Regulatory Alert: FAA Releases Interim Guidance on AAM Vertiport Design
September 26, 2022
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released Engineering Brief (EB) No. 105, “Vertiport Design,“ that provides interim guidance for airport owners, operators, and infrastructure developers with the design standards to begin development of takeoff and landing facilities that will support electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (VTOL) and advanced air mobility (AAM) operations. The standards will be required for any new on-airport vertiport facilities for federally obligated airports and are based on research conducted by the FAA, collaboration with industry partners, and feedback from the public.
The airport and AAM communities have been awaiting FAA to finalize the interim guidance. While the document leaves a number of unanswered questions, it is a positive step toward helping airports begin to think about how to establish and develop vertiport infrastructure that will be needed to help integrate electric VTOL operations and AAM operations into the airport environment.
Background. In March, FAA's Office of Airports shared a draft version of the EB for public comment and hosted an industry day to discuss the EB with industry and the public. The draft document specified interim design guidance for vertiports and vertistops, including modification of existing helicopter and airplane landing facilities and the establishment of new sites. Up until the release of the draft interim guidance, the closest type of aviation infrastructure, being used by many for comparison purposes, were heliports and helistops based on Advisory Circular (AC) 150/5390-2C, Heliport Design.
In April, AAAE submitted comments to FAA in response to the draft EB, emphasizing the need for additional research and guidance in key areas of vertiport infrastructure development, including facility design and structural capacity requirements as well as electrical power requirements. In addition, AAAE highlighted the need for FAA to require off-airport vertiport developers to closely coordinate with airports before development. You can read AAAE's comments in response to the draft FAA EB here. During the review process, FAA received and adjudicated close to 700 public and industry comments. Some of the feedback is being considered for inclusion in the future AC to be released in the 2024-2025 timeframe.
Purpose of Interim Guidance. FAA indicated in the document that they will develop a performance-based AC on vertiport design in the future that will detail categories of vertiport facilities requiring different design criteria depending on the characteristics of the aircraft they plan to support and activity levels at the facility. However, FAA suggests that the interim guidance is needed to support initial infrastructure development for VTOL operations. The interim guidelines will be mandatory for federally obligated airports conducting a vertiport project. Future updates to the EB, which will address more advanced operations including autonomy, different propulsion methods, density, frequency, and the complexity of operations facilities, will be published as additional performance data is obtained from these emerging VTOL aircraft.
Specific Highlights from Initial Review. Upon initial review of the guidance, there are a few observations that are worth highlighting. Most of this information is unchanged from the original draft EB.
 
• Reference Aircraft Characteristics. The vertiport design criteria outlined in the EB is intended to support a “reference“ VTOL aircraft, which encompasses the performance and design features of nine VTOL aircraft currently in development, flying in visual meteorological conditions (VMC) with the pilot on board. In the draft interim guidance, it was referred to as a “composite“ aircraft. These performance characteristics include a maximum takeoff weight of 12,500 pounds and two or more electric battery propulsion units. 
 
• Charging and Electric Infrastructure. FAA indicates that consensus has not been identified nor specified regarding classes of charging or connection standards and could vary based on the aircraft duty cycle, charging speed, battery chemistry, charging system, and battery cooling system. The agency further noted that additional guidance on charging infrastructure design is currently being developed as the industry continues to evolve, and future guidance will be provided on other emerging energy concepts (e.g., hydrogen, hybrid). 
 
• On-Airport Vertiports. In the interim guidance, FAA noted that any new vertiport infrastructure or fixed equipment at an existing airport must be depicted on the Airport Layout Plan and submitted for FAA review prior to development and operation. In addition, a Form 7460-1 will have to be submitted for an airspace determination prior to development. For projects subject to FAA approval, an appropriate level of environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is required. 
• Fire Fighting Considerations. FAA indicated in the EB that the firefighting techniques for VTOL aircraft are still unknown and may differ from model to model. However, previous FAA research with small lithium battery cells found that water and other aqueous-based fire extinguishing agents were more effective for suppressing lithium battery fires and preventing thermal runaway than gas or dry powder extinguishing agents during experiments within a test chamber. Although this method was found to be effective for small battery packs, it is yet to be determined if similar results would be achieved with large battery packs. The current NFPA 418, Standard for Heliports, is based on conventional liquid fuel and its dangers and risks. FAA notes that this standard is currently under revision to account for electrical hazards and fire safety standards for vertiports, which is expected to be published on or before January 2024. 
 
