technology, vehicles, procedures, and resources? Will the first operator just take off and force the system to catch up? Without a full-blown FAA regulatory system with accompanying rules in place, who will simply wait on the sidelines with a functioning machine while the rest of the herd catches up with newer and better flight systems, losing potentially millions or billions of profit and branding as dust collects on their blades? I would argue: no one! Infrastructure is also a huge challenge – enormously huge. It’s kind of like the chicken/egg question: will UAM vehicles drive the infrastructure direction, or will prebuilt infrastructure drive the type of vehicles that manufacturers design? If a city decides to sponsor UAM operations, will the city have to get an FAA certificate Part 139/135/121/91? Where will liability lay?
Many issues face the implementation and integration of low-Earth- proximity flight operations. The issues include, but are not limited to: safety, categorization evolution, regulation, new technologies (including backward-integration), command authority, air traffic services, available or applicable flight paths, not in my backyard (NIMBY) airspace owners, and noise, to name just a few. Speaking of NIMBY, that acronym now morphs into “NAMBY” or “NOMBY”
66 Jan/Feb 2021
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...will controllers be speaking to ordinary citizens who just purchased their own private UAM...?”
– Not Above/Over My Backyard. Another question to consider: exactly how much airspace over one’s house will a homeowner “own” and have jurisdiction/authority over? That will come into play as operators file for airspace usage. Negotiations by attorneys will be for deals in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not more. That is a cottage industry by itself. I can envision many concerns that will affect how operations are conducted.
The benefits of such an air mobility transportation system are obvious, especially the amount of time saved. Wherever you need to be, whether it’s grandma’s house across town or that Chamber of Commerce networking meeting you’ve been looking forward to attending all month: instead of arriving with 10 minutes left, you can arrive early and enjoy the best hors d’oeuvres and make that one critical connection. Other benefits include less stress, less emissions from your regular vehicle, etc. In fact, you can name your favorite benefit and create an entire PowerPoint presentation for the next town council gathering.
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