Nolen’s Next Move Is Air Taxi Safety

Former Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen tells FLYING why he joined Archer Aviation and what the company has planned for the future.

Jack Daleo

Monday, July 10, 2023 at 04:07 PM ET

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Archer Chief Safety Officer Billy Nolen stands in front of the firm’s flagship Midnight air taxi. [Courtesy: Business Wire]

Key Takeaways:

Former acting FAA administrator Billy Nolen has joined air taxi firm Archer Aviation as Chief Safety Officer, bringing decades of aviation safety expertise to the emerging eVTOL sector.
Nolen's core mission at Archer is to establish a world-class Safety Management System, ensuring the public perceives their Midnight air taxi as exceptionally safe for global operation.
He projects Archer's air taxis will operate worldwide within a decade (by 2032-2033), aiming for a 2025 commercial launch and widespread presence by the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

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Billy Nolen has made quite the career out of safe flying, first as a safety officer for American Airlines, Qantas, and WestJet, and later as acting administrator of the FAA, a position he held for about 15 months before announcing his decision to step down in April.

Now Nolen, a pilot of 42 years, has begun the next phase of his journey: ensuring the safety of aircraft that have never flown.