NASA’s recent acoustic campaign with Pivotal’s BlackFly adds critical, independently gathered data to the eVTOL noise conversation. Using a multi‑microphone ground array, NASA characterized BlackFly’s flyover sound levels and directivity, helping quantify how “vertiport‑ready” this class of personal eVTOL can be. For AAM planners, regulators, and investors, the NASA–Pivotal acoustic study is another step toward realistic community noise modelling and certification frameworks.
Rail’s Electric Renaissance: Battery Trains Lead the Way
Before eVTOL, before EVs, before any of the advanced air mobility we cover here — there was electric rail. Now, a century after electrification transformed the railroads, MBTA and Maryland Transit Administration are issuing a joint RFP for battery-electric locomotives, proving the grandfather of electric mobility is still very much in motion. The revolution didn’t start with Tesla. It started on the tracks.

