DOT Announces New Mexico's First eVTOL Integration Pilot Demonstration Flight: Remotely Piloted Cargo Plane Flies at Albuquerque Sunport
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced on October 19 that New Mexico has completed its first demonstration flight under the department's Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) Integration Pilot Program (eIPP). The effort is led by the City of Albuquerque Aviation Department, and New Mexico is the sixth location to launch under the initiative, following North Carolina in late September.
Last week, the City of Albuquerque Aviation Department and Reliable Robotics conducted a hybrid-electric demonstration flight at Albuquerque International Sunport to test cargo deliveries using Reliable's remotely piloted Cessna 208B Caravan airplane. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said the test flights are bringing the future of flight to the entire world. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the Albuquerque demonstrations help ensure the work is done safely and efficiently, and that every test flight provides critical data.
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said the city wants to say yes to new technology and new opportunities, and that putting the Sunport to work as a testing ground for the future of aviation helps bring new industries to New Mexico and strengthen the regional economy. Manny Manriquez, the city's director of aviation, said the Sunport is one of just eight designees nationwide in the FAA's eIPP, focused on advancing autonomous aircraft operations and providing the FAA with data to develop appropriate policies. Robert Rose, CEO and co-founder of Reliable Robotics, said the company's work with the FAA and the City of Albuquerque is building the roadmap for integrating autonomy into high-density airspaces.
According to the department, Secretary Duffy unveiled the eIPP in March; the program stems from President Trump's 'Unleashing Drone Dominance' executive order. Its eight selected projects span 28 states and cover urban air taxi services, regional passenger transportation, cargo and logistics networks, emergency medical response, autonomous flight technologies, and offshore and energy-sector transportation. The City of Albuquerque Aviation Department and other eIPP participants plan additional test flights through the rest of the year, and the FAA may use data from the pilot projects to develop new regulations that safely enable the technology at scale.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：一架 FedEx Feeder 的 Cessna 208B Super Cargomaster 货运飞机（资料图，与本次演示所用的 Cessna 208B Caravan 同属 208B 系列）。本次演示的飞机由 Reliable Robotics 远程驾驶，图片并非演示现场。图片来源：Tomás Del Coro／Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 2.0。Photo: A FedEx Feeder Cessna 208B Super Cargomaster cargo aircraft (file photo, same 208B family as the Cessna 208B Caravan used in the demonstration; not the demonstration flight). Source: Tomás Del Coro / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).
