Israel-based eVTOL developer AIR has brought on Matthew Smith as director of certification and airworthiness. Smith brings with him over 30 years of demonstrated experience in aerospace, having played a pivotal role in the FAA certification of many new and novel aircraft.

Prior to joining AIR, he managed the certification of multiple Department of Defense aircraft, directed the engineering department at Gulfstream Aerospace and also served as the lead FAA Organisational Delegation Authorisation administrator on the certification of numerous aircraft. He was also part of the team which certified many popular aerospace innovations, including the first high-speed internet aboard a commercial aircraft, the world's first synthetic vision system for an aircraft and the first FAA Technical Standard Order Class III electronic flight bag.

“I am thrilled to be coming on board at AIR, where together with an exceptional team, we will propel the certification process of AIR's revolutionary vehicle, AIR One,” says Smith. “We envision a world in which eVTOLs are seamlessly embraced by everyday commuters, transforming the way we move and connect. It is wonderful to be able to contribute to the widespread adoption of eVTOL aircraft through the consumer market.”

Last year, AIR performed successful forward flight testing of its full-scale prototype, AIR One, just five months after completing its first hover flights, which kicked off thousands of hours of ongoing flight testing. The company has already generated over 400 AIR One pre-orders for the first delivery of vehicles and a waitlist of 300 for the following batch. AIR plans to relocate its headquarters to the US to further aid in the certification process and where it will begin full scale production of its aircraft.

“We are at a pivotal moment in aviation history, where eVTOL adoption is at our fingertips. But to ensure that this vision is realised, the industry needs strong support from regulatory bodies to accelerate certification for these vehicles,” comments Rani Plaut, CEO and co-founder. “With Matthew's expertise as an industry leading aerospace professional, we are confident that he will help make this dream a reality and are looking forward to the incredible achievements we will secure together.”