Definition

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other regulators are working together on certification of advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft. The FAA describes AAM as "a rapidly emerging new sector of the aerospace industry which aims to safely and efficiently integrate highly automated aircraft into the National Aerospace System (NAS). AAM is not a single technology, but rather a collection of new and emerging technologies being applied to the aviation transportation system, particularly in new aircraft types."

Description

What are AAM aircraft?

The FAA describes AAM as anis "an umbrella term for aircraft that are typically highly automated, electrically powered, and have vertical takeoff and landing capability." The term can apply both to piloted and remotely piloted aircraft. These aircraft can serve in a variety of roles ranging from air taxi to cargo transport to firefighting and search-and-rescue. Many of them will fall under the new powered lift category, created by the FAA in 2024. Powered lift represents the first completely new category of civil aircraft since helicopters were introduced in the 1940s. These aircraft can take off and land vertically like a helicopter and fly like an airplane during cruise flight.

AAM aircraft powered by hydrogen fuel cells are also under development.

What is involved in the certification process?

New aircraft designs normally get certified by regulators in the country of origin using internationally accepted standards. The aircraft can fly in other countries after they validate the design against those standards. To help keep regulators on the same page, literally, the U.S. has joined with aviation authorities in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom to develop a Roadmap for Advanced Air Mobility Aircraft Type Certification. The regulators from these five countries come together as the National Aviation Authorities (NAA) Network.

The FAA says the roadmap "aims to align the countries' AAM airworthiness and certification standards by sharing data, research, and safety information." FAA said in a June 2025 news release that: "Differences in AAM certification standards are emerging across the world. This roadmap acknowledges these differences and provides a framework to harmonize standards to streamline validation and safe entry of AAM aircraft into multiple markets."

Certification Requirements

The roadmap cites FAA Advisory Circular (AC) 21.17-4, "Type Certification-Powered Lift," as a guideline. Appendix A of the AC lists a number of airworthiness criteria, including standards for:

• Cockpit voice recorders
• Flight data recorders
• Determining limits for weight and center of gravity
• Determining performance data for takeoff, climb, and landing
• Controllability
• Stability
• Ground and water handling characteristics
• Vibration, buffeting, and high-speed characteristics
• Flight in icing conditions
• Structural design loads
• Flight loads
• Ground and water loads
• Structural strength and durability
• Aeromechanical stability
• Aeroelasticity (meaning the aircraft must be free from flutter, control reversal, and divergence)
• Structural occupant protection
• Flight control systems
• Landing gear systems
• Flotation, if the aircraft is certified for water operations
• Means of egress and emergency exits
• Occupant physical environment
• Fire protection
• Powerplants
• Systems power generation
• Instrumentation
• Electrical engines
• Propeller ratings, limitations, features, and durability

Certification and Regulation Challenges

Regulators must follow rapidly changing technology, and one area that will present certification issues is the power sources for AAM aircraft. Battery capacity limits the designs and operations of electrical aircraft, but solutions are in development. In addition to the hydrogen fuel cells mentioned above, another potential solution is in-flight charging. The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) says research is under way on power beaming from vertiports and other buildings, which could enable in-flight charging.

Flight planning, deconfliction, and control of air traffic present other challenges for regulators. NASA also is working on flight planning tools that operators can use to submit flight plans, get risk assessments, and change flight plans as required.

Timeline

The roadmap says it will use a "crawl-walk-run" approach to dealing with emerging technologies, concentrating first on certifying piloted AAMs, then remotely piloted AAMs, then autonomous aircraft. In addition to finalizing airworthiness criteria like those listed above, other goals include:

• Reviewing industry standards and forming consensus
• Collaborating between nations with knowledge that arises from certification projects
• Finding opportunities for multi-authority validation projects
• Reviewing existing bilateral agreements and updating them as necessary, and initiating new ones as required

According to the timeline published in the roadmap, resolving differences on airworthiness requirements for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft will run through 2026. Work on hydrogen/hybrid electric aircraft airworthiness requirements is scheduled to start in January 2026 and run until July 2027.

An FAA news release notes that the five countries represented in the NAA are not the only places where AAM aircraft are being developed. The group plans to broaden cooperation to include other nations.

The NAA also plans to update the roadmap as technology and policies develop. The timeline calls for work on a new edition of the roadmap to take place in 2026. Further editions are planned heading into 2027.

Further Reading

• "FAA, International Partners Collaborate on Advanced Air Mobility," FAA news release, June 17, 2025.
• "Roadmap for Advanced Air Mobility Aircraft Type Certification," Edition 1.0, National Aviation Authorities Network, April 2025.