Regional Air Mobility: An Introduction
Whether one resides in a bustling urban area or a serene rural locale, prefers the vistas of snow-capped mountains or the beauty of desert valleys filled with poppies, supports the Red Sox or the Yankees, or refers to their carbonated beverage as soda or pop, a commonality among most Americans is their proximity to an airport — typically within a 16-minute drive. This accessibility is the result of a remarkable air transportation system in the United States, which has benefitted from substantial national funding for many years. Should a cost-effective, efficient, resilient, and eco-friendly aviation network be established across these numerous airports, it would enable more individuals to opt for air travel rather than automobiles for medium-range journeys of approximately 50 to 500 miles. Regional Air Mobility (RAM) aims to transform these local airports into the pivotal community centers they were originally intended to be, with innovative aircraft, operational frameworks, and infrastructure playing crucial roles in realizing this goal.
The average American faces limited transportation choices. If an individual’s starting point and target destination are not close to major air transport hubs, they must undertake significant travel to access an airport offering reasonably priced commercial flights. At these airports, lengthy queues, indirect flights, and extended ground transportation times to reach the final destination are common. For journeys spanning a few hundred miles, also referred to as mid-distance travel, it is unsurprising that 73% of Americans favor driving over flying. Despite the additional time and potential complications such as road work and traffic accidents, these challenges are often preferred to the inevitable delays, security issues, uncomfortable seating, and various other inconveniences associated with commercial air travel.
The predominant method for regional travel — utilizing highways — incurs billions of dollars in maintenance costs. The National Transportation Research Board has recently advocated for an increase in combined state and federal expenditures to sustain our Interstates, suggesting a raise from $20-$25 billion to $40-$70 billion annually. These investments are essential for maintaining the existing ground infrastructure, with additional billions required to enhance access and throughput. This underscores the fact that if one is driving, they are far from alone. However, this does not imply that increased driving is the optimal solution for enhancing our mid-distance travel experience in the future.
Vision of Regional Air Mobility
RAM capitalizes on the existing airport infrastructure to transport individuals and goods with innovative aircraft that significantly enhance efficiency, affordability, and community integration compared to current regional transport options. These aircraft, designed to carry fewer than 20 passengers or an equivalent amount of cargo, offer flexibility in their takeoff and landing capabilities, even utilizing current runways and infrastructure to ensure full compatibility with today’s airports. Essentially, RAM offers air accessibility that is reliable, efficient, and economical.
RAM introduces an appealing and affordable method to travel more extensively, engage in more activities, and spend less time in transit. Unlike automobile travel, which is dependent on a fixed road network typically limited to a few viable routes, RAM employs a node-based system. This system allows aircraft to travel directly from one airport to another, unimpeded by traffic jams, road construction, or accidents. RAM utilizes the thousands of existing and largely underutilized airports throughout the United States.
RAM presents an economical approach to linking communities that have been inadequately served by prevailing aviation practices while also offering necessary relief to overburdened aviation hubs. As this new generation of aircraft is developed, communities are expected to recognize the advantages of using their local airport infrastructure to forge new opportunities in their regions.New capabilities associated with RAM can be placed into three main categories:
• Community-compatible aircraft
• Autonomous capabilities for operational enhancements
• Seamless ecosystem
Community-Compatible Aircraft
“Community-compatible aircraft” can be understood in two distinct ways. Initially, these aircraft are capable of operating in close proximity to communities due to attributes such as low emissions, minimal noise, and steep ascent and descent profiles that mitigate disturbances. Their ability to utilize shorter runways, which can be situated nearer to the populations they serve, further enhances their community compatibility. Secondly, despite potential drawbacks, community compatibility entails providing a net benefit to the communities served. This benefit primarily arises from improved access to air mobility for both individuals and communities, making it crucial to maintain safety and affordability in operations.
With the availability of community-compatible aircraft, the frequency and density of flights at existing airports can increase. Currently, these airports are constrained by factors such as the number of runways, their lengths, and noise restrictions that limit operations with conventional aircraft. Crucially, the dual aspects of community-compatible aircraft — their low nuisance factor and enhanced community access — jointly mitigate any social and political resistance to expanding air mobility. Furthermore, these aircraft also present an opportunity to invigorate local communities through the integration of renewable energy sources.
One of the significant challenges associated with travel involves the financial and environmental costs of consuming fossil fuels. Aviation accounts for a modest yet increasing share of global carbon emissions, with existing aviation structures predominantly reliant on oil-based energy sources. This reliance has already sparked movements aimed at reducing air travel, meaning any plan to expand this sector will face heightened environmental scrutiny. Critical technologies in RAM, particularly the adoption of electrified aircraft propulsion, have the potential to lessen the environmental impact of air travel. These technological advancements may include fully electric motors, which can significantly shift the energy consumption dynamics at airports.
