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As far as I understand it, this is less about the amount of energy and more to do with the type of pilot certificate one would need to have. The majority of pi
by NovemberWhiskey 4y ago
As far as I understand it, this is less about the amount of energy and more to do with the type of pilot certificate one would need to have.
The majority of pilots are initially rated for the Airplane category with Airplane, Single Engine, Land as the most common class. Powered lift is a completely different category, and so pilots rated for the Airplane category would have to qualify separately, including a certain minimum number of hours with a flight instructor, a certain number of solo hours, cross-country flight distance and a check ride.
This would significantly raise the bar to fly these aircraft. I also don't even know for these eVTOLs whether it'd be credible to do e.g. the cross country flight which requires at least 150 nautical miles of travel, including three full-stop landings, due to the battery lifetime.
- nradov 4y agoEstablishing a different pilot certification category would seem reasonable. Powered lift flight involves a transition from vertical to horizontal and back, and that isn't covered in regular pilot training. A helicopter license only requires a 50 mile cross country flight so I expect the FAA would set a requirement closer to that for powered lift.
- NovemberWhiskey 4y agoPowered lift is already a category: the aeronautical experience requirements are here https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/61.109#e https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/61.109#e
- sokoloff 4y agoIt seems obvious that it should require a separate checkride to fly a VTOL aircraft if you have only airplane category ratings. The training for an add-on certificate is not that intensive nor expensive and I think is well-justified.