Projected Demand and Potential Impacts to the National Airspace System of Autonomous, Electric, On-Demand Small Aircraft

Abstract

Electric propulsion and autonomy are technology frontiers that offer tremendous potential to achieve low operating costs for small-aircraft. Such technologies enable simple and safe to operate vehicles that could dramatically improve regional transportation accessibility and speed through point-to-point operations. This analysis develops an understanding of the potential traffic volume and National Airspace System (NAS) capacity for small on-demand aircraft operations. The results of this analysis projects very large trip numbers for an on-demand air transportation system competitive with automobiles in cost per passenger mile. The significance is this type of air transportation can enhance mobility for communities that currently lack access to commercial air transportation. Another significant finding is that the large numbers of operations can have an impact on the current NAS infrastructure used by commercial airlines and cargo operators, even if on-demand traffic does not use the 28 airports in the Continental U.S. designated as large hubs by the FAA. Some smaller airports will experience greater demand than their current capacity allows and will require upgrading. In addition, in future years as demand grows and vehicle performance improves other non-conventional facilities such as short runways incorporated into shopping mall or transportation hub parking areas could provide additional capacity and convenience.

The Priority for Improvement Vehicle Parking Service at El Tari Kupang Airport Using Quality Function Deployment (Qfd).

“…1. Provide training to parking officers so that they have the ability to manage traffic in the parking area (3,414). This responds to the low satisfaction of airport visitors with parking attendant performance related to the ability to manage traffic.…”

“…2. Provide training to parking officers so that they have the ability to guide drivers into and out of parking lots (3,342). This responds to the low satisfaction of airport visitors with the performance of parking attendants in guiding drivers into and out of parking lots.…”

“…Air transportation is a favorite when traveling long distances because it takes less time than other modes of transportation. During the last three decades of the twentieth century, the worldwide long-term growth rate for passenger aircraft was about 6 percent per year [3]. So that the development of air transportation activities is currently increasing rapidly.…”

Urban Air Mobility Airspace Integration Concepts and Considerations

“…In recent years, a number of studies have been conducted on the subject of On-Demand Mobility (ODM)-air traffic operations between any origin and any destination [8] without the delays associated with scheduled service as in traditional commercial aviation. These include research efforts on the ODM vision [8], concepts [9], barriers [10], vehicles [11], demand forecasting [12], and impact on the National Airspace System (NAS) [13]. UAM is the subset…”