FBOs
NATA Panel Examines FBO Preparation for eVTOL Service
OEMs and FBOs talk about how electric aircraft can be accommodated at FBOs
FBO/AAM Panel at NATA Aviation Business Conference this week in Nashville
(l-r) Dana Fales, a regional v-p with Sheltair, led a panel on future-proofing FBOs for the eventual arrival of eVTOL aircraft. The topic was discussed by Eric Newman, Atlantic Aviation's v-p of commercial strategy and sustainability; Torrie Meliska, Wisk Aero's infrastructure partnership manager; and Lydon Sleeper, U.S. strategic policy lead with Joby Aviation. © Curt Epstein/AIN

With the first eVTOL aircraft nearing certification, how FBO operators are preparing for the integration of advanced air mobility (AAM) was a topic of discussion at the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Business Conference this week in Nashville.

“Some of the biggest challenges for eVTOL development right now are just the uncertainty of what this industry is going to look like,” said Torrie Meliska, manager of infrastructure partnership with airframer Wisk Aero. “Every company has their own idea of what their product is and where it fits, but there still aren’t really solidified regulations around the process of how to [type certify] an eVTOL aircraft or how to retrofit new precision landing aids onto a vertiport, or even what a vertiport should look like.”