Features of the regulatory framework for certification of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft

Олексій Миколайович Литвинов, Олексій В’ячеславович Чуприна, Вадим Олександрович Гребеніков, Максим В’ячеславович Чуприна

Abstract


The work is devoted to the study of modern features of the regulatory framework for the certification of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL), which form the basis for the development of advanced air mobility. The purpose of the study is to identify key technical, regulatory and infrastructure challenges that affect the creation of coordinated international requirements for the safe operation of such aircraft. The scientific novelty of the work is the disclosure of differences between the European risk-based approach and the American model of individualized special class certification, which allows identifying structural reasons for the fragmentation of the features of the regulatory framework. The work provides a classification of eVTOL according to various criteria, and also identifies the main objects of the procedure for confirming compliance with safety requirements.

The article analyzes the regulatory mechanisms of the two leading aviation authorities EASA and FAA, establishes the features of the application of special conditions for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, and identifies the specifics of adapting existing standards to innovative electric power plants. The focus is on the requirements for fault tolerance, thermal acceleration management, redundancy architecture, and electronic system interaction, which are critical for achieving a high level of flight safety in an urban environment. The problems of harmonizing requirements for protection against external influences, bird strikes, and the integration of operators and pilots into a single operating system are revealed.

The conclusions establish that the certification of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft is in the transition stage from conceptual development to practical standardization, and the harmonization of international requirements requires further convergence of risk assessment methodologies and technical reliability of systems. It is also determined that the key barrier remains the technological limitations of new electrical systems, which require further research and optimization to meet the requirements of global aviation safety.

Keywords


aircraft certification; electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL); international safety standards; quality control; Advanced Air Mobility (AAM)

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.32620/oikit.2026.107.01

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