Examination of Urban Air Mobility Integration into the National Airspace System

Abstract

The Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) initiative aims to enhance air transportation for people and cargo in areas with limited aviation services. The Urban Air Mobility (UAM) concept, under AAM, focuses on improving transportation connectivity within metropolitan areas. The FAA’s ASSURE UAS Center of Excellence has sponsored a project to provide recommendations for future technological developments, UAM airspace integration, infrastructure enhancements, and new regulations to support UAM flights. The team’s first milestone was a literature review to identify past work relevant to UAM, including airspace and operational constraints, infrastructure requirements, and communication, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) requirements. Two dominant concepts of operations were identified, one by the FAA and one by NASA. The team’s second milestone was to examine a UAM corridor concept in Daytona Beach Class C airspace to determine the impact of UAM operations on ATC. The FAA advocates the use of helicopter routes for a measured approach to NAS integration. Since Daytona Class C lacks published helicopter routes, the team developed UAM corridors with input from various airspace users. Key findings suggest a crawl, walk, run development of UAM into Class C airspace is needed, with airspace concepts and system complexities evolving as new UAM features are developed and integrated to meet each UAM Maturity Level.

Authors

• Stansbury, Richard Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Rinkinen, Clyde Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Coyne, William B Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Zhyla, Mykyta Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Senn, Randon Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Bowden, Maaliyah Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Keywords

• urban air mobility
• concepts of operations
• airspace design
• air traffic management
• Advanced Air Mobility
• Aviation Safety and Security