FAA Selects Eight Projects For eVTOL Integration Pilot Program

The U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) and FAA have selected eight pilot projects across the country to test operations involving electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) and other advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft under the new public-private eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP).

The projects span 26 states and involve partnerships between state or local governments and aircraft developers including Archer Aviation, Beta Technologies, Joby Aviation, Electra.aero, Reliable Robotics, Wisk Aero and others. The initiative is intended to generate operational data that will help regulators develop rules governing the integration of AAM aircraft into the U.S. National Airspace System.

The eIPP was created by an executive order signed by President Donald Trump last June directing the FAA to accelerate the deployment of AAM technologies. The effort is intended to provide early operational experience ahead of aircraft certification, helping regulators and industry test procedures, infrastructure and mission concepts ahead of commercial service. Initial flights under the program are expected to begin as early as this summer.

“Working together, we will ensure America leads the way in safely leveraging next-gen aircraft to radically redefine personal travel, regional transportation, cargo logistics, emergency medicine and more,” DOT Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement.

The selected projects cover a wide range of potential applications, including urban air taxi services, regional passenger flights, cargo logistics networks, emergency medical response and autonomous aircraft operations. They include:

• Port Authority of New York and New Jersey: A set of operational demonstrations across the Northeast including potential eVTOL passenger flights from the Manhattan heliport, according to the DOT. Industry partners include Archer, Beta, Electra and Joby.
• Texas DOT: Regional passenger services linking Dallas, Austin and San Antonio, with possible expansion to Houston. Archer, Beta, Joby and Wisk are participating in the project.
• Utah DOT: A multi-state effort spanning parts of the Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountains and Oklahoma to evaluate a variety of next-generation aircraft concepts.
• Pennsylvania DOT: A National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO)-led multi-state collaborative covering 13 states aimed at revitalizing regional air connectivity, potentially including routes similar to those supported under the Essential Air Service program. Partners include Beta and Electra.
• Louisiana: Demonstrations focused on cargo and personnel transport supporting offshore energy operations in the Gulf region, involving partners such as Beta and Elroy Air.
• Florida: A statewide program testing cargo delivery, passenger transportation, automation and emergency medical operations. Archer, Beta, Electra and Joby are among the participating companies.
• North Carolina DOT: Demonstrations involving piloted medical and regional passenger operations along with development of autonomous flight corridors extending into Virginia. Beta and Joby were selected for the program.
• City of Albuquerque, New Mexico: A project focused on autonomous cargo aircraft operations in partnership with Reliable Robotics, which plans to operate remotely piloted Cessna Caravan flights linking Albuquerque with Santa Fe and Durango, Colorado.

The participating companies highlighted their roles in the selected projects following the announcement.

Beta said it was selected to participate in seven of the eight launch programs, more than any other company. It plans to deploy both its Alia conventional-takeoff-and-landing and VTOL variants across several missions including cargo and logistics, as well as its electric aircraft Charge Cubes.

“Being selected for more applications than any other OEM is a testament to our safe and reliable operations and this team’s ability to deliver,” Beta’s founder and CEO Kyle Clark said.

Joby said the program will allow for early operations of its S4 eVTOL ahead of type certification.

“Instead of just reading about the future of flight, communities across America are going to be able to see it in the skies above their own cities this year,” Joby’s founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt said.

Archer said the eIPP will help it prepare for early operations of its Midnight eVTOL air taxi in the U.S.

“This is the clearest sign yet from the White House, the FAA and the DOT that bringing air taxis to market in the United States is a real priority,” Archer founder and CEO Adam Goldstein said. He has previously described the eIPP as the eVTOL industry’s “Waymo moment,” comparing it to the rollout of autonomous vehicles in select cities.

Wisk and Reliable Robotics both said that data and experience from the initiative will help inform future airspace integration of autonomous aircraft.

“The insights we gather in Texas are not just limited to our aircraft or the state,” said Wisk CEO Sebastien Vigneron. “We are validating the entire digital and physical ecosystem required to support autonomous flight.”

“The technology we’re certifying with the FAA will substantially enhance the safety of regional air cargo operations and demonstrate that large UAS can be integrated into controlled airspace,” Reliable’s founder and CEO Robert Rose said.

Electra highlighted how the effort will pave the way for hybrid-electric and short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft operations.

“This administration is opening the door for an American company to demonstrate how hybrid-electric propulsion works at scale,” Electra CEO Marc Allen said. “It’s American innovation at its best, and it showcases how Electra’s Ultra Short has become an essential part of the AAM landscape.”