Senior Editor

Jerry Siebenmark

Safety, noise, and economics are among some of the key challenges in developing an infrastructure for urban air mobility (UAM), according to a panel of experts speaking at a session on infrastructure at Invest in Bavaria's Urban Air Mobility 2020: Future of Aerial Transport &amp; Logistics virtual conference earlier this week.

 


“We have to have trust among users and community,” said panelist Chad Sparks, Bell’s director of strategic campaigns. “It’s incumbent upon us to make sure vehicles are of a safe design.” Sparks suggested that a digital infrastructure would contribute to UAM operational safety by reducing “human causality.” Feeling safe also means that UAM users are comfortable flying in a vehicle that’s much smaller than a commercial jet, an experience not widely shared among most people, noted panelist Adrienne Lindgren of Hyundai Motor Group’s UAM division for state and local partnerships. “How do we communicate that this is something safe to do?” she said. “A majority of people have not been in small aircraft before. I think a lot of public engagement…has to be a priority.”

 


To be successful, UAM vehicles and vertiports also will have to produce a minimum of noise. It also affects the routing of UAM. “If the operations aren’t quiet they won’t be allowed,” said panelist and VerdeGo Aero CEO Eric Bartsch. What will be key, panelists said, is not only will the aircraft have to be quiet, but so will the vertiports where they are picking up and dropping off people. That’s where it’s key to have vertiports located “where the noise from these places is in the background,” Bartsch said.

 


Another big challenge is the cost of operating a UAM system, which is “the one thing that keeps me awake at night more than anything else,” Sparks said. “It is one of the biggest challenges and probably one of the poorest understood aspects of what we’re all trying to do.” The public, Sparks noted, isn’t clamoring for UAM right now, which means early on UAM trips will be expensive and they’ll most likely be used by a limited segment of the population.

 


“So your first marketing touchpoint is likely going to be business-class travelers, high net-worth individuals, folks that can afford that service,” he explained. “That has to be the stepping-stone towards a broader market acceptance. If the vehicle is sitting parked an inordinate amount of time, the business model falls apart pretty quickly,” Sparks said. So, it’s really going to require demand from the broader public to be sustainable. For his part, Bartsch thinks that point will be reached.

 


“Even though the aircraft are small, this is more like Southwest Airlines or United Airlines,” he said. “And what that means is, the aircraft can be expensive as long as they’re utilized at a high rate and they’re efficient to operate. If it’s an expensive aircraft but it’s always moving in the air, it’s always generating revenue, it’s always full, that airplane can be very profitable and it can be priced at a reasonable rate where a lot of people can actually afford to fly in it.”

News and issues relating to civil and military unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) of all kinds and sizes, including those used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), combat (unmanned combat air vehicles, or UCAVs), law enforcement, research and other applications. Of particular focus is the FAA's planned integration of UAS into the U.S. national airspace system.

UAM's Challenges Outlined at Bavarian Conference

Safety, noise, and economics will challenge urban air mobility infrastructure development, panelists at Invest in Bavaria's UAM 2020 Conference note. 

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

Partnership may lead to a Japanese production line for the drone

Kawasaki Will Develop Piston Engine For Black Swan Cargo UAV

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Business aviation group is preparing a response to FAA proposals 

NBAA Surveys Members on Drones for BVLOS Consultation

Hanneke Weitering

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

SiCore batteries now shipping from an expanded pilot line in Fremont, California

Amprius Boosts U.S. Battery Production as Drone Market Surges

Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

Self-piloting Caravan aircraft joins Resolute Force Pacific exercise

Joby Demonstrates Autonomous Flight in Pacific Defense Exercise

Fully automated Cessna 208B Grand Caravan will be deployed overseas

U.S. Air Force Buys Autonomous Freighter from Reliable Robotics

Kargo II triples the payload capacity of the original Kargo UAV

Piasecki Unveils Upgraded Kargo UAV for Autonomous Logistics

Acquisitions build on military aircraft joint venture with Anduril 

Archer Boosts Defense Capability with Overair IP and Composites Facility

News, issues, personnel, equipment and developments about air traffic management.

More In Unmanned Aerial Vehicles