From Flying magazine….
“Adam Goldstein said Archer is “hopeful” that Hawthorne will be selected for the eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP)—a three-year initiative to study the operational potential and safety of electric aircraft. He predicted eIPP flights would begin next summer, which could allow Archer to conduct more testing in urban settings.
“Once you get…certain hours of maturity on the aircraft, you can start to fly and get permissions to fly in and around urban environments,” Goldstein said. The Archer CEO even floated the idea of opening the Hawthorne hub up to other electric air taxi developers, such as its charging partner Beta Technologies, making it a “centralized hub that everybody can use.”
“It could be a way to help bring the industry together and create a main point of interest for us all to use to really help unlock a city like Los Angeles,” Goldstein said.
What is eIPP?
https://share.google/HLqGZjzhxT2uQQR8v
“Initially outlined in June 2025 as part of the “Unleashing Drone Dominance” Executive Order, the DOT and FAA announced today a framework for cities across the U.S. to participate in the eIPP with OEMs and operators like Archer, unlocking a path to supervised, pre-certification trial operations of eVTOL aircraft in the U.S. as soon as next year.”
FAA’s Possible Timeline
Dec 11, 2026 – Proposals are due from the cities interesting in sponsoring an eVTOL company
March 3, 2026 – FAA announces up to five pilot project locations
eVTOL companies can start-up in a host city, such as Hawthorne, within three months of being being selected. Perhaps operating above neighborhoods by July, 2026.
The program will last 3 years, unless extended
Hawthorne Quiet Skies 