Hybrid configuration aircraft are becoming increasingly prevalent—vehicles that transform in some way between traditional flight modes while in flight. If we look beyond Part 107 to more widespread and routine commercial UAS operations that include BVLOS and operations over people, how will these vehicles be approved or certified? This session explores how the lines are blurring between vehicle types and how traditional thinking about vehicle and operational approvals may no longer apply when these vehicle configurations are intermixed.
There have been many attempts to simplify certification while enhancing safety. However, in the last 15 years, industry standards-based approaches have expanded to all light aviation including both manned and unmanned vehicles. These frameworks are leading to leaps in the pace of innovation. But, what happens when the aircraft are so unique that they no longer fit traditional classifications? What about aircraft that operate as both airplanes and rotorcraft with distributed propulsion? How do we gain approval to safely operate vehicles with never-before-seen levels of automation?
This session seeks to provide seeds for ideas, generate dialogue, and provide perspective-giving thoughts to business leaders, regulators, policy makers, and users of all kinds. We will explore potential (and likely) pathways to enable these novel vehicles to achieve both vehicle and operational approval and begin delivering real value at scale.