Texas air taxi test flights begin under federal pilot program
Texas has begun eVTOL demonstrations under a federal pilot program, but passenger air-taxi service remains a later phase.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
Texas air taxi test flights began Sept. 10 under a federal eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, with initial demonstrations in North Texas. The flights are meant to test routes and the integration of new aircraft into existing airspace; they are not authorization for commercial passenger operations.
The Texas Department of Transportation was selected for the program in March and says its project will unfold in phases over three years. The early work is intended to validate routes before the state considers medical, cargo and, later, passenger operations.
What do the Texas air taxi test flights allow?
The initial phase permits testing without passengers and also uses conventional aircraft, including helicopters and fixed-wing planes, TxDOT said. The agency says those operations will help assess appropriate routes and generate data for the Federal Aviation Administration’s work on rules for operating the aircraft at a larger scale.
eVTOL stands for electric vertical takeoff and landing. The FAA describes these aircraft as part of advanced air mobility, a category that typically includes highly automated and electrically powered aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing capability. Many are classified as powered-lift aircraft and are often called air taxis.
The first official Texas flights under the program included Joby, Beta and Wisk, according to The Verge. The report said the companies would demonstrate prospective links between cities and regional airports, including Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, while regulators observed how air-traffic operations manage the added activity.
Joby said its Sept. 10-14 North Texas campaign would fly between Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport, urban locations and DFW Airport. The company said the schedule included a flight into DFW-controlled airspace and routes associated with Arlington and Plano. Those are company plans, rather than a passenger service timetable.
When could passengers ride an air taxi in Texas?
TxDOT places passenger flights in the final stage of its pilot project, after route testing and medical and cargo logistics trials. The planned regional network would link Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Houston, while extending connections to rural communities, the agency said.
No date for public passenger service was announced. The Verge reported that an individual aircraft needs FAA type certification before it may carry passengers commercially in the United States. The FAA says it has rules for powered-lift pilot qualifications and operations, as well as a certification framework that evaluates an aircraft’s design, production, airworthiness and operation.
Early advanced-air-mobility operations are expected to use existing airports, heliports, routes and air-traffic-control services where possible, according to the FAA. The agency also says future operations may require facilities such as vertiports and charging infrastructure for electric aircraft.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.