ADVANCING
AERIAL
MOBILITY
A National Blueprint
Committee on Enhancing Air Mobility—A National Blueprint
Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences
A Consensus Study Report of
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, DC
www.nap.edu
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This study is based on work supported by Contract NNH16CD01B with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any agency or organization that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-67026-5
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-67026-8
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/25646
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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Advancing Aerial Mobility: A National Blueprint. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25646.
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COMMITTEE ON ENHANCING AIR MOBILITY—A NATIONAL BLUEPRINT
NICHOLAS D. LAPPOS, Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company, Chair
ELLA M. ATKINS, University of Michigan
JAMES G. BELLINGHAM, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
ATHERTON A. CARTY, Lockheed Martin Corporation
DANIEL DELAURENTIS, Purdue University
NANCY G. LEVESON, NAE,1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
GEORGE T. LIGLER, NAE, GTL Associates and North Carolina State University
LOURDES Q. MAURICE, DLM Global Strategies
PAUL E. McDUFFEE, The Boeing Company
VINEET MEHTA, Systems & Technology Research
CONSTANTINE SAMARAS, Carnegie Mellon University
PETER SHANNON, Radius Capital
Staff
DWAYNE A. DAY, Senior Program Officer, Study Director
COLLEEN HARTMAN, Director, Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board and Space Studies Board
DANIEL NAGASAWA, Associate Program Officer
GAYBRIELLE HOLBERT, Program Assistant
___________________
1 Member, National Academy of Engineering.
AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ENGINEERING BOARD
ALAN H. EPSTEIN, NAE,1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chair
BRIAN M. ARGROW, University of Colorado, Boulder
STEVEN J. BATTEL, NAE, Battel Engineering
MEYER J. BENZAKEIN, NAE, Ohio State University
EILEEN M. COLLINS, Space Presentations, LLC
EDWARD F. CRAWLEY, NAE, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MICHAEL P. DELANEY, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
KAREN FEIGH, Georgia Institute of Technology
ILAN KROO, NAE, Stanford University
ANDREW LACHER, The Boeing Company
NICHOLAS D. LAPPOS, Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company
MARK J. LEWIS, IDA Science and Technology Policy Institute
VALERIE MANNING, Airbus
RICHARD McKINNEY, Consultant
PAMELA A. MELROY, Melroy and Hollett Technology Partners, LLC
PARVIZ MOIN, NAS2/NAE, Stanford University
JOHN M. OLSON, Polaris Industries
ELLEN M. PAWLIKOWSKI, NAE, United States Air Force (ret.)
ROBIE I. SAMANTA ROY, Lockheed Martin Corporation
WANDA A. SIGUR, NAE, Consultant
ALAN M. TITLE, NAS/NAE, Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center
DAVID M. VAN WIE, NAE, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
SHERRIE L. ZACHARIUS, Aerospace Corporation
Staff
COLLEEN HARTMAN, Director
ANDREA REBHOLZ, Administrative Coordinator
TANJA PILZAK, Manager, Program Operations
CELESTE A. NAYLOR, Information Management Associate
MEG A. KNEMEYER, Financial Officer
___________________
1 Member, National Academy of Engineering.
2 Member, National Academy of Sciences.
Preface
In 2018, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to undertake a study to evaluate the potential benefits and challenges associated with advanced aerial mobility, an emerging technological development that can be simultaneously transformative and disruptive for the nation’s aviation infrastructure and industry. Although the statement of task referred to “urban air mobility,” while this study was under way the aviation community—and NASA itself—increasingly used the term “advanced aerial mobility,” of which “urban air mobility” is considered a subset (albeit the most challenging one). The committee therefore chose to use advanced aerial mobility to capture the broader range of opportunities and operations that are being discussed.
The National Academies formed a committee that met three times between spring and fall 2019. This is a dynamic subject that was changing as the committee was finalizing its report and even during the report’s review. Nevertheless, the committee sought to provide findings and recommendations that will help NASA and others in the aviation community foster an environment in which the nation can maintain its leadership in developing, deploying, and embracing new technology that opens up new opportunities. Whether through drone delivery of goods in urban environments, linking rural areas to population centers through passenger and cargo aviation, or an entirely new method of passenger travel within a metropolis and its surrounding areas, advanced aerial mobility can make aviation a part of daily life.
Such benefits do not come without challenges. This committee also sought to ensure that the foreseen problems that will inevitably arise from such cutting-edge technologies can be mitigated during development and that the unforeseen problems are discovered through processes established to safely test vehicles and methods of operation. By addressing these problems proactively in collaboration with other federal agencies, NASA can facilitate the integration of advanced aerial mobility into the national airspace infrastructure safely and with minimal negative impact on general aviation and the public-at-large.
It is the goal of this committee that this report reflects both the forward-thinking optimism and the caution that such a transformative technology merits.
Nick Lappos, Chair
Committee on Enhancing Air Mobility—A National Blueprint
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Acknowledgment of Reviewers
This Consensus Study Report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.
We thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations of this report nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Anita K. Jones, NAE, University of Virginia, and Brian Argrow, University of Colorado, Boulder. They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.
___________________
1 Member, National Academy of Engineering.
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Contents
2 A NATIONAL VISION FOR ADVANCED AERIAL MOBILITY
The Gaps and Barriers Involved in Achieving the Vision
Promoting U.S. Competitiveness
Ultimate Capabilities of the Vision
Building Toward an Integrated Air Traffic Management System
A Focused Experiment in Cargo to Identify Gaps and Opportunities in this Market Segment
Enhancing and Refining the NASA National Campaign Program
4 SAFETY, SECURITY, AND CONTINGENCY MANAGEMENT
Cybersecurity and Certification Aspects of Technologies for Advanced Aerial Mobility
5 MOVING FORWARD WITH ADVANCED AERIAL MOBILITY IMPLEMENTATION
Aerial Mobility Promotion, Solutions Development, and Accountability
Overcoming Barriers in Government, Industry, and Academia
Flight Testing and Rapid Development Environments
Public-Private Cooperation and Urban Air Mobility Systems
Data Quality Assessment Processes
Real-Time Distributed Computing