The Future of Advanced Air Mobility
August 2, 2023 | AUVSI Advocacy
In the opening plenary session of the AAM Summit on August 2nd, panelists discussed how AAM can provide new delivery and passenger transportation options in both urban and rural settings. However, achieving widespread access and benefits requires addressing equity challenges.
Participants included NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy; U.S. DOT Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy Carlos Monje; FAA New England Region Regional Administrator Colleen D’Alessandro; and Houston Mills, Flight Operations and Safety at UPS and Chair of FAA’s Advanced Aviation Advisory Committee (AAAC).
Steps to Advance AAM
Panelists agreed that a whole of government approach, led at the federal level, is needed to collectively advance the industry. They also agreed that earning public trust in autonomy is critical, and that lessons can be implemented from non-aerial autonomous transportation systems.
Melroy stated that advancements in drone integration will impact the AAM sector, saying that, “Safe UAS integration will be the rising tide that lifts all boats” and allows innovation to thrive.
Mills stated that to ensure U.S. global leadership in aviation innovation, AAM stakeholders must consider both what they can do to progress today and what seeds can be planted for future benefit. One way the industry can plant seeds now is by proactively addressing issues around noise, vertiport site selection, workforce diversity, and vehicle accessibility.
Challenges That Must Be Addressed
Melroy stated that the greatest challenge to AAM integration is complexity. Businesses and the public rely on traditional aviation and the sector has enormous economic impact; therefore, government must consider how they can balance integrating uncrewed systems in a way that is safe and equitable for all users of the national airspace system (NAS).
Mills identified domestic and global harmonization as a challenge facing the AAM industry. Because manufacturers cannot afford to make significant investments in aircraft that can only operate in one place, standards must be harmonized across jurisdictions. Domestically, this means that jurisdictional authority of airspace navigation must reside with the FAA in order to prevent a patchwork of state and local regulations that would erode safety.
Finally, Monje shared his perspective that a top challenge facing AAM is spectrum allocation. In this century, spectrum demand will only continue to increase, including the demand currently seen for ADS-B He shared that, as part of a whole of government approach, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is considering how to make spectrum more efficient.
