交通部宣布新墨西哥州完成eVTOL整合试点首次演示飞行：远程驾驶货运飞机在Albuquerque机场试飞
美国交通部10月19日宣布，新墨西哥州已在交通部的电动垂直起降飞行器（eVTOL）整合试点计划（eIPP）下完成该州首次演示飞行。这项演示由 Albuquerque 市航空局牵头，新墨西哥州是该计划启动的第六个地点，前一个是9月下旬的北卡罗来纳州。
上周，Albuquerque 市航空局与 Reliable Robotics 公司在 Albuquerque International Sunport 机场进行了一次混合动力演示飞行，使用 Reliable 公司远程驾驶的 Cessna 208B Caravan 飞机测试货运投送。交通部长 Sean P. Duffy 表示，这些试飞正在把飞行的未来带向全世界。联邦航空局（FAA）局长 Bryan Bedford 表示，Albuquerque 的演示有助于确保工作安全高效地推进，每一次试飞都提供关键数据。
Albuquerque 市长 Tim Keller 表示，该市希望对新技术和新机遇说「是」，把 Sunport 机场用作未来航空的试验场，有助于为新墨西哥州带来新产业并强化地区经济。市航空局局长 Manny Manriquez 表示，该机场是全美仅有的八个 FAA eIPP 指定参与方之一，工作重点是推进自主飞机运行，并为 FAA 制定政策提供数据。Reliable Robotics 首席执行官兼联合创始人 Robert Rose 表示，该公司与 FAA 及 Albuquerque 市的合作正在为把自主飞行整合进高密度空域绘制路线图。
据交通部介绍，eIPP 计划由交通部长 Sean P. Duffy 于今年3月公布，源于特朗普总统的《释放无人机主导地位》行政令；八个入选项目横跨28个州，方向包括城市空中出租车、区域客运、货运与物流网络、紧急医疗响应、自主飞行技术以及近海与能源行业运输。Albuquerque 市航空局与其他参与方计划在今年余下时间继续进行更多试飞，FAA 将利用试点数据制定新规，以安全地大规模启用这类新一代飞行器。
DOT Announces New Mexico's First eVTOL Integration Pilot Demonstration Flight: Remotely Piloted Cargo Plane Flies at Albuquerque Sunport
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced on October 19 that New Mexico has completed its first demonstration flight under the department's Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) Integration Pilot Program (eIPP). The effort is led by the City of Albuquerque Aviation Department, and New Mexico is the sixth location to launch under the initiative, following North Carolina in late September.
Last week, the City of Albuquerque Aviation Department and Reliable Robotics conducted a hybrid-electric demonstration flight at Albuquerque International Sunport to test cargo deliveries using Reliable's remotely piloted Cessna 208B Caravan airplane. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said the test flights are bringing the future of flight to the entire world. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the Albuquerque demonstrations help ensure the work is done safely and efficiently, and that every test flight provides critical data.
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said the city wants to say yes to new technology and new opportunities, and that putting the Sunport to work as a testing ground for the future of aviation helps bring new industries to New Mexico and strengthen the regional economy. Manny Manriquez, the city's director of aviation, said the Sunport is one of just eight designees nationwide in the FAA's eIPP, focused on advancing autonomous aircraft operations and providing the FAA with data to develop appropriate policies. Robert Rose, CEO and co-founder of Reliable Robotics, said the company's work with the FAA and the City of Albuquerque is building the roadmap for integrating autonomy into high-density airspaces.
According to the department, Secretary Duffy unveiled the eIPP in March; the program stems from President Trump's 'Unleashing Drone Dominance' executive order. Its eight selected projects span 28 states and cover urban air taxi services, regional passenger transportation, cargo and logistics networks, emergency medical response, autonomous flight technologies, and offshore and energy-sector transportation. The City of Albuquerque Aviation Department and other eIPP participants plan additional test flights through the rest of the year, and the FAA may use data from the pilot projects to develop new regulations that safely enable the technology at scale.
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：图：一架 FedEx Feeder 的 Cessna 208B Super Cargomaster 货运飞机（资料图，与本次演示所用的 Cessna 208B Caravan 同属 208B 系列）。本次演示的飞机由 Reliable Robotics 远程驾驶，图片并非演示现场。图片来源：Tomás Del Coro／Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 2.0。Photo: A FedEx Feeder Cessna 208B Super Cargomaster cargo aircraft (file photo, same 208B family as the Cessna 208B Caravan used in the demonstration; not the demonstration flight). Source: Tomás Del Coro / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).