• Security and Safety. For vertiports located in secured airport environments, unless screening was carried out at the VTOL passengers' departure location, FAA advised that Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regulations may require that a screening area and/or screening be provided before passengers enter the airport's secured areas. For on-airport vertiports, FAA encourages proponents to work with their local TSA security representative to provide control access to airport airside areas with adequate security measures as required or recommended. 
What's Next? FAA continues to indicate that this EB is a living document that serves as the agency's initial interim guidance and will be updated over time to adapt and address new aircraft and technology as performance data is received. The AAAE Emerging Aviation Technologies Working Group, formerly known as the Advanced Air Mobility Working Group, will be hosting its next meeting on Wednesday, October 12, at 3 p.m. ET. to discuss the EB in greater detail. We will be recording the meeting and making it available upon request. Please feel free to contact Jeremy Valcich if you would like to participate or if you have any questions.
Resources
• FAA Engineering Brief 105, “Vertiport Design“ (Sep. 2022) 
• AAAE's April 18 Regulatory Alert on AAAE's Response to FAA's Draft EB 105 
• FAA's March 22 Industry Day on Draft Vertiport Design EB (Recorded Video) 
• AAAE's February 28 Regulatory Alert on FAA's Draft Engineering Brief 105 
The airport and AAM communities have been awaiting FAA to finalize the interim guidance. While the document leaves a number of unanswered questions, it is a positive step toward helping airports begin to think about how to establish and develop vertiport infrastructure that will be needed to help integrate electric VTOL operations and AAM operations into the airport environment.
Background. In March, FAA's Office of Airports shared a draft version of the EB for public comment and hosted an industry day to discuss the EB with industry and the public. The draft document specified interim design guidance for vertiports and vertistops, including modification of existing helicopter and airplane landing facilities and the establishment of new sites. Up until the release of the draft interim guidance, the closest type of aviation infrastructure, being used by many for comparison purposes, were heliports and helistops based on Advisory Circular (AC) 150/5390-2C, Heliport Design.
In April, AAAE submitted comments to FAA in response to the draft EB, emphasizing the need for additional research and guidance in key areas of vertiport infrastructure development, including facility design and structural capacity requirements as well as electrical power requirements. In addition, AAAE highlighted the need for FAA to require off-airport vertiport developers to closely coordinate with airports before development. You can read AAAE's comments in response to the draft FAA EB here. During the review process, FAA received and adjudicated close to 700 public and industry comments. Some of the feedback is being considered for inclusion in the future AC to be released in the 2024-2025 timeframe.
Purpose of Interim Guidance. FAA indicated in the document that they will develop a performance-based AC on vertiport design in the future that will detail categories of vertiport facilities requiring different design criteria depending on the characteristics of the aircraft they plan to support and activity levels at the facility. However, FAA suggests that the interim guidance is needed to support initial infrastructure development for VTOL operations. The interim guidelines will be mandatory for federally obligated airports conducting a vertiport project. Future updates to the EB, which will address more advanced operations including autonomy, different propulsion methods, density, frequency, and the complexity of operations facilities, will be published as additional performance data is obtained from these emerging VTOL aircraft.
Specific Highlights from Initial Review. Upon initial review of the guidance, there are a few observations that are worth highlighting. Most of this information is unchanged from the original draft EB.
 
• Reference Aircraft Characteristics. The vertiport design criteria outlined in the EB is intended to support a “reference“ VTOL aircraft, which encompasses the performance and design features of nine VTOL aircraft currently in development, flying in visual meteorological conditions (VMC) with the pilot on board. In the draft interim guidance, it was referred to as a “composite“ aircraft. These performance characteristics include a maximum takeoff weight of 12,500 pounds and two or more electric battery propulsion units. 
 
• Charging and Electric Infrastructure. FAA indicates that consensus has not been identified nor specified regarding classes of charging or connection standards and could vary based on the aircraft duty cycle, charging speed, battery chemistry, charging system, and battery cooling system. The agency further noted that additional guidance on charging infrastructure design is currently being developed as the industry continues to evolve, and future guidance will be provided on other emerging energy concepts (e.g., hydrogen, hybrid). 
 
• On-Airport Vertiports. In the interim guidance, FAA noted that any new vertiport infrastructure or fixed equipment at an existing airport must be depicted on the Airport Layout Plan and submitted for FAA review prior to development and operation. In addition, a Form 7460-1 will have to be submitted for an airspace determination prior to development. For projects subject to FAA approval, an appropriate level of environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is required. 
• Fire Fighting Considerations. FAA indicated in the EB that the firefighting techniques for VTOL aircraft are still unknown and may differ from model to model. However, previous FAA research with small lithium battery cells found that water and other aqueous-based fire extinguishing agents were more effective for suppressing lithium battery fires and preventing thermal runaway than gas or dry powder extinguishing agents during experiments within a test chamber. Although this method was found to be effective for small battery packs, it is yet to be determined if similar results would be achieved with large battery packs. The current NFPA 418, Standard for Heliports, is based on conventional liquid fuel and its dangers and risks. FAA notes that this standard is currently under revision to account for electrical hazards and fire safety standards for vertiports, which is expected to be published on or before January 2024. 
 
• Security and Safety. For vertiports located in secured airport environments, unless screening was carried out at the VTOL passengers' departure location, FAA advised that Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regulations may require that a screening area and/or screening be provided before passengers enter the airport's secured areas. For on-airport vertiports, FAA encourages proponents to work with their local TSA security representative to provide control access to airport airside areas with adequate security measures as required or recommended. 
What's Next? FAA continues to indicate that this EB is a living document that serves as the agency's initial interim guidance and will be updated over time to adapt and address new aircraft and technology as performance data is received. The AAAE Emerging Aviation Technologies Working Group, formerly known as the Advanced Air Mobility Working Group, will be hosting its next meeting on Wednesday, October 12, at 3 p.m. ET. to discuss the EB in greater detail. We will be recording the meeting and making it available upon request. Please feel free to contact Jeremy Valcich if you would like to participate or if you have any questions.
Resources
• FAA Engineering Brief 105, “Vertiport Design“ (Sep. 2022) 
• AAAE's April 18 Regulatory Alert on AAAE's Response to FAA's Draft EB 105 
• FAA's March 22 Industry Day on Draft Vertiport Design EB (Recorded Video) 
• AAAE's February 28 Regulatory Alert on FAA's Draft Engineering Brief 105 
