Former FAA administrator appointed to senior ZeroAvia position
March 21, 2025
Hydrogen-electric pioneer ZeroAvia has appointed former FAA administrator Billy Nolen as senior strategy and regulatory advisor, who will work part-time alongside his existing role as Archer Aviation’s chief regulatory affairs officer. “A vastly experienced safety expert, airline executive and pilot, Nolen will work with ZeroAvia’s team to expedite the push towards certification of both its 600kW electric propulsion system and its full hydrogen-electric powertrains,” confirmed ZeroAvia.
Since stepping down from his FAA role in June 2023 after a year and a half in the position, Nolen became Archer Aviation’s chief safety officer in June 2023 before progressing to chief regulatory affairs officer in April 2024. Prior to that, his experience includes senior safety positions for WestJet, Qantas and American Airlines; having spent over 26 years with the latter as managing director of employee safety and regulatory affairs.
“Billy’s expertise on safety and the regulatory landscape will be another big advantage for ZeroAvia as we seek to certify our first engine and enter into service,” explained ZeroAvia founder and CEO, Val Miftakhov. These ongoing certification efforts are currently focused around the 600kW electric propulsion system (EPS), a standalone component alongside an integral part of the ZA600 powertrain, which has already flown aboard the company’s Dornier 228 testbed. Over 2000 pre-orders have been secured to date.
Last month, ZeroAvia announced it had reached consensus on the Certification Basis for its 600kW EPS with the FAA, having “received a G-1 Issue paper (stage 2) and formally confirmed agreement with its contents”. The company described this as a “key milestone on the journey towards final certification of the company’s EPS with the US regulator, and also on its path to certifying its first full hydrogen-electric powertrain… with the UK Civil Aviation Authority”.
“We are on the cusp of a shift towards alternative propulsion systems and new aircraft modalities that is going to be the most exciting time in aviation since the dawning of the jet age,” commented Nolen. “I could not be more thrilled to be joining one of the standout pioneers and look forward to helping the team make history by obtaining the company’s first type certificates”.
