The National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac), regulatory and supervisory body for the airline sector in the country, is considering creating a specific category for pilots of so-called “flying cars”.
The federal agency opened a public consultation to collect contributions from civil society on new requirements for pilots of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.
Flying cars are known by the acronym eVTOL, from English electric vertical takeoff and landing.
The public consultation will provide parameters for a proposed amendment to Brazilian Civil Aviation Regulation No. 61, which establishes the requirements for licenses, qualifications and certificates for civil aviation professionals.
The regulatory body hopes to get input primarily from pilots, training organizations, manufacturers, operators and experts.
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Transition period
Anac says that the initiative seeks to gradually and safely prepare the Brazilian licensing system for what it calls “new aircraft concepts” that make up advanced air mobility.
The institution’s idea is to have a training model with specific training for qualification. Initially, there would be a transition period for already licensed airplane and helicopter pilots.
For Anac, with this period it would be possible to accumulate operational experience and regulatory evidence, creating a knowledge framework for the creation of complete training requirements for flying car pilots, without the need for prior experience in other categories.
The agency details that pilot qualifications would be specific and complemented by supervised experience in typical operations, ending with a practical examination to verify expertise.
The public consultation is open until March 16. Participation is through Participatory Brazil Portal.
Pilots Association
Wanted by Brazil Agencythe Brazilian Association of Civil Aviation Pilots (Abrapac) reported that it understands, initially, the arrival of flying cars as the opening of a new market.
“Which is good for our members. We will have a theoretical and practical adaptation, in accordance with the regulations that Anac will make”, stated Abrapac director Carlos Perin.
However, Perin understands that at a later date this type of professional will be suppressed. He believes flying cars are headed towards a future of unmanned transportation.
“The cultural barrier to accepting transport in unmanned aircraft will be gradually removed with the presence of a pilot in the initial versions of eVTOL,” he said.
“After cultural acceptance by the consumer market, that workstation will be deactivated, and the final version of the project will be implemented, with only passengers on board the remotely controlled aircraft”, concluded the director of Abrapac.
Manufactured in Brazil
Still in the prototype phase and final testing phase, eVTOLs are identified as one of the future paths in aviation.
Fully electric and because it does not use fossil fuels, such as gasoline, oil or kerosene, eVTOL is treated as a green technology, which can contribute to the energy transition to a low-carbon economy, that is, contrary to the greenhouse effect.
In 2024, Anac published final airworthiness criteria for the eVTOL. The document presents standards that the aircraft must comply with, regarding its structure, control systems, propulsion and battery, for example. This information is crucial to ensuring flight safety.
The Brazilian private company Embraer positions itself as one of the pioneers internationally in the development of these aircraft, through its subsidiary Eve Air Mobility (Eve).
The company’s factory in Gavião Peixoto, in the interior of São Paulo, is looking for ways to create commercially viable flying cars. At the end of last December, Eve made the first flight of a prototype of the company.
Last Thursday (5), Eve announced that it closed a contract to sell two vehicles to the Japanese AirX, which operates with air transport. Currently, the Asian company operates a fleet of helicopters.
Delivery of the vehicles is scheduled for 2029. The contract can be extended, as there is the option to purchase up to 50 units.
Eve’s development project has public support, as Embraer received financing from the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), linked to the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services (Mdic) and from the Studies and Projects Financier (Finep), the federal government’s innovation promotion agency, linked to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI).
