Overview of traffic management of urban air mobility (UAM) with eVTOL aircraft

LI Cheng-long; QU Wen-qiu; LI Yan-dong; HUANG Long-yang; WEI Peng

doi:10.19818/j.cnki.1671-1637.2020.04.003

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Article Navigation > Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering > 2020 > 20(4): 35-54

LI Cheng-long, QU Wen-qiu, LI Yan-dong, HUANG Long-yang, WEI Peng. Overview of traffic management of urban air mobility (UAM) with eVTOL aircraft[J]. Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering, 2020, 20(4): 35-54. doi: 10.19818/j.cnki.1671-1637.2020.04.003

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LI Cheng-long, QU Wen-qiu, LI Yan-dong, HUANG Long-yang, WEI Peng. Overview of traffic management of urban air mobility (UAM) with eVTOL aircraft[J]. Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering, 2020, 20(4): 35-54. doi: 10.19818/j.cnki.1671-1637.2020.04.003

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Overview of traffic management of urban air mobility (UAM) with eVTOL aircraft

doi: 10.19818/j.cnki.1671-1637.2020.04.003

1.
College of Air Traffic Management, Civil Aviation Flight University of China, Guanghan 618307, Sichuan, China
2.
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, George Washington University, Washington DC 20052, USA

Funds:

National Natural Science Foundation of China U1733105

Safety Capacity Buiding Program of Civil Aviation Administration of China 0241928

Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities CJ2018-02

Central University Education and Teaching Reform Project E2020083

Sichuan Province College Students' Innovative Entrepreneurial Training Plan Program S201910624031

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Author Bio:
LI Cheng-long(1990-), male, lecturer, lcl@cafuc.edu.cn
Received Date: 2020-03-12
Publish Date: 2020-04-25

Abstract

Abstract

The emergence and development of urban air mobility(UAM) were reviewed, the basic concept of UAM traffic management was defined, and the social and technical factors promoting the UAM industry were analyzed. A nationwide framework of UAM traffic management for the near future was proposed. The UAM traffic management issues based on the electric vertical take-off and landing(eVTOL) aircraft were divided into three aspects for discussion(airspace planning, ground infrastructure, traffic rules and operation control). The representative views put forward by related literatures of UAM traffic management in the past few years were sorted out. The key issues that UAM needs to solve in the near future were summarized, and the development trend of UAM traffic management in the future was prospected. Research result shows that in terms of airspace planning, the UAM needs more refined planning and management of existing low-altitude uncontrolled airspace. The structured airspace demarcation method should be applied in the initial stage of UAM traffic management. The contradiction between the operational safety and airspace capacity can be better balanced by the flight layer airspace structure. In terms of ground infrastructure, the UAM traffic demand predicted by the urban OD data can be used for the location selection of vertiports. Also, the vertiport site management will directly affect the structure of the air route network and the layout of communication, navigation, and surveillance(CNS) stations. In terms of traffic rules and operation control, more complex UAVs and manned aircraft integration operation scenarios will be directly faced by the UAM. The UAM traffic rules need to be innovated and compatible with the existing transportation aviation traffic rules. High-band width communication technology will promote the transformation of the UAM operation control to the direction of air-ground coordinated decision-making and self-pilot. How to deal with the relationship between human and air traffic control system is very important to the future air traffic management. In general, UAM traffic management will likely intersect and gradually integrate with the existing UAS traffic management system. Facing this new mode of transportation, our country will be more likely to adopt the traffic management development route of centralized management, pilot operation, and orderly deregulation.
- air transportation,
- urban air mobility,
- eVTOL,
- airspace planning,
- operation control,
- CNS

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References(76)

References

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Overview of traffic management of urban air mobility (UAM) with eVTOL aircraft

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