approximately 90 miles east of Los Angeles. The initial fire call was for a structure fire, but it quickly spread to the dry grass and scrub brush nearby.

The three souls lost were aboard the Bell helicopter, which was used in an observation and coordination role when it collided with the Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane. The latter are often used to drop water or fire retardant.

The Bell crashed on a hillside, touching off another blaze that grew to 4 acres before it was extinguished. The names of the three people killed had not been released by publication time. They were, however, identified as the contract pilot, a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) chief, and a CAL FIRE captain. 

The Sikorsky made a hard landing, but no injuries were reported.The NTSB and FAA are investigating the accident.

This is an evolving story that FLYING will continue to follow.

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The LCA is part of Joby’s inaugural environmental, social, and governance (ESG) report, which the company now plans to release annually. The report was led by Claire Boland, the company’s newly appointed sustainability lead who has held sustainability roles for about a decade with companies such as PepsiCo and PVH Corp.

“I’m delighted to join a company that is changing the future of transportation for the better while being transparent about how we impact the environment and local communities,” said Boland. “Every team member at Joby touches a part of this report. It’s a first step that will help us build a robust plan of action to ensure the company positively impacts the environment, the people who work here and the larger communities we operate in.”

In developing the report, Joby worked with organizations such as NASA and the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to assess its environmental impact. It also highlighted its commitment to safety and workforce development through a range of policies, programs and initiatives.

A Look Ahead at Air Taxi Emissions

Perhaps the most consequential component of Joby’s ESG report is the LCA it conducted in partnership with the NREL. The assessment estimated the lifetime greenhouse gas emissions of each Joby aircraft, from manufacturing through operations.

On a per-passenger-mile basis, Joby and the NREL found that the company’s five-seater air taxi will produce 1.5 times less emissions than an electric passenger car. Joby believes that figure—combined with the ability to carry an average of 2.5 passengers per flight (versus an average of 1.2 per car trip)—will allow it to move passengers more efficiently.

The LCA did not estimate the total environmental impact of Joby’s future operations, but it did break down where that impact may come from. Inflight energy use (32 percent) and battery cell manufacturing (31 percent) are likely to account for the largest share of emissions, with another 23 percent coming from “materials and energy associated with machining.”

Joby also reiterated its commitment to develop a hydrogen propulsion system for its aircraft through its subsidiary H2Fly, which it secretly acquired in 2021. It believes hydrogen will ultimately play a larger role than sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) in reducing emissions from operations.

“We believe that electric and, eventually, hydrogen aerial transportation that is quiet and clean has the potential to transform cities and communities facing increasing congestion, changing the ways in which we live, work and spend our time,” said Joby founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt.

Current Sustainability Efforts

In addition to future operations, Joby calculated the current environmental impact of its offices, fleet and manufacturing activities in California. It found that those operations produced 565 metric tons of CO2 and CO2 equivalents in 2022, about 120 of which were Scope 2 emissions from electricity procurement.

The company’s 2022 energy consumption totalled 8,123 megawatt hours (MWh), about two-thirds of which came from renewable sources. Fuel consumption, which accounted for around one quarter of that total, came entirely from nonrenewable sources.

However, Joby was able to produce 88 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, in part because of the firm’s commitment to transition to 100 percent renewable electricity for all California operations. It also purchased a new headquarters equipped with solar panels last month and plans to transition Joby-operated skyports to renewable electricity as they come online.

Joby further emphasized its efforts to recycle the waste it does produce. It conducted an initial manufacturing waste audit last year and found that just under half (49 percent) of the 20 metric tons of waste it produced in 2022 was recycled, or incinerated and turned into energy.

Another highlight of the report is the noise assessment Joby conducted in partnership with NASA last year, which found that its aircraft is as quiet as promised.

During cruise flight at 100 knots and a 1,640-foot altitude, Joby’s air taxi produced 45.2 dBA of noise—somewhere between the volume of rustling leaves and normal conversation. And during takeoff and landing a few hundred feet away from the flight path, the aircraft registered below 65 dBA, 10dBA quieter than a vacuum cleaner.

WATCH: Joby’s Prepreduction Demo in Flight

The company attributed noise reduction to the aircraft’s painstakingly engineered acoustics, which eliminate the “wop-wop” sound of a helicopter by blending sound across the spectrum of frequencies humans can hear.

Safety and Workforce Development Also Prioritized

One of the first efforts Joby’s ESG report emphasized was its establishment of a safety management system (SMS). The SMS calls for routine internal evaluations and data analysis of risk as well as the visible encouragement of safe practices through signage, newsletters and town halls.

But the most intriguing aspect of the safety plan is a mechanism for all staff to anonymously report safety concerns, incidents, and “near misses.” Those reports feed into a database, which allows Joby to keep track of all self-reported risks.

