The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has unveiled a detailed plan, named «Innovate28,» outlining the roadmap to safely enable advanced air mobility operations at scale by 2028.
Deputy FAA Administrator Katie Thomson underscored the strategic vision of this plan, stating, «This plan shows how all the pieces will come together, allowing the industry to scale with safety as the north star.»
The Innovate28 plan will serve as the bedrock to facilitate routine and predictable entry into service, by maximizing the use of current procedures and infrastructure. It delineates how the FAA and its partners will undertake various tasks including aircraft and pilot certification, airspace management, pilot training, infrastructure development, security maintenance, and community engagement.
The plan is backed by a planning guide that could be adopted at any site. It outlines crucial integration goals and their sequence of implementation. The scheme involves multiple stakeholders, encompassing the FAA, the advanced air mobility industry, labor partners, NASA, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Energy, power industry, and state, local, and tribal communities. The FAA is actively liaising with these stakeholders through the Department of Transportation’s Advanced Air Mobility Interagency Working Group.
Notably, the comprehensive Innovate28 plan follows the FAA’s recent publication of its airspace blueprint and a proposed rule for training and certifying pilots to fly advanced air mobility aircraft.
AAM-I28-Implementation-PlanKey aspects of the plan involve:
Operations: Pilots will be allowed to operate new advanced mobility aircraft to and from multiple locations, following predefined flight schedules. These aircraft are expected to operate up to 4,000 feet altitude within urban and metropolitan areas, preferably utilizing existing or modified low altitude visual flight rules (VFR) routes within controlled Class B and C airspace near major airports.
Infrastructure: Operators, manufacturers, state and local governments, and other stakeholders will be responsible for planning, developing, and enabling heliport/vertiport infrastructure. Initially, advanced air mobility operations will take place at existing heliports, commercial service airports, and general aviation airports, with potential modifications to install charging stations, parking zones, and taxiing space.
Power Grid: The electrical power grid may need upgrades to accommodate advanced air mobility operations. A collaboration is already in place between the FAA and the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab to investigate how aircraft electrification impacts the electrical grid of a vertiport, heliport, or airport.
Security: DHS will decide the necessary security protocols, with the FAA and TSA evaluating potential cybersecurity requirements due to the advanced technology and operational protocols of these new aircraft.
Environment: The FAA will take into account the environmental ramifications of advanced air mobility operations, including factors like noise, air quality, visual disturbances, and disruption to wildlife.
Community Engagement: The FAA, along with other stakeholders such as advanced air mobility operators and airport and vertiport operators, will liaise with local, state, and tribal communities to understand and address their concerns about advanced air mobility operations.
Innovate28 serves as a robust roadmap towards the safe and widespread use of advanced air mobility, bringing the promise of a new era in aviation closer to realization.
