The Federal Aviation Administration published its Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) implementation plan in early 2025, and for anyone following the personal air mobility space, the document contains some important signals about where regulation is heading. The framework covers eVTOL aircraft, electric drones carrying passengers, and autonomous air vehicles operating in low-altitude urban airspace.
Key Provisions of the Framework
The most significant change in the 2025 framework is the establishment of a new aircraft certification category — Special Class — specifically designed for eVTOL vehicles that do not fit neatly into existing Part 23 (small aircraft) or Part 25 (transport category) definitions. This new category allows manufacturers to work with the FAA on tailored certification standards rather than trying to shoehorn novel designs into rules written for conventional aircraft.
For personal electric drones operated recreationally — vehicles like the Jetson ONE or Opener BlackFly — the framework maintains the existing recreational UAS rules under Part 107, with one important addition: vehicles carrying a human pilot are now explicitly classified as aircraft, not drones, and must meet aircraft airworthiness standards rather than drone regulations.
The FAA is finally building a regulatory lane for vehicles that did not exist when current aviation rules were written. That is a significant step forward for the entire industry.
What Still Needs to Be Resolved
The 2025 framework does not resolve the airspace integration question — specifically, how eVTOL air taxis and personal air vehicles will share low-altitude corridors with commercial drones, helicopters, and each other. The FAA has commissioned three separate pilot programs in Dallas, Los Angeles, and the Northeast corridor to test Urban Air Mobility traffic management systems, with results expected by late 2026.
Noise regulations for eVTOL operations near residential areas are also still under development. Several cities, including Los Angeles and Miami, have preemptively passed local ordinances restricting air taxi operations in certain neighborhoods — a patchwork that the FAA has indicated it intends to address with federal preemption guidelines in 2026.
