Enabling Supervised Flight: A Roadmap for Advanced Air Mobility

By Virginia Stouffer, AURA Network Systems Industry Liaison

As a member of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) Electric Propulsion and Innovation Committee, several of my committee colleagues and I have produced a comprehensive Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) white paper titled, “Enabling Supervised Flight – Procedures, Communications, Navigation, Surveillance (CNS) and Supporting Infrastructure.”

The document outlines CNS and procedural adaptations to fully utilize the next generation of type-certified aircraft in the National Airspace System (NAS). This roadmap is crucial as we anticipate a significant increase in advanced aircraft operations, particularly in lower altitudes where current surveillance capabilities are limited. While GAMA has produced an executive summary of the full report, I have compiled a simplified overview of the key areas of focus for new aircraft to move to fuller operational capabilities beyond the “entry-into-service” stage.

Procedures and Rules

As new aircraft enter service, both crewed and remote operations will be supported through various exemptions and authorizations. For full operational capabilities, many of these exemptions will become common practice. Alongside the CNS capabilities outlined below, digital rules need to be developed to enable digital sensors to augment remote piloting capabilities.

Communications

  • Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Approval Process: The FAA needs to provide a method to authorize the operation of PSUs (Providers of Service to Urban Air Mobility), including Command-and-Control Communications Service Providers and Associated Elements.

  • Ground-Based Networks: Implementation of ground-based networks in voice air traffic control (ATC) connections would provide backup voice connections and improve latency.

Navigation

  • Low Altitude Routes: Develop and expand low altitude TK routes or AAM corridors with performance-based access for digitally enabled aircraft.

  • Curved Approaches: Introduce curved approaches for vertiports with surrounding obstructions and revise the ILS requirement to allow alternatives.

  • Regulatory Updates: Update regulations to allow for robust precision navigational technologies and eliminate the visual segment in Instrument Flight Procedures (IFP) to support sensor based approaches and departures.

  • Separation Procedures: Develop separation procedures for traffic below 3000 ft Above Ground Level (AGL) and define Detect and Avoid (DAA) operations at non-towered airfields.

  • Backup Systems: Collaborate with industry to implement backup and secondary navigation systems to mitigate risks like GPS spoofing and urban signal blocking.

  • Strategic Deconfliction: Provide a path to strategic deconfliction flight plan capability for low altitude procedurally separated flights.

Surveillance

  • Regulatory Amendments: Review and amend regulations to include approved digital detection methods for “see-and-avoid” scenarios.

  • DAA Standards: Establish DAA standards for landing and take-offs at non-towered airports.

  • V2V Communication: Add tactical intent information to a collaborative airborne channel (V2V) and develop a strategy for its role in the NAS.

  • Radar Sharing: Collaborate to share primary and secondary radar data between industry and government.

  • Ground Taxi Solutions: Implement solutions to enable remotely supervised ground taxi operations.

Certainly, the full report provides a more detailed blueprint for achieving the full operational capability vision, which will require substantial support and collaboration from government and industry stakeholders. Working together, this roadmap will help ensure that the next generation of aircraft can operate efficiently and safely within the NAS, leveraging advanced technologies and updated procedures to meet the growing demands of air mobility.


In addition to her roles as Industry Liaison and Director of Standards with AURA Network Systems, Virginia Stouffer leads a GAMA Electric Propulsion & Innovation Committee working group. She is also actively engaged with several RTCA committees, as well as the SAE AAM Steering Group, and serves on two American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Subcommittees on AAM and Electric Propulsion.

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