TYPE CERTIFICATION OF Air Taxi INTERCONNECT SYSTEMS
Electrical Vertical Take-Off and Landing Aircraft (eVTOLs) and hybrids are being rolled out now for use in short-distance urban air transportation missions. Goals range from increased green energy utilization and improved travel time, to reduced ground traffic congestion. This article presents the principal electrical wire interconnect (EWIS) requirements for FAA / EASA type certification. The intent of this article is to highlight electrical wire interconnect solutions for the emerging Urban Air Mobility (UAM) market, specifically targeting power distribution, avionic and sensor connections, and finally wire and cable management. The UAM, or Air Taxi industry, is focused on highly congested cities and population segments that require alternative solutions to ground transportation congestion. Many UAM solutions are focused on efficiently transporting small groups of people or single individuals in a node-to-node model, typically from high-traffic destinations such as airports, to hubs in city centers. The activity of autonomously transporting people through a controlled airspace and overflying urban areas with unique designs of eVTOL aircraft will require type certification from both the Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency including compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations part 23, 25, and 29.
Glenair offers a broad range of interconnect technologies that have been successfully implemented in aircraft required to meet FAR 25.1701 Electrical Wiring Interconnect System. These EWIS-compliant technologies were developed— using current-day materials and design principles— to ensure reliable and safe air transportation, free of electrical safety hazards. Qualification authorities will apply these or similar regulatory standards throughout the program development cycle (concept, preliminary design, critical design, initial build, power on, fight test and entry into service). In fact, while some industry analysts anticipate the emerging UAM market, over the next 10–15 years, will enjoy some latitude in performance and safety requirements—in line with the unique low-altitude/ autonomous operation nature of the technology— others argue that when the reality of transporting people over dense urban environments and the safety of both passengers and those living below the air space are fully considered, the safe and reliable operation of UAMs will require the use of electrical components that absolutely meet the stringent requirements associated with FAR 25.1701. The most likely UAM operations scenario will be to limit the vehicles to operation in a lower-altitude airspace than larger commercial aircraft, with a likely 10,000 foot AGL (Above Ground Level) limitation. Lower-altitude operation (say, 1500 to 5000 feet) has the advantage of simplifying the insulation design requirements for distributing high-voltage power as well as reducing atmospheric thermal extremes to a range of -40° C to +60° C. Some air taxi designs are already in production and rollout in
countries that are decidedly not in compliance with RTCA DO-160, and other FAA environmental conditions and test procedures for airborne equipment. However the likelihood that these requirements will be instituted as the baseline foundation for defining ongoing and future UAM flight requirements in North America and Europe goes without
QwikConnect • July 2021
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