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Incorporating the perspectives of young graduates is vital to the Future Skies YOUTH DAY. This panel provides a platform for recent graduates and students who have participated in the three-day event to share their insights and concerns. It aims to give a voice to the youth, fostering an open dialogue about their experiences, takeaways, and areas of concern.
If the age of drones has taught us anything, we’ve learned that our current aircraft tracking infrastructure is limited. Our efforts to conquer the lower altitude regimes expose the weakness of non-cooperative tracking systems like radar. Non-cooperative systems are costly, lack significant range to see smaller objects, and are not as accurate as GPS tracking systems onboard the aircraft itself. UTM concepts for strategic deconfliction have forged a path for drones to fly safely if all cooperative with data-sharing processes. But without full cooperation of everyone in the sky, including all manned aircraft at low altitudes, we can’t have a complete air picture.
The concept of sharing our position data is called Electronic Conspicuity, eConspicuity, or “EC”. Traditionally, this is done with ADS-B systems that send GPS track position to other aircraft or ground receivers. However, not all aircraft can or choose to use ADS-B. We end up with two communities with the same rights to use the sky, but different opinions on how to address safety of flight. Crewed aircraft have pilots with eyes that perform detect and avoid, while drones rely on sensors to see other aircraft. And the common complaint among crewed aircraft pilots is that “they shouldn’t have to equip with ADS-B just so drones can fly”. This isn’t a comprehensive argument. EC doesn’t just benefit drones. It aids all pilots in seeing each other. There are many incidents that have occurred between aircraft that only relied on pilot eyes to “see and avoid” each other.
Some arguments for not equipping with ADS-B are understandable. ADS-B has its limitations. It’s expensive to install in an aircraft, costing at minimum a couple thousand US dollars up to nearly ten thousand for certified “in/out” solutions after the installation costs. Some aircraft can absorb these costs, but others like gliders and ultralights can’t. ADS-B also has security issues because it broadcasts tracking information to everyone, all the time. Beyond these issues, there are design constraints for ADS-B that should limit the use of the system when larger aircraft are using it in saturated airspace. ADS-B quality needs to be preserved. If we want a comprehensive air picture, we need to look for other systems to help.
We need to have a comprehensive air picture to understand where aircraft are flying, but how much information needs to be shared? The reality is that the information shared should match the use case of the flight operation. For example, an aircraft on a predictable flight path could share flight position updates infrequently and those updates could be used to estimate the future position of the aircraft. Other aircraft like crop dusters might be hard to track, but operating in a confined area. In that case, sharing the operational area might be more useful so aircraft can avoid that area altogether. The backbone of a comprehensive EC system should be capable of supporting various types of flight plans and flight tracking systems. UTM is designed to be this system.
UTM is a flexible system that can share flight intent and flight operations. UTM integrates with the aircraft or aircraft operator directly. It’s a cooperative system and relies on sharing flight plans and flight tracking information. The system can ingest both four dimensional flight paths, but also area based operations. It also ingests flight position at a frequency defined by the operator. The flight information is shared privately in a network and only accessible if there is a potential safety risk.
This abstract makes the case for a comprehensive air picture using electronic conspicuity. It also recognizes the limitations of existing systems like ADS-B to scale and meet the need. We need more cooperative systems like UTM along with ADS-B to provide alternative means of compliance for aircraft that can’t or choose not to use ADS-B. But, also to share the right type of information based on the flight operation. UTM and ADS-B can work together to provide a comprehensive air picture at a cost that is far less than trying to provide coverage with non-cooperative systems alone.
OneSky will present the case for electronic conspicuity and show the right solution is a mix of existing systems like radar and ADS-B, new systems like UTM and policy to enforce the use of these systems to achieve a comprehensive air picture. Only if we can realize the need for electronic conspicuity can we move towards an efficient air traffic management system that is truly integrated.
We will present the extraordinary steps of remarkable partnership and outstanding technological evolution that iTEC SkyNex will perform to bring the iTEC Alliance and the solution beyond its known boundaries.
Trajectory Based Operations (TBO) is a global concept that aims to improve the efficiency and safety of air traffic management by sharing and using four-dimensional trajectories. TBO enables Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) among all the ATM stakeholders (including Aircrafts) with the aim to optimizing flows, increasing Capacity/Demand balancing and network predictability, while reducing delays and emissions. The full achievement of TB Operations is a complex endeavour involving most of the ATM players through a synchronised, progressive and homogenous deployment of new procedures supported by innovative technologies, systems and standards,
A key enabler of TBO is SWIM (System-Wide Information Management): a technology designed to support a secure, flexible, interoperable and service-oriented sharing of ATM system information (airport operational status, weather information, flight data, and airspace status).
The speech will provide an overview of the SWIM technology developed in Leonardo with focus on different concrete applications in TBO such as: OLDI over SWIM, Air/Ground data exchange, Civil military coordination and FF-ICE processes; exploring how seamless information sharing will be the key driver towards a more predictable, efficient and sustainable ATM.
These themes are the result of years of research on the interoperability in ATM through a constant and successful participation of Leonardo in multiple SESAR projects for the validation of the most innovative concepts and technologies, as well as being actively involved in the main standardisation groups.
The panel of industry experts representing different aspects of air traffic management will discuss the benefits and capability extension that can be realized through greater system integration.
In this session I will describe some of the methods we have developed to improve system resilience in our products. Our approach goes beyond providing component redundancies, and guards against “poison pill” failure modes that can impact all redundant copies of a component.
The “inclusive skies” panel aims to identify strategies for attracting, nurturing, and retaining next-gen Air Traffic Controllers and aviation staff.
The panel will share insights, success stories, and actionable approaches to address the challenges and build a sustainable pipeline for the future.
Join us for an insightful and forward-looking panel discussion on the implementation of space-based Very High Frequency (VHF) for Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs). Our panel of experts will delve into the transformative impact of space-based VHF on air navigation and communication.
In this engaging session, ANSP’s and industry leaders will explore the key benefits, challenges of adopting space-based VHF for Air Traffic Management. Participants will gain valuable insights into the enhanced capabilities and efficiency gains that result from leveraging space technology to improve air traffic management.
Having an up-to-date operational picture is essential to efficiently and safety be able plan and manage UAS Missions in real-time. This can be achieved using a combination of different types of geospatial information, sensor data and dynamic events. The data can then furthermore be used for a number of different run-time analysis like line-of-sight, projected video and generation of UAV routes.
Using a high detail 3D model of a city environment, a system for urban 3D flight planning is able to operate multiple UAVs BVLOS, integrated with UTM system to safely operate in high-intensity airspace in close proximity to surface/buildings and deconflicted from other UAVs and flight corridors. UAS routes need to be autonomous calculated based on mission parameters and inputs from UAS platform and UTM such as, safe flight zones, weather data, sensors coverage, restricted airspaces and deconfliction with other UAS flight corridors.
Since the system should be mission centered, the concept of a camera path is a central element. Traditionally the user starts by defining waypoints that builds up a flight path. Here we instead generate a camera path based on the desired mission objectives and the field of view of the camera. The user should be thinking primarily from the perspective of what the camera “can see” (field of view) and secondly about where the drone will be physically located (flight path). From this an optimal route and camera movements and angles are calculated.