ANAC publish final airworthiness criteria for Eve’s eVTOL
Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) has published the final airworthiness certification criteria for Eve Air Mobility’s aircraft, described by the eVTOL manufacturer as “a critical stage of the type certification process”.
“This document contains the regulatory basis that will be observed for the certification of the model underway,” clarified ANAC, adding: “since this is a completely new piece of equipment in the aviation sector and there is no regulation that can be readily used as a basis for certification,” it is therefore imperative to present the criteria it must meet in order to ensure flight safety.
Eve formalised the process for obtaining a type certificate for its eVTOL with ANAC in February 2022, pursuing a “special class category”. The final version of the certification criteria comes after a public consultation, described by Eve as “invaluable in refining these criteria”. Luiz Valentini, Eve chief technology officer, elaborated: “We are now looking forward to continue working closely with ANAC on type certification and the FAA on the on the simultaneous validation of the ANAC TC”.
During the company’s third quarter earnings call, Eve CTO Luiz Valentini explained: “To have the final document out is really good for us … to be able to discuss with the authorities as well as setting up our operation and our vehicle operation with the operators”. Specifically, the clarification that a pilot can complete initial training in a simulator – removing the requirement for a dual-control training variant – “is a simplification … we believe was the correct move,” continued Valentini.
Following the first flight of its engineering prototype in the beginning of next year, Eve’s first conforming vehicle is expected to take to the skies in 2026 before type certification is achieved in 2027.