Introducing substantial electrical energy consumers to airports can enhance the return on investment for renewable energy projects, such as solar power installations. Regional airports often occupy extensive tracts of public-use land, making them ideal for hosting renewable energy sources like solar panels. This energy could be utilized to recharge the batteries of electric RAM aircraft, power ground transportation, or contribute to carbon sequestration efforts as part of fuel offset strategies. Consequently, RAM operations are poised to drive the conversion of local airports into renewable energy hubs and promote the development of well-distributed, self-sufficient energy grids.
Autonomous Capabilities for Operational Enhancements
Advancements in autonomous (pilotless) capabilities are set to facilitate new or more cost-effective operations for RAM services. Even if the extent of autonomy simply relocates the professional pilot from the aircraft to a ground-based control center, it still significantly impacts three major factors that currently hinder growth. This shift not only reduces labor costs associated with onboard pilots but also enhances safety and operational efficiency by centralizing expertise and improving response capabilities to in-flight variables.
- Operating a network that includes both aircraft and pilots brings significant costs and logistical challenges due to the need for rebalancing. This often involves transporting pilots back to their base airport regardless of passenger load, resulting in what are known as “dead legs.” Unlike pilots, aircraft are less affected by idle time, which allows for greater flexibility in meeting fluctuating demand without the necessity to return to a specific home base each day.
- The existing trend of shortages in commercial pilots is expected to exacerbate as RAM operations expand. This ongoing issue could pose a significant constraint on the scalability and sustainability of traditional piloted services within the RAM framework.
- Given that RAM aircraft are designed to carry fewer passengers compared to larger commercial planes, the relative cost of accommodating a pilot becomes notably substantial. Implementing remote or autonomous operations could substantially decrease these costs and enhance the flexibility of route offerings. Although initially, autonomous or semi-autonomous operations might be restricted to cargo or repositioning flights, they would still play a crucial role in reducing overall operational expenses and minimizing the necessity for onboard pilots across all flights.
Even if separated from other RAM enablers such as new technologies, a seamless ecosystem, and advancements in electric propulsion, the requirement for a pilot’s license remains a significant, time-intensive, and costly hurdle that could impede the impact and expansion of RAM. This underscores the importance of developing small aircraft capable of operating independently or autonomously from an onboard crew, thereby eliminating a major barrier to accessing personal, on-demand aviation as currently structured. By allowing a paying customer to occupy what would traditionally be the pilot’s seat, additional revenue opportunities are created. As confidence in autonomous operations strengthens, future passenger services are likely to see a reduction in operating costs and an increase in revenue potential.
Seamless Ecosystem
RAM has the capability to utilize thousands of existing airports that are currently operational. Moreover, travelers will not need to invest as much time in planning and preparation as they typically do with conventional commercial airline experiences. The user experience for scheduled RAM flights is designed to be smooth, uniform, and seamless across various airports. On-demand flying aims to be as accessible as a car-share service, offering the speed and convenience of personal car ownership without the burdens of maintenance and ownership responsibilities. This approach enhances the attractiveness and practicality of RAM for modern travelers.
Crucially, regardless of the business model employed — whether scheduled, charter, or other on-demand services — users should not require prior knowledge or experience to successfully navigate the RAM system. This encompasses all aspects of the journey, including travel to the airfield, security screening (when necessary), baggage handling, boarding, the inflight experience, egress, and transitioning to subsequent modes of transport. Given that most aircraft suitable for the RAM vision do not necessitate a flight attendant, it is essential that travelers can manage the entire process independently, safely, and effortlessly. Practices employed by some recent on-demand charter operators and emerging Urban Air Mobility (UAM) operations, could be adopted to ensure that the passenger experience is seamless, enjoyable, and secure.
Most RAM operations can be seamlessly integrated into the existing airport infrastructure without the need for additional services or facilities. However, airports could derive further benefits by enhancing services or modifying operations. These enhancements could include participating in shared fleet management, inspection, and maintenance systems, upgrading electrical infrastructure, improving connections to ground transportation — particularly at rural or unattended airports — or incorporating small-scale parcel sorting to effectively integrate cargo and passenger operations.
Ensuring smooth transitions across all user touchpoints remains a critical aspect of RAM in order to streamline the highly decentralized and diverse contemporary airport system. Fortunately, fostering greater uniformity across these touchpoints also represents the area that requires the least investment in new technologies and should encourage stakeholders to fully engage in large-scale RAM operations.
REFERENCES:
- Antcliff, K., Borer, N., Sartorius, S., Saleh, P., Rose, R., Gariel, M., Oldham, J., Courtin, C., Bradley, M., Roy, S. and Lynch, B., 2021. Regional air mobility: Leveraging our national investments to energize the American travel experience.
