Specialists from DECEA discussed the new type of electric aircraft that will carry passengers in Brazil starting in 2025
Lieutenant Fernanda Pereira/DECEA
Flying car, air cab or electric helicopter? What is the much talked about eVTOL? When will it become a reality in the world and in Brazil, and what are the consequences for society and for the airspace? These were some of the questions answered by experts from the Airspace Control Department (DECEA), an organization of the Brazilian Air Force, during the “1st eVTOL Forum – Challenges and Opportunities”, held at the DroneSHOW 2023 fair, on May 10, in São Paulo.
The acronym eVTOL comes from the English term “electric vertical take-off and landing”, which means an electric aircraft capable of landing and taking off vertically. Although it is not the same as a drone, the theme was inserted for the first time in the fair, due to the advancement of the subject in Brazil and in the world, moving the market and generating new demands for regulatory bodies such as DECEA and ANAC.
According to Captain Márcio André da Silva, manager of DECEA’s UAM project, speaker and mediator of the Forum, there are already more than 6,000 purchase orders for these aircraft in the world and almost 600 in Brazil alone. “One of the main differences between eVTOL and drone is that the former will carry people, which causes many changes from the regulatory point of view. Another difference is in the areas of operation and on-board technologies, which are much more similar to those found in traditional aircraft. This is not an evolutionary car or an air cab, we are talking about a new type of aircraft that represents a disruptive leap, a new phase in the history of aviation, which is similar to the moment of the advent of the helicopter or jet aviation, for example,” highlighted the Officer.
The DECEA experts reinforced that, at the beginning of the operations, the eVTOL will have a pilot on board, but the trend is that it will evolve to become remotely piloted and, in a more distant future, autonomous. Another speaker at the Forum, Captain Robson Batista Cunha dos Santos, advisor of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Planning Section (UAS), said that the first flights of this type of aircraft in Brazil should take place between 2025 and 2026.
The military also explained that there are other challenges, such as public acceptance, the development of support technologies, pilot qualification, and the need for vertiport infrastructure (eVTOL airports). “The National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) is already working on the eVTOL certification process. In parallel, DECEA is developing a project aimed at preparing the structure of the Brazilian Airspace Control System to enable the operation of these aircraft safely and integrated with other aircraft. We have disseminated the importance of the various organizations involved working collaboratively to implement this concept. The result will be the availability of a new air modal that will allow greater accessibility for passengers in large metropolises,” concluded the expert.
Photos: Corporal Bill Clinton (COMGAP)