Pathway to Advanced Air Mobility

Technological innovations are radically changing the world of aviation, making possible new ways of moving goods and people in urban areas and beyond. These new forms of mobility, grouped under the name Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), are moving in the direction of the third dimension and digitalisation and are made possible by the development of a range of innovative means of transport, a complex ecosystem of infrastructures, airspace design, regulatory framework and services.
The synergy of these enabling factors through collaboration with ATM, could open up new types of operations, accelerating the regulatory framework evolution: a virtuous circle of synergies between ecosystems to foster the integration of new users and vehicles.
As a global player in the sector, Leonardo has long directed the evolution of its technologies, combining expertise in aeronautics, ATM, U-Space and CNS infrastructure to enable the development of new services, that exploit the potential benefits of AAM and make cities more functional, sustainable and environmentally friendly.
The speech will describe the central role of infrastructures in the design of the AAM framework and Leonardo’s main experimental activities in this context.

Developing Ohio’s Drone Transportation Infrastructure: Leading the Future

While advancements in Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) technology have been rapid, the widespread adoption of drones faces a significant hurdle in the United States—the absence of a comprehensive low-altitude air traffic management system. This gap creates challenges for ensuring the safe operation of drones below 2,000 feet, particularly in addressing collision risks and potential threats to ground-based assets.

Given the current lack of a robust system, U.S. federal regulations often impose restrictions on drone flights, even for aviation professionals and government agencies, unless explicit permission is granted by the Federal Aviation Administration. These regulations typically mandate continuous visual contact between the operator and the drone. Consequently, Consequently, these regulations while addressing identified risks greatly limits the feasibility of deploying autonomous vehicles in various commercial aviation scenarios, including package delivery and the transportation of goods and passengers.

The focus of this presentation is to explore the implementation and integration of Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) Systems in the state of Ohio. The ongoing development of this technology in Ohio has the potential to revolutionize the state’s transportation infrastructure, enhance safety, and stimulate economic growth by responsibly integrating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into the National Airspace System. Ohio is at the forefront of U-Space development, positioning itself as a potential model for the broader United States. Leveraging Ohio’s robust research capabilities, capacity to attract industry collaborators, and dedication to nurturing talent and workforce development through academic institutions like Kent State and the recently established Advanced Air Mobility Academic Center, the state of Ohio emerges as a prominent national and global leader in advancing the development of a functional, safe, and economically viable AAM Infrastructure.

Traffic Management Services to support AAM Entry Into Service

Over the last five years, Eve have worked with Regulators, ANSPs, helicopter operators, heliport operators, vertiport developers, and other OEMs to build concepts and services for urban air traffic management. In association with Government organisations we’ve published CONOPs in Australia, the United Kingdom and Japan.

We know that without appropriate urban air traffic management solutions, Urban Air Mobility will not achieve the safety, operational and economic demands. This presentation will share our latest updates in developing Urban ATM services and technology to support Day 1 Urban Air Mobility operations. We will share outcomes from our recent UK trial and plans for entry into service.

The benefits of drone-based NavAids inspection demonstrated via concrete examples and situations

The NavAidDrone from Colibrex and FCS Flight Calibration Services is not just a concept among others, but a tool already in use in several countries. And it has already helped solving critical issues on NavAids installations and thus contributed to a safer aviation. A faulty VOR at a major European airport where neither ground measurement nor flight inspection could be able to detect where the problem was coming from ? An urgent request of ILS inspection within the frame of a disaster recovery action after the damages of a huge hurricane ? A pre-validation of a new ILS or VOR installation ? In presenting such real-life examples of missions, we will explain to the audience the concrete benefits of implementing drone-based NavAids measurement.

How a Digital Platform Can Transform the Airport Technology Landscape

Take a deep dive into the inner workings of the Searidge Digital Platform to discover how it has reshaped the way airports operate, delivering unparalleled efficiency, enhanced safety and seamless passenger experience. We will discuss the:

Power of direct integration with the Platform’s data queues, APIs, and data lakes; enabling airports and third parties to unlock new possibilities
and collaboration

Versatile deployment options, including on-premises, hybrid, and full cloud; empowering your airport with a seamless transition to a cloud-based
future

Robust security measures at multiple levels; guaranteeing the utmost protection for your data and communications.

Unleashing the Potential of Drones – First Steps to Integrated Airspace

It is a true paradox that, for a technology that is so ubiquitous and well known, it is still only achieving a tiny fraction of its potential in terms of social, industrial and commercial value. Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) have been developing rapidly as a technology and operational concept for several years yet it is universally recognised that the exploitation of this technology has yet to achieve any significant scale. One of the fundamental enablers to this exploitation is the true integration of UAS within the existing airspace construct yet that integration requires a fundamental redesign of the airspace itself. In the UK, this has been recognised through the UK CAA’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy (AMS) noting that integration is one of the four strategic objectives.
This integration requires the safe and expeditious use of the airspace by all airspace users including UAS and this has not been possible to date within the UK context. Egis, in partnership with Highlands and Islands Airports (HIAL), are establishing one of the first integrated airspace constructs where UAS and crewed aircraft including scheduled commercial aviation, general aviation and emergency services can operate together. Crucially and, for the first time in this type of airspace, the UAS can operate Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) to ensure that they can reach the true limits of their potential. This airspace construct will initially be established on a trial basis allowing HIAL, the UAS Operators and the CAA to gather valuable insights on the performance of the airborne and ground-based technology in addition to operational concepts. This invaluable operational experience will inform the basis of permanent airspace constructs and emerging regulation to advance the UK towards a future integrated airspace construct.
Egis will share the groundbreaking details of this airspace construct and associated operational concept, the application of novel UAS technology within this environment and lessons learnt from the experience of UAS operations from a licensed commercial aerodrome.
Richard Derrett-Smith will present this fascinating insight into this truly innovative application. Richard is an Associate Director within the Aviation business at Egis and has been leading future aviation projects for several years working with ANSPs, UAS Operators and the UK CAA to help to unlock the potential of this industry sector. Importantly for such a novel application in a safety-critical industry, Richard is currently the Safety Practice Lead for Egis Aviation UK and serves on the CANSO Safety Standing Committee Steering Group.

Digitising operations to enable growth of UAM traffic management services

This session will explore how new digital services and innovative technology solutions can deliver the infrastructure needed to support new airspace users and turn heliports and airports into early vertiports. As capacity increases, capabilities such as machine learning and AI can be flexed to accommodate drones and evtols within existing operations, delivering efficiency and services early, enabling the unlocking the follow-on micro services that will be required support new operations and network efficiency within current operations.

Unifying Airspace with Accelerated Drone Management

The rapid growth of drones in various sectors has made the need for UTM systems more evident than ever. The use of drones in cross domain business opens up significant advantages, covering new business models and enabling additional revenue streams. Accelerated Drone Management covers the digital infrastructure that ensures that these operations are integrated seamlessly, efficiently and safely.

Security for Safety in ATM

Security Policy template developed with AIRBUS, CANSO and ICAO
An example of what could be the Security Policy for Civil Aviation ISMS (Information Security Management System)
Establish the connection between safety risks and security threats
Describe the best practices enabling the synergies between safety and security controls

Commercial space launch & recovery operations – Airspace integration

Delve into the complexities of seamlessly integrating commercial space launch and recovery activities into existing airspace frameworks. Industry experts and innovators will share insights into the technological advancements, regulatory considerations, and collaborative efforts driving the evolution of airspace integration in the rapidly expanding commercial space sector..