Plana, Gloria Aviation to provide AAM industry training

Hybrid electric vertical takeoff and landing (HeVTOL) developer Plana (Gyeonggi-do, South Korea) is collaborating with Gloria Aviation (Seoul, Republic of Korea) to develop a joint business and train advanced air mobility (AAM) industry talent.

On July 11^th, Plana signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Gloria Aviation. The business agreement ceremony held at Plana’s Icheon R&D center was attended by major stakeholders from both companies, including Jinmo Lee, CPO of Plana, and Dae-hyun Shin, CEO of Gloria Aviation.

Gloria Aviation, a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and education institute, operates an aviation-specialized school in Korea, conducting various aviation-related education and research as well as training pilots and maintenance technicians. Adding its know-how of aircraft maintenance and repair with Plana, the partners plan to contribute to the development of the domestic AAM industry by sharing manpower and technology needed for the development and operation of AAM aircraft.

Through the agreement, the companies plan to establish an education program and qualification standards for AAM aviation workers, and conduct research and development (R&D) on maintenance and operation methods for AAM aircraft. Plana and Gloria Aviation will also start working on an AAM air operator certificate (AOC), a system that verifies whether an aviation company has the necessary personnel, facilities, equipment and maintenance support system for a safe flight.

Both companies note the significance of this cooperation, which they believe will raise the competitiveness of the AAM industry to the next level.

“The aviation industry is facing a major technological turning point with the introduction of electric aircraft, and like electric vehicles, electric aircraft will become an easily accessible mode of transportation for the general public within a few decades,” Dae-hyun Shin, CEO of Gloria Aviation, says. “We expect that Plana’s hybrid aircraft will contribute to the stabilization of electric aircraft by providing a technical buffer during the conversion process to pure electric power.”

According to Jinmo Lee, CPO of Plana, “Through this agreement, we will be able to train manpower and technology that are the most important factors in the aviation industry. We will continue to contribute to the growth and activation of the AAM market and strive to build a competitive AAM ecosystem at home and abroad.”