Sensei’s Insights – Massive Catalyst from the FAA, eVTOL Market Analysis, and Vertical Aerospace Key Conference | Saturday LIVE eVTOL Show with Vaz

FAA eVTOL Implementation Pilot Program: Applications, Early Successors; Vaz eVTOL Manufacturer Index; Supernal by Hyundai; Joby on Uber; Vertical Aerospace Key Conference — and Much More with Vaz

🚁 FAA eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP): What Just Happened?

The U.S. Department of Transportation and FAA have launched the Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) — a national, three-year pilot to fast-track real-world eVTOL operations through public-private projects.

This program stems from the June 2025 executive order “Unleashing American Drone Dominance,” which directs DOT/FAA to select at least five projects and allow operations to begin ahead of full certification in carefully supervised environments.

• At least 5 projects will be chosen, each a partnership between a local/state/tribal government and one or more U.S. eVTOL companies.

• Program length: 3 years after the first project becomes operational.

• Use cases: short-range air taxis, regional electric flights, cargo and offshore logistics, emergency/medical transport, and early autonomous operations.

Why this matters: eIPP enables pre-certification operations to collect real-world data and inform permanent FAA rules — shifting from prototypes to real-world services.

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🎯 Program Goals & Scope

eIPP aims to get mature vehicles flying limited routes under FAA oversight to:

• Validate procedures (airspace integration, noise, vertiports, pilot training).

• Demonstrate public benefit (reduced congestion, faster emergency response, new connections).

• Accelerate FAA rulemaking for scaled operations.

There is no direct federal funding attached. Instead, this is about coordination, agreements, and safe real-world testing.

🏷️ Declared Participants

Formal selections will come in early 2026. For now, several companies have confirmed their intent to participate:

✅ Joby Aviation

• Deep into FAA certification, with production aircraft expected in 2026.

• Target geographies: Texas, Florida, Ohio, New York, California.

• Plans to operate with airline partners like Delta, focusing on airport shuttles and short-range urban flights.

✅ Archer Aviation

• Partnered with United Airlines for urban air taxi services.

• Plans to deploy its Midnight aircraft in New York and Los Angeles, with sights on the 2028 Olympics.

• Sees eIPP as a stepping stone to early, supervised operations as soon as 2026.

🟨 Wisk Aero

• Boeing-backed autonomous eVTOL developer.

• Aims to use eIPP to prove pilotless air taxi operations in controlled environments.

• Partnerships suggest focus on Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami for future deployments.

🟨 BETA Technologies

• Demonstrated the first passenger-carrying all-electric flight into JFK Airport in June 2025.

• Focused on cargo-first operations and building a nationwide charging network.

• Likely to emphasize regional and logistics use cases under eIPP.

💼 What This Means for Manufacturers

• Regulatory fast lane: Early chance to operate under FAA supervision before full certification.

• Commercial advantage: First-mover benefits in routes, infrastructure, and public acceptance.

• Investor confidence: Government-backed validation reduces risk and builds market credibility.

• Standards influence: Participants help shape noise, pilot training, and vertiport requirements.

🗓️ Timeline

• June 2025 — Executive order creates eIPP.

• September 2025 — FAA/DOT formally announce the program.

• December 11, 2025 — Applications due.

• March 2026 — Selections announced.

• Mid-2026 — First pilot operations begin.

• 2026–2029 — Projects run for up to 3 years, extendable if needed.

🗺️ Likely Test Locations

Based on company plans and local partnerships, the following regions are frontrunners:

• New York City metro — Airport connectors and short hops (JFK, Manhattan).

• Los Angeles / Southern California — Urban air taxis, airport links, Olympic readiness.

• Texas (Dallas–Fort Worth / Houston) — Passenger trials and offshore logistics.

• Florida (Orlando / Miami) — Tourism and congestion relief.

• Ohio (Dayton / Columbus) — Manufacturing hub and early trial sites.

• Other possibilities: North Carolina, Michigan, Utah, Chicago.

🧭 How eIPP Changes the Runway

• For regulators: Provides real-world data to finalize pilot training, airspace rules, vertiport standards, and noise regulations.

• For industry: Proves the business case with airport shuttles, cargo runs, and medical missions.

• For U.S. leadership: Positions America to lead in AAM as other regions (UAE, China, EU, Japan) also accelerate their programs.

📌 Quick Facts

• Program: FAA/DOT eIPP (eVTOL Integration Pilot Program)

• Authority: June 2025 Executive Order + Sept 2025 FAA/DOT announcement

• Applicants (declared): Joby, Archer; Wisk intends to participate; BETA strongly positioned

• Deadline: Dec 11, 2025 applications due

• Selections: March 2026

• Ops start: Mid-2026

• Duration: 3 years (through ~2029), extendable

✍️ Bottom Line:
The eIPP is a launchpad for America’s eVTOL future. With Joby, Archer, BETA, and Wisk leading the charge, the U.S. could see passenger-carrying eVTOL services by 2026 and a pathway to scaled commercial rollout by the late 2020s.

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Vaz eVTOL Manufacturer Index - A new benchmark to track the race toward electric aviation

The emerging eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) sector has been full of bold promises, futuristic prototypes, and eye-catching partnerships — but very few tools exist to measure who is actually closest to operational reality. The Vaz eVTOL Manufacturer Index fills that gap by providing a clear, data-driven framework to evaluate the maturity of Tier 1 eVTOL manufacturers.

This index scores each company across five critical dimensions of readiness:

• R&D Progress — how advanced their technology and aircraft design is

• Production Readiness — how close they are to large-scale manufacturing

• Certification Progress — how far they are through the regulatory approval process

• Market Engagement — how strongly they are securing orders and partnerships

• Financial Maturity — how stable their runway and business fundamentals are

📊 A powerful snapshot for investors and industry watchers

Each company is scored from 1 to 10 on each axis, creating a comprehensive snapshot of their journey from concept to commercial operations. The index reveals where companies are excelling, where they are lagging behind, and how balanced their progress is across these five fronts.

For investors, this index offers a single, standardised lens to cut through marketing noise and see which eVTOL manufacturers are genuinely nearing market entry — and which are still years away. For the industry, it acts as a pulse check on the entire eVTOL ecosystem, mapping technological, regulatory, and commercial momentum in one unified chart.

Let’s see how each manufacturer compares to their peers:

Joby Aviation

• R&D 8 — Pre-Production (final design locked, preparing production)

• Production 6 — Low-Rate Production (early production line operating at low output)

• Certification 7 — Type Certification Testing (conformance testing with regulators)

• Market 7 — Launch Customers (strategic early adopters committed)

• Financial 6 — Runway Secured (≥1 year cash runway)
  🔢 Overall Score: 34 / 50