Texas starts eVTOL flight demonstrations under FAA pilot programme

Texas has begun flying demonstration flights under the federal eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, moving its advanced-air-mobility effort from planning into aircraft operations.

The opening demonstrations took place Thursday at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport, with Joby Aviation's S4 electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft and BETA Technologies' ALIA taking part, according to an FAA release. Texas is the sixth site to begin operations under the programme.

Joby's campaign runs for a week, Sept. 10 to Sept. 14, flying its piloted S4 around the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Planned legs include a landing at DFW Corporate Aviation, a round trip from Alliance Airport over the Arlington area, and a flight toward Toyota Motor North America's headquarters in Plano. The schedule also covers operations near major infrastructure and within controlled airport airspace.

A round trip between Alliance Airport and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is set for Saturday, intended to exercise procedures for flying the aircraft between two large airports. TxDOT and other programme participants expect more flights before the end of the year.

The flights come under TxDOT's Project Nexus, which joins Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and the Choctaw Nation as a testing environment for advanced-air-mobility operations. TxDOT says the project will assess passenger transport, cargo, medical missions and other uses, and help build procedures for bringing the aircraft into the National Airspace System.

The FAA plans to use data from the programme to write regulations and operating procedures for commercial operations at a larger scale. Joby is also building a longer-term presence in North Texas through a facility it recently leased in the region.