FutureFlight
When It Comes to Clearing the Way for Advanced Air Mobility Infrastructure, It's Never Too Soon to Start
Winning public acceptance and not taking the multifaceted approval processes for granted will be critical to getting the infrastructure in place to support advanced air mobility services.
Lilium Florida
Getting approval to build vertiports and other infrastructure for eVTOL aircraft operations may be more straightforward in a new development like Orlando's Lake Nona community, where Lilium plans to launch service, than in more established urban environment. (Image: Lilium)

Former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Tip O’Neill is credited with promulgating the maxim, “All politics is local.” This is certainly the case when it comes to advanced air mobility (AAM).

For while the technology continues to advance—with more than half a dozen eVTOL vehicle designs now flying and some 400 in the aggregate under development—the gauntlet of byzantine national, state, and local regulations and zoning approvals could stifle AAM’s growth.