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High-Density Automated Vertiport Concept of Operations

High-Density Automated Vertiport Concept of Operations

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High-Density Automated Vertiport Concept of Operations

White Paper Details

Title

High-Density Automated Vertiport Concept of Operations

Year Published

2021

Author

NUAIR, Crown Consulting Inc., Mosaic ATM, Boeing, Deloitte, and 5-Alpha LLC

Number of pages:

105

This report outlines a Concept of Operations (ConOps) for high-density vertiports under NASA’s Urban Air Mobility Maturity Level 4 (UML-4), enabling automated, scalable infrastructure for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). It addresses vertiport design, stakeholder roles, automation systems, operational scenarios, and challenges for integrating VTOL aircraft into urban airspace.

The High-Density Automated Vertiport Concept of Operations envisions vertiports as critical nodes for VTOL aircraft operations in dense urban environments. Key components include:

Operational Framework:
- Vertiport Volume (VPV): Airspace managed by the vertiport for arrivals, departures, and surface movements.
- Vertiport Automation System (VAS): Coordinates scheduling, resource allocation, and safety via services like surface trajectory planning and risk assessment.
- Stakeholders: FAA (regulatory oversight), vertiport managers, fleet operators, PSUs (air traffic service providers), and SDSPs (data services).
Challenges:
- CNSI Infrastructure: Requires robust communication, navigation, and surveillance systems to handle 80–120 operations/hour.
- Weather & Noise: Micro-weather sensing and noise-abatement procedures are critical for urban integration.
- Security: Cybersecurity and physical safeguards for automated systems.
Future-State Automation:
- 4D Trajectory Management: Precise scheduling of aircraft movements on vertiport surfaces.
- Collaborative Decision-Making (CDM): Dynamic resource allocation during off-nominal scenarios (e.g., delays, emergencies).
- Modular Vertiport Designs: Configurations include single-pad, hybrid, and linear layouts to optimize throughput.
Use Cases:
- Medical Delivery: Priority routing for emergency services.
- Urban Air Metro: High-frequency passenger transport with 12+ parking spots and rapid turnaround.
- Cargo Logistics: Integration with regional distribution centers.
Regulatory & Technical Gaps:
- Standards for vertiport certification, UAM aircraft interoperability, and FAA-PSU collaboration.