The FAA has released an implementation plan detailing the steps it and others will need to take to safely enable advanced air mobility operations in the near term. The Innovate28 plan includes various components, and the sequence they will occur in, for operations to be at scale at one or more sites by 2028.

“This plan shows how all the pieces will come together, allowing the industry to scale with safety as the north star,” says deputy FAA administrator Katie Thomson.

The plan will serve as a foundation for making entry into service routine and predictable by maximising the use of existing procedures and infrastructure. It addresses how the agency and partners will certify aircraft and pilots, manage airspace access, ensure pilot training, develop infrastructure, maintain security and engage communities.

It also includes a planning guide that can be applied to any site, laying out key integration objectives and sequences.

Multiple entities will play roles: the FAA; the advanced air mobility industry; labour partners; NASA; Department of Homeland Security; Department of Energy; power industry; and state, local and tribal communities. The FAA is collaborating closely with stakeholders, including through the Department of Transportation's Advanced Air Mobility Interagency Working Group.

This latest broad effort follows the agency releasing its airspace blueprint and proposing a comprehensive rule for training and certifying pilots to fly these aircraft. Highlights include:

Operations: pilots will be able to fly the new AAM aircraft to and from multiple locations at the sites, using predetermined flight schedules with pilots onboard; and AAM aircraft will likely operate at up to 4,000 ft altitude in urban and metropolitan areas, using existing or modified low altitude visual flight rules (VFR) routes where possible within controlled Class B and C airspace around major airports.

Infrastructure: operators, manufacturers, state and local governments and other stakeholders will be responsible for planning, developing and enabling heliport/vertiport infrastructure; AAM will initially operate at existing heliports, commercial service airports and general aviation airports where modifications may be necessary to install charging stations, parking zones and taxiing space.

Power grid: this may require upgrades to serve AAM operations; the FAA has an interagency agreement with the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Lab to determine how aircraft electrification affects a vertiport, heliport or airport's electrical grid.

Security: the Dept of Homeland Security will determine what type of security is necessary; the TSA and FAA are evaluating the need for expanded cybersecurity requirements due to the use of advanced technology and operational protocols.

Environment: the FAA will consider the environmental impacts of AAM operations, including factors such as noise, air quality, visual disturbances and disruption to wildlife.

Community Engagement: the FAA will engage with airports, and local, state and tribal communities to better understand community concerns about AAM operations, including noise and mitigations; many other stakeholders, such as AAM operators and airport and vertiport operators, will have important roles in community engagement.