By: Akshata
2023 has been a very important 12 months for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), by way of significant progress. On this exclusive year-in-review with industry experts Kevin Morris, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s “Drone Guy” and Huy Tran, the Director of Aeronautics on the Ames Research Center for National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the 2 dive into the Top 3 developments in each UAS and AAM from their perspectives.
Top 3 in UAS
This 12 months, the FAA granted ground-breaking Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) exemptions to 4 corporations, Phoenix Air Unmanned, UPS Flight Forward, uAvionix and Zipline.
In keeping with Morris, “These exemptions are paving the best way for others to expand BVLOS drone flying.” Other corporations can now use these milestone waivers to scale their very own complex operations, including for drone deliveries. This interim measure will help move drone logistics forward more rapidly, on a nationwide scale, until the FAA conducts BVLOS rulemaking. (Morris, nonetheless, remained mum on when that rulemaking might occur).
This 12 months, the FAA witnessed a surge in applications from UAS operators in search of to include their tech into agricultural operations under part 137. Originally, the agency followed its long-standing process for traditional aviation to grant these approvals for UAS. This led to delays of 9 months to a 12 months to operate UAS for crop-spraying.
After approving lots of of those requests with minimal incidents, the FAA adopted a risk-based approach to streamline the certification process for lower-risk UAS ag operations. Specifically, the FAA streamlined the Part 137 UAS certification process and transferred responsibilities inside the Safety Assurance System (SAS) to the 137 UAS Operations Office (see: https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Notice/N_8900.659.pdf )
Morris explained the dramatic difference this policy change has made. “If you happen to’re operating a drone under 55 kilos, essentially a component 107 type operation, you may begin to get your authorization to operate in as little as 30 days,” he said. “We’ve really made that process far more efficient.”
Just like the 4 BVLOS waivers, leveraging the teachings learned from the expedited part 137 process may set a baseline for potential applications in other complex operations.
Huy Tran noted that NASA made significant progress relevant to UAS Traffic Management (UTM) this 12 months. Specifically, through NASA’s Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO), the agency’s researchers successfully conducted first-ever tests using a mobile air traffic management kit, within the context of wildland firefighting.
The kit provides a comprehensive view of crewed aircraft locations within the airspace, complementing the vigilance of UAS pilots. Deployed across forests in Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina, this kit enhances awareness for distant ground pilots. NASA’s goal is to commercialize it and make ATM a reality on a smaller scale for public safety agencies.
Top 3 in AAM
This 12 months, the FAA released its Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Concept of Operations (ConOps) version 2.0, essentially a blueprint that outlines the longer term of air taxi operations within the national airspace. (https://www.faa.gov/air-taxis/uam_blueprint)
In keeping with the ConOps, initially, air taxis will operate using existing routes and helipads, following the identical rules as helicopters. The blueprint envisions designated corridors for air taxis, with pilots on board actively flying the aircraft. As operations increase, the system will likely evolve into two-way traffic corridors using industry-developed technologies for safety separation.
Perhaps more importantly, 2023 witnessed the primary flights of air taxis in Recent York’s complex airspace. Tran highlighted the continued collaboration between the FAA, NASA and industry to make these flights occur and seamlessly integrate these air taxis into the National Airspace System (NAS). The goal is to make air taxis routine, scalable, and reasonably priced, opening avenues for medical transportation and other public-good use cases.
In July, the FAA released the Innovate 28 plan, a roadmap for routine AAM operations by 2028. The plan emphasizes massive coordination between the FAA, NASA, local governments and industry stakeholders. It addresses key elements comparable to vertiports, electrical grid support and airworthiness criteria for UAS and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
Morris make clear this initiative. “We called it Innovate28 because the concept is that by 2028, we’re going to have routine AAM operations. They will not be at scale in ‘28, however the goal is to have those routine operations operating by 2028.” These flights are projected to coincide with the L.A. Olympic games that very same 12 months.
Tran noted that NASA has chosen a key site for real-world UAS Traffic Management (UTM) trials. It will pick up on the research NASA had formally accomplished in 2019 in Nevada.
The UTM Key Site Operational Evaluation forges strategic partnerships with operators and UAS Service Suppliers (USSs). Through collaborative efforts, participants seek essential exemptions to operate BVLOS at a chosen key site utilizing UTM services. The FAA envisions that this operational evaluation won’t only facilitate ongoing operations at the important thing site but can even function a dynamic “living lab.”
As Tran aptly put it, “We’re calling this a living lab because once we arrange the infrastructure, then industry, academics and other government agencies can proceed to make use of it as a method to improve the technology and to try it out before it goes into operations,” she said.
The goal is that each 12 months, NASA will exhibit technical UTM capabilities to help the FAA in allowing full-scale UAS operations. While neither Tran nor Morris would reveal the situation of the initial key site or other ones, rumor has it could be within the Dallas Metroplex area of Texas.
Onward and Upward!
The UAS industry experienced a major boom in 2023 globally. Tran noted, “We saw more use cases and acceptance in the general public, especially in Africa and other third-world countries.” Based on this 12 months’s progress, the FAA and Morris see the longer term of UAS and AAM as brilliant.
Morris hinted on the FAA’s planned evolution of airworthiness criteria for UAS. “We’re going to get into more of the airworthiness criteria for drones, moving away perhaps from Special Airworthiness Certificates into full-fledged airworthiness certificates,” he said. He continued, “This will probably be the following big step toward routine scalable operation.”
Tran shared her vision for the years to come back. “I anticipate that we’ll begin witnessing changes in 2024 that may set the stage for advancements in 2025, 2026, 2027, and beyond. Hopefully, by 2030, we are going to observe the establishment of scalable operations for each UAS and AAM,” she said.For Morris, collaboration stays the important thing to this brilliant future. “As we move forward, collaborative efforts between government entities, industry stakeholders and regulatory bodies will probably be crucial to shaping the landscape of UAS and AAM to make sure a protected, efficient, and integrated future in airspace systems,” he said.
As we close out 2023, all of us eagerly wait to see what 2024 will bring, with hopes that the longer term will indeed shine as brightly for UAS and AAM as predicted.
Hear more from Huy Tran and Kevin Morris on the Dawn of Drones podcast: https://www.auvsi.org/dawn-drones-episode-123-faa-and-nasa-ames-research-center