UAM, UTM, and NextGen

UAM, UTM, NextGen

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is an up-and-coming concept that will revolutionize passenger and cargo transportation in the dense urban environments.  This will help to not only reduce the delays of congested roads, but it will also benefit the environment through reduced carbon emissions.  These initiatives revolve highly around the development and integration of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS).  To enable this integration into the NAS, research and development into UAS Traffic Management (UTM) systems will be required.  There are many challenges to this integration including the current rules and regulations not having adequate aircraft density capacities to handle UAM platforms.  New and revolutionary methods of UTM will be required to enable safe and seamless integration with current and future commercial and general aviation industries (Mueller, 2017).  The FAA’s NextGen modernization movement is aimed at increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the NAS through innovation and advanced technologies.  These technologies include ADS-B, increased automation, data communication, performance-based navigation, information management and decision support system (New Technology, 2019)

UAS and FAA NextGen

The FAA’s NextGen modernization includes many steps in help integrate UAS into the NAS.  Many of the new technologies included in NextGen will bring the FAA into the modern era of communication and data sharing, a feature that many UAS are already leveraging in their designs.  The integration of these technologies into the NAS will allow UAS to tap into them to overcome many of the shortcomings that they experience under the current system.  The NAS Voice System (NVS) will allow ground bound UAS pilots to communicate directly with ATC controllers instead of relying on current line-of-sight based radio communications methods.  Data Communications is another new system the FAA will be incorporating which will allow UAS pilots to communicate via digital, text-based messages, with ATC while also sharing critical flight information such as location, direction, speed and altitude.  The System Wide Information Management (SWIM) servers will also provide UAS pilots with real-time access to information about weather and of mission effecting data.  This will allow UAS pilots increased situational awareness and decision-making abilities, further enhancing safety and efficiency (Williams, 2015).

DSA and UAS NAS Integration

While the FAA’s NextGen initiative does a lot to see increased UAS integration into the NAS, there is one thing that it cannot fix by itself.  Manned aircraft pilots have the inherent ability to look outside of their aircraft and scan for obstacles and hazards such as terrain, weather and other aircraft.  This same task for a UAS pilot, who could be separated from their aircraft by thousands of miles, is nearly impossible.  This poses one of the greatest challenges to UAS integration into the NAS.  The ability for a UAS to Detect, Sense and Avoid (DSA) is essential to safe operation within the NAS.  Many aviation companies, including NASA, have begun to invest into technologies that will allow for safe Detect and Avoid (DAA) systems and standards to be developed.  These technologies will need to be capable of detecting, tracking and warning a UAS pilot of any potential threats to the UAS, and in when required, even redirect the UAS away from the threat automatically (Shively, 2018).  This technology is not only one of the biggest challenges faced by UAS of all shapes and sizes, it is essential to see safe integration of UAS into the NAS.

UAS Lost Link Implications

Lost link situations are an important and common occurrence for current UAS operations.  The effects of a UAS going lost link can ripple to aircraft operating around it, and without proper care and reaction during lost link scenarios, consequences can be catastrophic.  One of the biggest concerns of lost link scenarios is the loss of communication with air traffic control.  With current reliance on line-of-sight radio communications to ATC, UAS operators cannot immediately communicate with ATC when they do not have a communication link with their aircraft.  Some larger UAS that are flown from fixed or semi-permanent ground control stations may have telephone lines available, but this is not the case for all UAS.  The second consideration is the actions taken by the aircraft when it goes lost link.  In most cases, the UAS will fly a lost link flight plan that is preprogrammed into its operating system.  Sometimes this can be as simple as fly to a home point and in other cases it can be programmed by its operator before and during flight to meet mission requirements or ATC requirements.  Of course, human factors can come into play in these scenarios if the operators to not adequately plan for all lost link factors and contingencies, placing the aircraft on an unsafe flight path.  These factors can be further exacerbated operating around unpredictable general aviation and human operated manned aircraft.  This highlights the need for advanced DSA and DAA technologies to augment human controlled UAS when they go lost link as well as to keep autonomously controlled UAS safe as they fly their missions.

References:

Mueller, E. (2017, April 26). Enabling Airspace Integration for High Density Urban Air Mobility. Lecture presented at Uber Elevate Summit in Texas, Dallas. Retrieved April 6, 2019, from https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20180000385

New Technology. (2019, March 11). Retrieved April 6, 2019, from https://www.faa.gov/nextgen/how_nextgen_works/new_technology/

Shively, J. (2018, March 14). UAS Integration in the NAS: Detect and Avoid. Lecture. Retrieved April 6, 2019, from https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20180002420.pdf

Williams, J. H. (2015, January 21). Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Research and Development. Retrieved from US Department of Transportation: https://www.transportation.gov/content/unmanned-aircraft-systems-uas-research-and-development