“All team members and contractors are encouraged to use our SMS and have the authority to stop work when they see unsafe conditions,” the report reads. “In 2022, our biggest focus was ensuring continued compliance with the standards set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).”

Joby added that it expanded companywide safety education and training programs in 2022, including special sessions for managers and team leaders, by hiring more safety professionals.

Further initiatives included efforts to build out the Joby team—which grew from 641 members at the end of 2020 to 1,413 this past December—with a young and diverse workforce.

A few highlights include the Joby Aviation Academy, which is currently developing customized pilot training under FAA Part 61, and a partnership with Aviation High School in New York City that introduced students to Joby simulators. And through initiatives like the Advanced Manufacturing Apprenticeship Program, the company is partnering with California organizations to provide opportunities to underutilized workers.

• READ MORE: Joby Partners With Aviation High School to Train eVTOL Technicians

At the top of the company, Joby has developed several corporate risk management committees that evaluate safety and environmental risks. And going further, it said it engages with suppliers to ensure ESG compliance from end to end.

Several of Joby’s ESG initiatives are likely shared by air taxi rivals like Archer and Lilium. But for now, the Santa Cruz-based firm is the only one to give the public a peek behind the curtain.

The post Joby Releases Assessment of Air Taxi’s Environmental Impact appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Now Nolen, a pilot of 42 years, has begun the next phase of his journey: ensuring the safety of aircraft that have never flown.

In June, the former FAA head joined air taxi firm Archer Aviation as its chief safety officer, a position newly created by CEO Adam Goldstein. According to the company’s latest executive hire, certification of the company’s flagship Midnight air taxi is going smoothly—so much so that he expects it to fly globally within a decade.

“In 2032, 2033, you’ll see us in major cities in the U.S. and elsewhere around the world,” Nolen told FLYING.

Here’s what else the former FAA head had to say.

Why Archer?

With the FAA, Nolen said he had three goals. Two of them were to invest in safety management systems (SMS) for major airline operations and to maintain U.S. global leadership in aviation. But the third was a bit more challenging: establishing the U.S. as the key enabler of advanced air mobility (AAM), electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL), and other emerging technologies.

“What really drew me to that was thinking there are already pieces of this in place,” Nolen recounted. “The FAA had the Center for Emerging Concepts and Innovation (CECI). I think we need a forcing function, and that was Innovate 2028, which really was a catalyzing moment for the agency. It pulled a lot of these resources into really a focus on just how we go about enabling eVTOLs, UAS, etc.”

Innovate 2028 is a program Nolen alluded to in a Wall Street Journal interview in May and again in an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” in June. Not much is known about the initiative, but the former FAA head said it will involve showcasing air taxis at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games—a demonstration Archer wants to be a part of.

According to Nolen, the decision to join the air taxi firm was not necessarily an easy one.

“Initially, I had lots of offers come in from all over the space. After nearly 20 years of government service (military, plus the FAA), I felt like it was the right time for me and my family to return to private industry,” he said. “I still have offers coming in today, to be quite honest.”

At least for now, though, Nolen plans to stay put. While working with Archer in his capacity with the FAA, he developed an appreciation for the company’s “strong and robust safety culture.” He also sung the praises of Goldstein and the Archer team, whom he described as “extremely passionate.”

“The thing I found compelling about Archer, one, was Adam Goldstein’s vision about that idea of ‘unlocking the skies,’ to allow us to reimagine how we move,” Nolen said. “That drew me to [Archer], and not only that. It was just a combination of the team of executives here and the 600-plus members.”

He continued, “I felt very comfortable coming aboard Archer. It felt like it’s the kind of organization that I wanted to be associated with.”

Having spent a year and change leading the FAA on an acting basis, Nolen also valued Archer’s longstanding relationship with the agency. The company just hosted more than 70 representatives from the freshly formed Federal AAM Interagency Working Group at its Salinas, California, test facility and has worked closely with the agency on certification for nearly half a decade.

“There’s been this clear focus of saying, ‘The only way for us to get there, through the certification process and full-on commercialization, is to show ourselves as strong partners and prepared to go execute,’” he said.

Nolen’s Big Plans

While Nolen’s new job as chief safety officer will encompass several responsibilities, the former FAA head has one core goal.

“The key thing will be that the public has to have this sense that it’s safe,” he said, referring to the company’s planned air taxi routes with Midnight.

Midnight, Archer’s five-seat production eVTOL, recently began initial flight testing in Salinas. A winged aircraft supported by 12 propellers, the air taxi is expected to have a range of 100 sm (87 nm) but will be optimized for 20 to 50 sm (17 to 43 nm) urban trips, primarily to and from airports in the early going.

Despite its novelty, Nolen believes the public will perceive Midnight as being as safe as a Boeing 787 or Airbus A350.

“What I bring to this, given my three-plus decades of experience in safety and operations, is just making sure that there is no stone left unturned, that as we come to market, our SMS is par excellence,” he said. “I expect to play a major part in terms of ensuring that we have the absolute best SMS in the world.”

