March 1, 2022
The FAA has released initial guidance for vertiport design standards in the form of a draft engineering brief. The effort, led by the FAA Office of Airports, Safety and Standards Directorate, will ultimately lead to the development of a vertiport design Advisory Circular anticipated to be released in 2024.
View the draft vertiport design engineering brief. (PDF)
The FAA is soliciting public comments on the brief through April 18, 2022, and will hold an Industry Day prior to the comments submission deadline, to take place on March 29, 2022 at 11 a.m. (ET). Additional details and sign-up can be found on the FAA website. The agency also plans to announce the release of the brief through the Federal Register.
“This engineering brief is part of an early stage of a process to define design standards for vertiports to support operations of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft being developed as part of the emerging advanced air mobility (AAM) industry,” said Alex Gertsen, CAM, NBAA’s director of airports and ground infrastructure. “The initial guidance is the result of a multi-year effort for the FAA, during which the agency engaged with the NBAA AAM Roundtable members and other stakeholders.”
The AAM Roundtable was launched in 2021 to help chart a course for the integration of related technologies into the nation’s airspace and infrastructure. Members of the roundtable include: Archer, BETA Technologies, Eve Air Mobility, Hillwood Aviation, Joby Aviation, Lilium, Supernal and Wisk. Learn more about the NBAA AAM Roundtable.
“NBAA invites stakeholders to review the brief and provide comments either to the FAA directly, or share feedback with NBAA for consideration in the association’s comments,” Gertsen said. “Additionally, interested parties are encouraged to participate in the FAA Industry Day.”
Comments may be emailed to VertiportEB@nbaa.org.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.