Urban Air Mobility (UAM) envisions a safe and efficient aviation transportation system using highly automated aircraft to operate and transport passengers or cargo at lower altitudes within urban and suburban areas. Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) is a newer dimension of transportation that builds upon the UAM concept by providing operations in non-urban environments.

With UAM and AAM, the aviation industry is developing innovative systems that promise to provide exciting transformations to transportation. One example is similar to taxis or ride sharing today. UAM and AAM will deliver transportation in the air, removing the barriers of congestion in the streets and providing a convenient and rapid method to travel within urban centers, delivering people and cargo to underserved areas.

As UAM and AAM evolve to address the concepts of operation for different uses by different service providers, operational expectations in the national airspace will need to evolve to protect current users of the NAS and make room for the new entrants to operate safely. To meet the needs of the current and future aviation stakeholders, RTCA President and CEO Terry McVenes is convening a forum that will ask the questions needed to support innovation advancements.

RTCA is creating a forum and seeking diverse stakeholders, asking participants to focus on the development of digital flight operation parameters to include a concept of operations, roadmap, and timelines for UAM and AAM. A broad scope of the potential requirements and procedures applicable to digital flight operations, including communications, navigation, surveillance, and infrastructure capabilities, will be looked at to ensure the integration of new entrants and legacy operations are done safely and efficiently.

If you would like to be considered for participation in this forum, please contact [email protected] by December 5, 2022.