Design of UAM Network and Ecosystem Integration

This White paper investigates the routes and procedures to bring Supernal's Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vehicles to market in the Los Angeles area. It analyzes current air traffic patterns and designs possible vertiport locations and optimal routes. The selected routes are evaluated in a high-fidelity simulator and submitted to a Provider of Services for UAM (PSU). The paper also simulates integration with a Vertiport Management System (VMS) to model the entire UAM ecosystem.

The paper begins by discussing the challenges of integrating UAM traffic into the busy airspace around Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). It references FAA concepts of operations that propose new UAM-specific airspace structures like corridors to minimize impact on existing air traffic.The authors identify potential vertiport locations in the LA area based on passenger demand, including LAX, downtown LA, Long Beach Airport, and others. They utilize established FAA routes like VFR flyways, low altitude RNAV routes, and helicopter routes to design the initial UAM route network.Approach and departure procedures are designed for each vertiport using NASA's "wheel" concept, which allows UAM vehicles to approach a vertiport from any direction and transition to landing. Flight profiles are optimized for the Supernal vehicle's performance characteristics.The designed routes are tested in a high-fidelity simulator and integrated with ecosystem partners - OneSky (a PSU provider) and ANRA (a VMS provider). Simulated flights are evaluated against real conventional air traffic data to identify potential conflicts.The paper concludes that while the proposed UAM routes leverage existing aviation infrastructure, they will still require significant adjustments and FAA approvals before implementation. Comprehensive flight testing and coordination with airports will be needed.
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