Munich, Germany-based Lilium has received the certification basis it will use for the Type Certification of its jet eVTOL from the US aviation regulator the FAA.
A G-1 Certification Basis necessary for type certificate validation of aircraft in the USA. Lilium’s primary airworthiness authority, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), issued its certification basis for the Lilium Jet in 2020.
Lilium is pursuing certification of the Lilium Jet through validation by the FAA under the provisions of the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement between the EU and USA. According to Lilium it is the only eVTOL aircraft developer that holds both an EASA and FAA certification basis for a powered-lift eVTOL aircraft.
Lilium plans to start final assembly of a full-scale version of the Jet eVTOL by the end of this year and to begin flight testing during 2024. Last month it began a wind tunnel testing campaign of a 1 to 2.5 scale powered model of its Jet aircraft at Europe’s largest wind tunnel in the Netherlands.
The company said that it remains “on track” toward achieving Type Certification with EASA in late 2025.
Alastair McIntosh, Lilium’s chief technology officer said, “This is a major step towards our goal of achieving early certification of our aircraft in key markets to support a worldwide entry into service. We are grateful to have found great partners on both sides of the pond to electrify the skies.
“As per FAA practice, there will now be a collaborative process where Lilium and EASA provide feedback to the FAA before the G-1 is issued for public consultation. We look forward to continued collaboration with the FAA and EASA.“
Lilium’s CEO Klaus Roewe said, “Receiving the FAA G-1 demonstrates the Lilium Jet’s path to global acceptance by aerospace regulators and the expected start of global operations in late 2025 for the revolutionary Lilium Jet.”
The Lilium Jet eVTOL aircraft will be able to carry five passengers, with a planned range 250km (155 miles) and a cruise speed of 280km/h (175mph) at an altitude of up to 10,000ft.
The company, which was founded in 2015, raised US$119 million of investment in its latest funding round in November 2022. It also conducted a flight testing program in Spain with a technology demonstrator last year.
Want to know more about the Lilium Jet? Read ATI‘s interview with its chief technology officer Alastair McIntosh.
