As the future of aviation begins to take shape, HAI is weighing in on the United States’ federal efforts to set a national strategy for advanced air mobility (AAM).

“Various agencies across the US federal government are formulating short-, medium- and long-term policies to support the next generation of aircraft and the movement of people and goods through the airways,” says James Viola, President and CEO of HAI. “As vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, are central to AAM, we focused on safety, workforce development, a single (federal) regulator, continued industry input and collaboration with stakeholders at all levels as well as infrastructure development—especially vertiports.”

In May, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), as the lead of a contingent of federal agencies, sought industry comment on the development of that national strategy. The agencies asked what should be addressed in the AAM, what barriers exist to successful AAM implementation and what steps should be taken over the next two to eight years to fully realize the future of flight.

In response, HAI stresses the preeminence of safety and the need for regular and ongoing dialogues with US agencies as well as state and local stakeholders to establish appropriate airworthiness criteria, operating requirements, training, and safety standards. The association’s response emphasizes the need for a single federal regulator versus a patchwork of state, local and tribal rules, prioritizing growth of the aviation workforce, and the need for additional infrastructure including vertiports in urban areas.

The United States is already a leader in AAM internationally, HAI says, and it must continue its ambitious strategy while working with other global aviation leaders and policymakers to share best practices and lessons learned while navigating this new aviation sector.

“HAI shares in the potential of AAM and is committed to helping the vertical aviation industry realize that promise,” Viola adds.

Earlier this year, HAI published a Roadmap of Advanced Air Mobility Operations that highlights the association’s effort to make AAM operations a reality in the near-, mid-, and far-term.