Miguel Cara'

Head of Business Development Americas, Eve Air Mobility (Embraer Group)

With 24+ years in the domestic and international aviation industry, Miguel helps redefine air transportation through the pursuit and adoption of emerging aviation technologies associated with flight operations, pilot training and net-zero initiatives.

Miguel has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and is an FAA airline transport pilot, FAA UAS drone pilot, ANAC piloto de linha aerea, accumulating over 19,000 hours as instructor pilot, check pilot and pilot examiner for US Part 121 carriers.

Eve's Vision on Training for eVTOL

Electrical Vertical Takeoff and Landing Vehicles (eVTOLs) have been developed by legacy OEMs and new players in the industry to support the demand of urban transportation systems that connect people by air in response to traffic congestions, mainly intracity passenger transport, at faster and affordable price when compared with other terrestrial vehicles.

These new vehicles have been developed considering the usage of highly advanced automated systems (on-board and on-ground) to support operational scenarios with much denser air traffic than nowadays and allow a simpler operation. Usage of automation coupled with human factors best practices to optimize the overall quantity of trained skills, knowledge, and attitudes that the pilot must acquire to operate these new vehicles (eVTOL) will be a key factor for the success in the Urban Air Mobility market.

According to UAM (Urban air Mobility) industry predictions, hundreds of vehicles would be sharing the low altitude airspace simultaneously in metropolitan airspace within next decades. Thus, a massive number of qualified pilots, fleet and airspace managers would be needed to support such vehicle´s demand in the initial years of operations.

The technical challenge is that due to high demand for new pilots, it will be necessary a simpler (optimized) training philosophy compared with current training program. The challenge is how to provide cost-efficient training and improve safety standards, EVE’s direction is to rely on technology on board of the eVTOL and use new training technologies and process.

In terms of technology on board of eVTOL, Eve will rely on technology such as: fly-by-wire, automated procedures, glass cockpit to simplify pilot tasks in the cockpit. Based on that, Flight Device training may be simpler and reduce the necessary training.

Another pillar will be the use of Competency-Based Training & Assessment (CBTA) associated with the use of immersive training technologies such as virtual reality/mixed reality/augmented reality to provide a competent workforce for the provision of a safe and efficient urban air mobility system, achieving, since early training programs, a faster and more effective trainee throughput.