Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

Editor, AIN monthly magazine

Kerry Lynch

Read the latest news about Archer Aviation. 

Read the latest news about Beta Technologies.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) rolled out its highly anticipated advanced air mobility (AAM) integration program on the eve of Verticon, announcing the selection of eight projects that will include trials throughout the country with several major AAM developers.
Unveiled in June as part of the “Unleashing American Drone Dominance” executive order, the eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) is intended to set the foundation for the safe operation of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft and other AAM vehicles in the National Airspace System. It comes as AAM developers approach FAA type certification and get ready to launch operations.
According to the DOT, the program “will create one of the largest real-world testing environments for next-generation aircraft in the world.” Data from the trials will be used to develop regulations to enable the scale of these operations. The projects are expected to kick off in the upcoming months.
In all, the eight projects will span 26 states and cover a range of operations, including urban air taxi, regional passenger transportation, cargo and logistics, emergency medical response, autonomous flight technologies, and offshore and energy transport.
Maintaining that these operations will dramatically improve transportation, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, “Working together, we will ensure America leads the way in safely leveraging next-gen aircraft to radically redefine personal travel, regional transportation, cargo logistics, emergency medicine, and so much more.”
FAA Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau further noted that the projects will provide a better understanding of how to safely and efficiently integrate the aircraft into the NAS. “The program will provide valuable operational experience that will inform the standards needed to enable safe advanced air mobility operations.”
Among the eIPP partners, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will work with Archer, Beta, Electra, and Joby on 12 different operational concepts in New England, including electric air taxi operations at the Manhattan heliport.
Another partner, the Texas Department of Transportation, will test regional flights involving air taxi networks connecting Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and, eventually, Houston. Archer, Beta, Joby, and Wisk will participate.
In the Pacific Northwest, the Rocky Mountains, and the Oklahoma plains, the Utah Department of Transportation will trial a range of aircraft and operational concepts involving Ampaire, Beta, Joby, and other AAM developers.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will work through the NASAO AAM Multistate Collaborative to trial regional flights across 13 states in support of the Essential Air Service program with Beta, Electra, and others.
Louisiana will participate in operational tests conducted over the Gulf and at energy industry locations in Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi. This will involve Beta, Elroy Air, and others.
The Florida Department of Transportation will work with multiple industry partners in phases of operations focused on cargo delivery, passenger transportation, automation, and medical response. Archer, Beta, Electra, and Joby, among others, are on tap for these operations.
Exploring medical and regional operations will be the North Carolina Department of Transportation, which will also test autonomous flights extending into Virginia. The state will work with Beta and Joby, among others.
Albuquerque is trialing a project to advance autonomous operations in concert with flight automation specialist Reliable Robotics.
These eight projects were selected from more than 30 proposals. The DOT said they were selected based on their ability to accelerate AAM integration, the breadth of concepts proposed, and their potential for regulatory and policy insights.

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

DOT Selects Eight Projects for eVTOL Integration Pilot Program

Archer, Wisk, Beta, Joby, and others to take part in nationwide trials

The DOT selected eight projects covering a broad swath of the country for integration trials involving a range of AAM manufacturers and types of operations.

DOT Selects Eight Projects for AAM Integration Trials

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Verticon 2026

In this article

Ampaire

Archer Aviation

Beta Technologies

Electra

Elroy Air

Joby Aviation

Reliable Robotics

Wisk Aero

More In Aircraft

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Company continues to work with agency to get the super-medium, fly-by-wire helicopter approved

IBA Forecasts More Business Jet Delivery Growth in 2026

Some supply chain easing, but production and completions constraints could persist

Argus: Business Aviation Ops Soar Globally in February

Bizav posted 500-flight increase per day in North America

Advanced Air Mobility Edges Toward Commercial Launch

eVTOL vehicles may yet replace helicopters in some use cases

Embraer Posts Banner Financial Year in 2025

The company posted more than $7.5 billion in revenue

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