AAM Is Poised to Change Aviation Maintenance

If the rising advanced air mobility (AAM) sector grows at the pace some believe it will during the next few decades, there could be a need for thousands of aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs) to service fleets of entirely new types of aircraft. To be sure, the work will differ significantly from traditional AMTs, because of the electric motors, high-voltage (HV) systems and other associated technologies these new platforms require.

For operators, educators and especially career maintenance workers, this scenario provokes a series of crucial questions: How might the role of AMTs change with the emergence of AAM? Will the new sector drive changes in basic AMT training? Will demand for AMTs rise as AAM operations increasingly scale up? Or will fewer moving parts aboard AAM aircraft mean less required maintenance, resulting in less need for technicians?

Increased Demand

First, it’s worth mentioning that electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft intended for AAM operations are generally designed to be simpler than traditional aircraft, with fewer moving parts. While fewer technicians might be needed per aircraft, the scale of operations expected by AAM aircraft manufacturers in the mid- and long-term future could very well increase demand for technicians.

Experts see AAM as both a driver of demand for AMTs and an opportunity to recruit more technicians from a wider pool.

“Fewer moving parts should translate to reduced maintenance hours per aircraft compared to traditional aviation,” said Dominique Decard, vice president of fleet operations, support and services, at Germany-based eVTOL manufacturer Lilium. The company projects 600-700 hours of maintenance “in the field” per aircraft in heavy utilization settings (approximately 1,800 flight hours per year).

However, Decard explains this will be offset by two factors: one, increased component repairs or unserviceable parts like batteries and propulsion systems will need to be disassembled for repair or recycling, requiring specialized knowledge and highly skilled workers; and two, fleet growth – with the volume of aircraft ultimately increasing the overall demand for maintainers.

Experts also see potential for AAM to allow the aviation industry to cast a wider net in recruiting – which could be attractive to a younger, more technically savvy generation. Jennifer Pickerel, vice president of business aviation recruiting firm Aviation Personnel International, believes AAM might open the workforce market up to more people with different skills and aptitudes.

“This sector of the industry could actually pull more people into aviation because the innovation is exciting,” said Pickerel. “AAM could modernize the concept of aviation maintenance.”

Changing Roles

While AAM has great potential to increase demand for aviation technicians, the technician role itself is also poised for change.

“The emergence of electric aircraft will change the role of AMTs, since they’ll be dealing with high voltage environments, different battery systems and so on,” said Brad Hayden, founder and CEO of Robotic Skies and chair of the NBAA Emerging Technologies Committee. “Even though we anticipate these aircraft will be easier to maintain, some complexities will need to be ironed out as we start flying.”

Lilium’s Decard also foresees the technician role evolving. “While eVTOL aircraft will introduce cutting-edge technologies like HV systems, advanced avionics and composite materials, the core role of the AMT will remain consistent. Rather, the primary shift will lie in adapting to these new technologies,” said Decard. “Rather than complex field troubleshooting, we anticipate AMTs focusing on the replacement of modular components.”

As eVTOL aircraft become more autonomous, maintenance technicians might be tasked with functions that traditionally a pilot would perform – with appropriate training, of course. For example, some maintenance technicians might be responsible for ground-handling tasks.

“We expect to see increased importance of the technician’s role in pilotless environments,” said Hayden. “We expect to see a combination of pilot and technician roles in the new AAM world, and it could be that the AMT is required to perform non-A&P tasks – walk-arounds, preflights – even passenger briefings. I can see the role of an AMT increasing exponentially.” In fact, in the drone space, the industry is already seeing maintainers who also operate the aircraft.

Hayden also predicts a merger between A&P functions and those of avionics technicians. “AAM aircraft maintainers will need to have at least a basic understanding of avionics requirements,” said Hayden. “There will be a blurring of the lines between A&P functions and avionics functions.”

Evolving Training Requirements

The FAA’s new Part 147 rule, Aviation Maintenance Technician Schools, was effective in September 2022. The rewrite represents the first major change to the regulations for training aviation technicians since 1940, when it was written in Civil Air Regulations (CAR) Part 53, and creates a more practical framework for training AAM technicians.

“New regulations give schools a lot of freedom, but what’s driving curriculum is the certification standards, which will need to be revised every few years to align better with needs of industry,” said Crystal Maguire, executive director of the Aviation Technician Education Council (ATEC). “We know standards will need to be updated for future technology, but we also need to consider current needs, which aren’t necessarily in the standard itself.”

Meanwhile, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) recently introduced an E-license in its Part 66 licensing framework, which focuses on HV systems and advanced electronics.

Industry is working collaboratively to develop training standards for maintainers. The American Society for Testing Materials hosts the F46 Aviation Personnel Committee, which includes a subcommittee on autonomous aircraft personnel (F46-06). The subcommittee launched UAS technician qualifications in 2023, identifying necessary knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). Now the subcommittee is working on AAM aircraft KSAs.

“But just because knowledge or a skill is not mandated by regulations doesn’t mean it won’t be taught,” said Maguire. “Schools will teach what’s needed by industry.”

AI and Predictive Maintenance

Technology is a continuum of evolution in aviation. From autopilot to NextGen to today’s flight displays and AI, training evolves as the technology does. The future of maintainer training – and even their daily work – will likely include virtual reality, predictive maintenance and more innovations.

“We don’t know yet what impact AI and machine learning will have on aviation, especially with the emergence of AAM,” Hayden said. “An applicable use case is predictive maintenance, for example, which could be greatly beneficial – not only to AAM – but to the industry as a whole.”

“Predictive maintenance data will play a crucial role, and hopefully will enable us to address potential issues proactively in a controlled hangar environment, instead of at remote sites,” said Decard. The need for these skills will drive necessary changes in the training curriculum.

“Technicians must become proficient in using data for predictive maintenance and troubleshooting,” Decard said. “These tools will be essential to the efficient operation of eVTOL fleets.”

Learn more about NBAA’s Emerging Technologies Committee at nbaa.org/emerging-tech.