“There are more solutions than obstacles.” Nicolas Zart
Preparing for Takeoff: The Importance of Strategic Planning
The future of transportation is electric, and the sky is no exception. As we shift towards electric air mobility (AAM), it’s crucial to start planning for tomorrow today. In this final installment (see part 1 and 2 here) of our three-part series on vertiports, we explore the regulatory landscape, management systems, and the urgent need for strategic planning to ensure a smooth transition to AAM.
Regulatory Lift-Off: A Work in Progress
None of our efforts into flying effortlessly, quietly, and with little to emissions in the sky will work without strong regulations. Safety is paramount in aerospace, and the same goes for AAM. Regulatory bodies like the US Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) are laying the groundwork for vertiport designs and operations respectively with the FAA’s EB-105, now mandated to be updated, and EASA’s PTS-VPT-DSN. Globally, regulators are eager to embrace AAM while prioritizing safety. This means focusing on robust regulations and infrastructure to support the integration of electric aircraft into our skies. Thankfully, all regulatory bodies are eager to embrace AAM and are working hard at offering us safe passage in the skies.
Convergence Infrastructure: Scaling New Heights
AAM represents a convergence of mobility and energy paradigms, as we’ve seen in our previous article. And we’ve only scratched the surface of its potential impact. To future-proof our skies, we must design for expansion and incorporate smart grid technologies, renewable energy, and scalable terminal designs. By partnering with innovative companies like TrueWeather Solutions amongst a few, we can ensure our infrastructure keeps pace with demand.
We focus on expansion readiness, smart grid capacity, renewable energy balance, and innovative terminal designs to set our projects for the future. The designs we take on are scalable, grow with demand, and adapt by being proactive.
Managing Complex Vertiport Systems
Vertiport management systems are the brains behind AAM operations, the glue that bonds it all together. They coordinate eVTOL traffic, drone operations, energy management, passenger flow, security, and much more. Planning for an industry that doesn’t fully exist yet is exciting and our motivation. It requires determining future needs, like accommodating electric vehicle charging integrating frequent flyer programs, and managing excess energy with grid capability.
Drone operations and unmanned aerial services (UAS) play a crucial role in efficient vertiport management, enhancing aerial traffic management and providing valuable extra cargo services. Data crunching and sharing will be essential, especially as drones interact with civil services like law enforcement and fire prevention.
All of these moving parts need some serious coordinating power. Vertiport management systems manage where aircraft come from and where they are heading, allocating landing time slots, potential charging, and refueling resources. This relies on how well vertiport operators plan for enough energy stored for its operation. Understanding your passenger means understanding their habits to better plan for amenities and more. Ask us what gets us out of bed in the morning!
Data Security and Storage: Flying into the Cloud
With AAM generating vast amounts of data, data security, and storage are critical considerations early on. Electric Air Mobility, LLC has been diving into these complexities, leveraging my IT background to ensure data privacy, digital infrastructure, and cost-effective planning. Taking a proactive approach to data regulation and security now will keep you ahead of the competition and avoid costly upgrades later.
AAM Strategic Planning for Smooth Sailing
The key takeaway from this series is the urgency of strategic planning for AAM today, not to catch up tomorrow. Preparing for future demand now is cost-effective and efficient, sparing projects from retrofitting and investor explanations.
Electric Air Mobility is poised to take off, moving from sensational headlines to tangible progress. With experienced partners in aerospace and electric mobility already manufacturing, Electric Air Mobility, LLC is putting the pieces together offering a uniform and comprehensive AAM vertiport ecosystem catered to specific needs and situations. Preparing coherent and holistic ecosystems for AAM’s future, and planning for a seamless transition to electric skies is what gets me out of bed in the morning.