AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2019 - 62

additional 12 partners were named to
provide input on infrastructure issues
such as battery charging, motor and
battery technology, and consulting services for landing site (Uber calls them
"Vertiports") development.
Uber Elevate conferred instant
validity for the entire eVTOL concept.
No longer would eVTOLs dwell in the
shadows. If the experts at Bell, Boeing,
Embraer, and Pipistrel are committed to
an eVTOL future, and with Uber at the
helm, the way seems clear to new standards of air travel. That's not say there
won't be challenges-for both the Uber
concept as well as eVTOL manufacturers and individual pilots taking up this
new form of general aviation flying.
AIRCRAFT DESIGN FACTORS

All of the principals in the eVTOL community are aware of the unknowns
in putting these aircraft in service.
Tethered flights have been conducted.
The problem is that the manufacturers have yet to fly a manned, full-scale
eVTOL that conforms to a final, certified design.
This brings up the issue of certification. No eVTOLs have been certified
as of this writing, and moreover it's
unknown which-if any-certification
standards would apply to these aircraft.
Remember, these aren't drones. They
are aircraft that will be flying pilots and
passengers. In the case of Uber flights,
paying passengers. Would rotorcraft
certification standards apply? This
seems like it might be a proper path, but
the propulsion configurations-especially those with tiltrotors-and light
rotor loadings in vertical flight might
necessitate a new, unestablished certification category. Would eVTOLs flown
for hire require certification for flight in
instrument conditions? You'd think so.
Icing conditions? Seems reasonable,
given all those small rotors and highdrag or articulating airframes. And yet,
no certification standards have so far
emerged.
Other issues include an eVTOL's
behavior in gusts. This should call for
extensive flight testing in a variety of
wind conditions. Uber's plan is to establish its vertiports on the flat roofs of
taller structures in a city environment.
Given the mechanical turbulence produced by any nearby structures and an
62 | AOPA PILOT October 2019

eVTOL's presumably lighter weights,
wind shear might well be a routine
event. Will there be enough control
responsiveness and effectiveness to
allow safe hovering in high winds with
shifting speeds and directions?
Uber has said that its air taxi system will enter service in 2023. Can the
eVTOLs in its fleet meet type certification standards in three short years? For
that matter, can their manufacturers
secure a production certificate for their
production procedures and assembly
lines in that time frame?
There would also be function and
reliability tests-for all eVTOLs, not just
those in the Uber fleet-to assure that the
aircraft performs consistently over time.
Finally, there is the battery issue. Pilots
need to know how long any batteries
should last, so this means manufacturers should test them on the aircraft, in

to be developed. Then harmonization
with FAA rules can begin.
To date, the FAA has said only that
eVTOL certification standards will vary
with each design, and be issued under
special conditions somewhere between
existing FAR Part 23 (fixed wing) and
FAR Part 27 (rotary wing). But no details
have been forthcoming.
PRIVATE PILOT-EVTOL?

Pilot certification and training also must
acknowledge the eVTOL's unique position. An Uber white paper says that the
popularity of eVTOL transportation will
create a pilot shortage, then goes on to
imply that commercial pilot training
to FAR Part 135 standards would suffice. That's pretty superficial thinking.
What's more likely is that a new set of
certification standards will have to be
developed, meaning training and test-

Uber Elevate conferred instant validity for
the entire eVTOL concept. No longer would
eVTOLs dwell in the shadows.
a number of environmental and flight
conditions, as yet another part of flight
envelope definition. Can all the above be
completed successfully in three years?
There is reason for doubt. Some manufacturers acknowledge as much, saying
that 2028 might be a more sensible date
for completing test and certification
hurdles.
Until certification standards are
established, the Uber Elevate concept cannot proceed. Nor can any
individual pilots fly eVTOLs-unless,
perhaps, under Experimental category
provisions.
In Europe, the certification issue
has already been addressed. In July
2019 the European Aviation Safety
Agency (EASA) set out its final
Special Condition for VTOL aircraft
(SC-VTOL), which do not fit any
existing certification categories. The
SC-VTOL rules apply to aircraft seating up to nine passengers, weighing up
to 7,000 pounds, with distributed propulsion-defined as having two or more
lift/thrust units. This sounds reassuring, but compliance standards still need

ing tailored for the new batch of ATP,
commercial, or private eVTOL pilots.
Civilian pilots will need to be trained
for such flight regimes as those involved
in tiltrotor operations, for example.
With winged tiltrotors, the transition
from vertical to horizontal flight, and
vice versa, can be fraught-especially
in gusty conditions. Asymmetric wing
stalls could cause a loss of control.
Then there is the issue of flight in
instrument meteorological conditions.
Unless Uber plans on VFR-only air taxi
operations, pilots will need-at minimum-commercial pilot certificates
with instrument ratings. And vertiports will need instrument approach
procedures.
It may be that each eVTOL may
require its own type rating of sorts,
given the wide variety of designs and
propulsion schemes. But again, to date
there has been no formal progress in
this area.
AIRSPACE AND ATC

Uber's plans involve intracity travel to
designated vertiports, using its own
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2019
