July was a banner month for my inner aviation geek, as I was privileged to attend both the Honeywell Advanced Air Mobility Summit in Washington, DC and the Vertical Flight Society’s Electric Aircraft Symposium in Oshkosh, WI. (Not to mention witnessing the Wisk eVTOL first public demo at AirVenture ’23, the world’s biggest air show, from where I’m writing this blog.)

Before I run through my observations, I want to tip my hat to Honeywell Aerospace for stepping forward to act as master connector in this new exciting AAM and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) industry segment, and to VFS for its continued technical leadership in this space. Both events were well planned and led, and attended by all the right industry leaders, technical experts, entrepreneurs, innovators, regulators and investors. I’m impressed.

It's also important that I recognize the active and visionary support we see from Congressional leadership, the Administration, and a host of federal agencies, from the Department of Transportation and the FAA to the Department of Defense, all of whom are doing yeoman’s work to support and advance the U.S. aerospace sector and the AAM movement. The collaboration and progress of the Advanced Air Mobility Interagency Working Group created by the bipartisan AAM Coordination and Leadership Act is unprecedented in recent government bureaucratic history. Some 19 different federal agencies are working in close coordination on an aggressive timeline to create a permanent national strategy and to create policies that will both encourage and enable new aviation technologies to safely enter service while maintaining the U.S.’s global leadership in aerospace and aviation. I’m optimistic.

Here are my takeaways from these conferences…

• Advanced Air Mobility, a subject of discussion, invention, and exploration for a decade now, has arrived. The nexus of innovation, technology, investment and regulation is now, and we are witnessing the most significant evolution of aviation technologies since the jet age.
  
  
• Electrification of aviation, not just with eVTOLS but across the board, has also arrived. Electric propulsion systems and battery technology has developed to the point we can safely and efficiently put electric aircraft into the sky – and these technologies will only get better. And more efficient.
  
  
• The U.S. Government is aligned in support of this industry and – fingers crossed – will continue to lead, partner, advocate, support, invest and where appropriate get out of the way.
  
  
• AAM infrastructure is finally getting the attention it deserves. Well, maybe. Infrastructure is the pacing item for the acceptance and deployment of electric ground vehicles; we must work harder and invest more to make sure it doesn’t become a limiter for AAM.
  
  
• We are making good progress with hydrogen power for aviation and need to continue that line of development as well.

The AAM age – if we can call it that – will be a boom for the aviation industry, and for the economy, creating tens of thousands of jobs and billions in economic impact. New, safer, more efficient aircraft will connect Americans in communities across this nation and move people, goods, and services the same way the railroads first did a hundred years ago. The many new technologies being developed will generate renewed interest in STEM and spur a whole new generation of aviation enthusiasts. They’re here at Oshkosh, and they’ve caught the bug. I’m excited.

The sky is no longer the limit.

Now back to the airshow!