Integrating Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Aircraft into Public Airspace: A Scenario Study

Abstract

The successful deployment of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) requires the safe integration of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in non-segregated airspace. However, a lack of practical deployment demonstrations can slow the regulatory progress. This study presents a practical deployment framework for the integration of eVTOL aircraft into public airspace, in accordance with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) special airworthiness criteria. This study focused on a corporate use case to provide a comprehensive scenario for enhancing intra-company mobility. The scenario supports early implementation and demonstration goals by removing reliance on air traffic management systems or air traffic controller separation services. The practical deployment framework included facility selection, route planning, terrain mapping, collision avoidance, aircraft selection, infrastructure requirements, vertiport placement, electric chargers, ground handling, operational staff, and cost estimates. Planners can use the framework as a template to inform the implementation of real-world AAM services using eVTOL aircraft.

Monitoring Nodal Transportation Assets with Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles: A Comprehensive Review

“…Airspace monitoring for trespassers or unauthorized drone activity constitutes another crucial dimension of heliport security. Drones inform the implementation of safety protocols during high-risk or sensitive operations, thereby augmenting the heliport's overall security framework [54].…”

Integrating Urban Air Mobility into a Public Transit System: A GIS-Based Approach to Identify Candidate Locations for Vertiports

“…These considerations increase uncertainties [24] that exacerbate eVTOL design challenges [25]. Therefore, planners must consider these challenges, and the need for convenient access, airspace sharing, and emergency procedures to provide for vertical take-off and landing services [26]. Moreover, predicting UAM demand is difficult because of uncertainties in factors such as pricing strategy, telecommuting trend, and the lack of Global Positioning System (GPS) trace data [27].…”

“…These studies indicated that planners should consider demand factors such as population, income, and employment in vertiport placement decision making. However, a survey conducted in Ohio and California by NASA revealed that respondents wanted vertiports to be located close to public transit stations [26]. For predicting the long-term application potential of urban air mobility complementing public transport, Ploetner et al (2020) suggested that UAM resembles a public transport mode in the mobility system and selected a transit mode (train) as the reference mode for UAM in developing an incremental logit model for mode choice [8].…”