LIFT Aircraft Initiates FAA Type Certification Process

LIFT Aircraft, the pioneer in personal electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aviation, today announced it has officially commenced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Type Certification process for a new “Certified Edition” of its flagship HEXA aircraft. This major milestone marks the final pillar in LIFT’s strategic roadmap to offer a comprehensive family of eVTOL aircraft based on a unified, proven airframe architecture.

The initiation of Type Certification signifies LIFT’s entry into the commercial sector of Urban Air Mobility (UAM). While substantially similar to its sister models, the Type Certified edition will undergo the process of proving it meets the rigorous design and safety standards required for commercial air taxi, remotely piloted, and fully autonomous operations.

A Unified Platform, Three Distinct Missions
With this announcement, LIFT Aircraft solidifies a three-tiered product strategy designed to meet diverse regulatory environments and use cases:

HEXA-U (Ultralight): Operated under 14 CFR Part 103. This model requires no pilot’s license, is outfitted with floats for added safety when flying over water, and has lightweight battery packs (10 kWh) to meet the strict Ultralight weight limit. HEXA-U is currently in use at LIFT’s flight experience centers but is limited to daytime flights over uncongested areas, speeds less than 63 miles per hour, and personal, non-commercial use.

HEXA-S (Sport): Designed for the recently enacted MOSAIC (Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certificates) Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) regulations. This model will require additional training and a pilot’s license but will be approved to fly over congested areas and at night. With more aerodynamic fixed skids as landing gear instead of floats, the Sport Edition can fly at speeds up to 90 mph, and has higher capacity, extended range (ER) batteries (20kWh) that double its flight time to 25 minutes.

Type Certified HEXA: The newest edition, undergoing full FAA Type Certification. This aircraft is intended for high-frequency commercial use, as well as unmanned and autonomous uses including fully autonomous air taxi services. HEXA-C will be capable of flying in Instrument / IFR weather conditions and has Long Range battery packs (30kWh) capable of flight times approaching 40 minutes.

Validated by Data, Designed for Scale
By utilizing a „substantially similar“ airframe across all three categories, LIFT Aircraft leverages flight data accumulated through thousands of HEXA-U operations to support the certification of the new model.

„From day one, our strategy has been to launch first in the Ultralight category to validate our technology, gather real-world flight data, and refine the user experience without the immediate burden of Type Certification,“ said Matt Chasen, Founder and CEO of LIFT Aircraft. „Now, with a mature, safe, and proven platform, we are taking the next logical step. The Type Certified HEXA will allow us to expand into autonomous “full self flying” (FSF), point-to-point commercial air transportation.“

Unlocking the Future of Flight
The Type Certified Edition will incorporate an upgraded avionics package required for commercial certification, but maintain the same proven distributed electric propulsion, and beginner-friendly flight control systems that define the HEXA brand. This approach drastically reduces development risk and cost compared to competitors attempting to certify unproven aircraft from scratch. HEXA-C will cost 90% less than larger commercial air taxis, and when approved for autonomous operations – HEXA will be the only air taxi capable of being price competitive ground-based ridesharing.

About LIFT Aircraft

Austin-based LIFT Aircraft is democratizing flight with the HEXA, an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. LIFT is the first company to offer pay-per-flight experiences to the general public, requiring no pilot’s license. By combining advanced distributed electric propulsion with semi-autonomous flight controls, LIFT is making the joy and utility of personal flight accessible to everyone.

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