Nolen cited collaboration with the FAA as key to Archer’s future success. In his view, the company’s goal of flying worldwide within a decade aligns with the agency’s own mission: to cement American leadership in AAM.

“This is really about U.S. leadership in the world,” he said. “You’ve got other big regulators: [the European Union Aviation Safety Agency], Transport Canada, [National Civil Aviation Agency] in Brazil, [Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau], etc. But the U.S. has proven that it is the number one, that it will always be a global leader.”

In March, Archer began construction on Phase 1 of its Covington, Georgia, production plant, which it expects to begin producing 650 units per year by mid-2024. By the end of Phase 2, it will be capable of churning out thousands of Midnight aircraft annually. But the completion of Phase 1, Nolen said, should align with Archer’s certification timeline, readying the company for a 2025 commercial launch.

By the 2028 Olympic Games, he expects Archer and other key players—perhaps including rival Joby—to begin operating nationwide.

• READ MORE: Joby Rolls Out First Aircraft from Production Line

“I expect that the major players, those who are successful and have been able to execute, will be at scale,” he predicted. “Focus on those companies that have a level of rigor, that are committed to a rapid approach to execution, getting through the regulatory hurdles that are thereby designed to give the public the sense that this is a safe mode of transportation.”

Nolen’s projections will depend on a multitude of factors, from internal conflict within the FAA to the development of air taxi infrastructure to the success (or failure) of Midnight’s flight testing. But as the former FAA head charts the future of aviation with his new company, one thing is for certain—he’ll look really cool doing it.

The post Nolen’s Next Move Is Air Taxi Safety appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

According to several sources that reached out to FLYING, Jet It has begun a significant round of furloughs, capping a rough weekend for the company in which it has also voluntarily grounded its fleet and paused operations.

In its recent series of decisions made following a runway overrun accident of a HondaJet last week in South Carolina, Jet It moved first to a “safety stand down,” according to an email sent by CEO Glenn Gonzales to company stakeholders on Monday.

• READ MORE:  Jet It Grounds Fleet of Honda Aircraft

“After careful consideration of this and other recent similar events, we have made the difficult decision to implement a safety stand down as of May 18, and ground this aircraft type in our fleet effective immediately,” said Gonzales. “Jet It has taken this precautionary measure to ensure the safety and well-being of our passengers, pilots, and the integrity of our operations. The stand down will be focused on reviewing policies and procedures for the safe operation of the HondaJet aircraft and gathering more information.”

HondaJet Owners and Pilots Association Responds

In its separate response to a series of 8 accidents that have taken place involving HondaJets over the past year, the HondaJet Owners and Pilots Association had already called for its own safety analysis, and subsequent informational sessions and training for operators to address those concerns at a future date—with no current pause in operations. In a video to its members, HJOPA executive director Julie Hughes framed the association’s position.

“All of you are experienced pilots, and while you have your own ideas involving each of these events, it’s critical that we do not jump to conclusions  or make unfounded assumptions,” said Hughes. “Instead, we are allowing the data to inform us about this concerning trend within our platform. This data-driven approach will guide us in taking appropriate actions to enhance the safety of each of our operations.” HJOPA is working in concert with Honda Aircraft Co., FlightSafety International, and its board and membership.

The “organized break in aviation activities” planned by HJOPA stands in contrast to the emergency-style “stand down” in progress at Jet It.

The Jet It Model

Jet It has positioned itself uniquely in the market, offering share owners use of the fractional fleet at a relatively low rate of $1,600 per hour. When the company is able to serve its customers utilizing its fleet, it typically makes a modest amount per hour on the transaction. But if the fractional has to fulfill a customer request for service with an aircraft outside of its fleet, that margin erodes sharply. 

In the midst of a dispute regarding service from Honda Aircraft Co., Jet It announced it would pivot its fleet away from the HA-420 and to Embraer’s Phenom 300. Part of the reason Gonzales gave for the change was in the “more than $20 million” in off-fleet expenses since 2020 that Jet It had to absorb—which it blamed on the poor service record for the HondaJet.

Honda Aircraft Co. (HACI) responded with a breach-of-contract lawsuit filed against Jet It, saying it had violated certain agreement terms and defamed the OEM with its disparaging statements. HACI dropped the lawsuit in a confidential settlement in April, and it confirmed that it considered Jet It a customer it would continue to provide service for as agreed upon.

However, Jet It’s own customers have reported significant fall off in service levels since the beginning of 2023, to the point of unreliability. Combined with the word from two former executive-level employees (speaking on condition of anonymity) that Jet It has begun furloughing personnel at all levels of the enterprise supports speculation that the business is in serious condition.

FLYING will be updating this story as more information becomes available.

The post Jet It Moves into Furloughs as Pause in Operations Continues appeared first on FLYING Magazine.