[Peetwo]

WTF? - Su_Spence agrees to harmonise on International AAM certification...  

Via CASA News/Media etc. : https://www.casa.gov.au/about-us/news-me...troduction

AAM Type Certification roadmap

From a planning perspective, we know that piloted AAMs could be operational in Australia from 2027 to 2029. And we know the 2032 Olympics will be a target.

At this stage, we have one Australian passenger-carrying AAM currently undergoing certification and one overseas manufacturer that has formally applied through its national aviation authority to have its aircraft certified by CASA.

As part of our commitment to keeping Australia at the leading edge and recognising the importance of a consistent approach, we worked with colleagues from Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States on a landmark international roadmap for the unified and streamlined certification of Advanced Air Mobility aircraft across borders.

The roadmap aims to ensure safety, foster collaboration, promote technological innovation and streamline the certification and validation process for new aircraft types across international boundaries.

We knew that there are differences in aircraft certification standards emerging across the world – the roadmap acknowledges these differences and provides a framework to converge and harmonise them.

For operators, the roadmap aims to reduce the certification burden once the AAM aircraft has received a type certificate and allow them faster entry to multiple countries through harmonised airworthiness standards and focused validation activities.

By working together, we can ensure that the introduction of AAM aircraft is both safe and efficient, paving the way for the future of urban mobility.

I am very proud of the role that Australia has played in driving this initiative, which is not only a world-first but will also help make urban and advanced air mobility a reality.

Plus via LMH:

Australia joins National Aviation Authorities for AAM Certification

17 June 2025

Australia will co-operate with Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the USA to set uniform certification standards for advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft in a roadmap document published today.

AAM is an emerging industry that will use electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft as air taxis in metropolitan and major regional centres around the world.

According to CASA, the roadmap "aims to ensure safety, foster collaboration, promote technological innovation, and streamline the certification and validation process for new aircraft types across international boundaries."

Current aircraft certification processes require a new type to be certified in the country of manufacture against an international standard against which other National Aviation Authorities then validate the design.

Representatives from CASA, Transport Canada, NZ CAA, UK CAA and the FAA collaborated in developing the roadmap, but it is thought more nations could be added to the agreement over time. Collectively, the group is known as the National Aviation Authorities Network.

"For operators, the Roadmap aims to reduce the certification burden once the AAM aircraft has received a type certificate and allow them faster entry to multiple countries through harmonised airworthiness standards and focused validation activities," said CASA CEO and Director of Aviation Safety Pip Spence.

"By working together, we can ensure that the introduction of AAM aircraft is both safe and efficient, paving the way for the future of urban mobility.

"Australia is excited to have been involved in this initiative, which is not only a world-first but will also help make urban and advanced air mobility a reality."

CASA says that differences in eVTOL certification standards were emerging around the world, which prompted a working group from the five nations to develop the roadmap to acknowledges the differences and provide a framework to harmonise standards. - 

Currently there are no eVTOLs certified for AAM under any of the five nations, although US company Joby Aviation completed the first crewed transitional flights in April this year, and Australian company AMSL Aero is expecting civil certification of their long-range Vertiia by 2030.

CASA last week opened consultation on guidelines for vertical flight at airports in anticipation that the first eVTOLs introduced in the AAM role will operate from airports rather than dedicated skyports.

Plus LMH with opinion - via this week's LMH..  : "..However, (and this may be an unpopular view) I have to question if this AAM roadmap goes far enough. It still requires the NAA in the country of manufacture to certify the aircraft first, with further validation coming from subsequent countries. That costs dollars; big ones. And, as the FAA penned most of the current aviation standards, re-validation in other countries is tantamount to second-guessing the NAA that wrote the standard. We need to get to a point where any Type Certificate issued by one of the five countries in the network is automatically valid in all countries without the need for costly re-validation that rarely results in non-conformances anyway. eVTOLs are a great place to start that..."

Hmm...LMH makes a good point that when Su_Spence and all the kooks in the upper echelon of Aviation House talk about all other
sectors of the Oz Aviation Industry, apparently the 'air' is different 'DOWN UNDA' - UFB? 

MTF...P2