Opinion: Clearing America’s Runway for the Future of Aviation

U.S. must modernize certification process for advanced air mobility aircraft or risk falling behind other nations, including adversaries.

Troy Nehls

Thursday, March 19, 2026 at 09:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Zach Vasile

3D rendering image of an eVTOL [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. aviation industry is at a crossroads, risking its global leadership in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and eVTOL technology due to the FAA's lengthy, opaque, and outdated certification process.
While the FAA has initiated programs like the eIPP, other nations, particularly China, are rapidly advancing in AAM deployment, underscoring the urgency for the U.S. to reform its regulatory framework.
To maintain its competitive edge and global leadership, the U.S. needs to modernize the AAM aircraft certification process, enhancing transparency and predictability, as proposed by the bipartisan Aviation Innovation and Global Competitiveness Act.

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The American aviation industry is at a crossroads. We can either choose to embrace the future and unleash American innovation, or we can maintain the status quo and allow other nations, including our foreign adversaries, to surpass us as the world’s leader in aviation.

Advanced air mobility (AAM) has the potential to redefine how we transport passengers and cargo in ways that traditional aviation cannot. While electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) powered-lift aircraft can reshape America’s aviation industry, not a single eVTOL aircraft has received full FAA type certification yet, despite many key industry leaders attempting to do so.