Air Traffic Management startup Skyroads presents its second UAM White Paper

German startup Skyroads, developer of an automated air traffic management and guidance system, has recently released a new White paper on UAM (urban air mobility). The paper outlines several key points in the advancement and integration of automated air traffic management in the coming years, and explains why its implementation will be essential to advanced air mobility aircraft like eVTOLs.

The goal of Skyroads is to ‘make flying accessible for everyone’ by creating what it calls an ‘Automated Airspace Management and Vehicle Guidance System (AAVS).’ This system will effectively gather submitted flight plan requests, then automatically distribute air traffic according to regulations and safety protocols, delivering instructions to both aircraft and pilots according to existing air traffic. Eventually, when synced with advanced autonomous aircraft, this system could lead to full automation of air traffic. As it advances, Skyroads is making sure to do so in accordance with all regulations, hoping to ‘open a certifiable pathway to automation’.

The new White paper from Skyroads focuses on four key subjects regarding the development of air traffic management software. Firstly, it focuses on what it calls the ‘Chicken-egg’ problem, referring to the fact that while many automated aircraft are in development, they are not being synchronized with each other in a harmonious system, since that system does not yet exist. Secondly, it emphasizes that now is the time to begin creating those flight management systems, since they can already contribute to overcrowded airspace and set up infrastructure for the more advanced aircraft that are soon to come. Third, it mentions that at the current stage of automated aircraft development, key players in the aerial mobility industry should come together to agree on industry-wide rules that allow for interoperable systems. Lastly, it makes the key point that although OEMs are building the aircraft of the future, they are not likely to build the ‘roads in the sky’, which is the open and interoperable airspace management and vehicle guidance solution that Skyroads is proposing.

Said Skyroads CEO Corvin Huber: “While there are various approaches on how to manage automated flight, there is neither consensus on either rules or standards for even semi-automated flying in metropolitan areas nor is there a market yet. This needs to be resolved in close collaboration between regulators, the air vehicle industry and technology providers such as Skyroads who bring the necessary know-how and neutrality to the table. It is clear that air vehicle manufacturers will provide the vehicles to fly, but they will not be able to simultaneously build the roads and systems required to get UAM off the ground with regards to interoperable management quickly and profitably. Mercedes, GM and Toyota build great cars, but they have never built a road.” 

He adds: “Initial tests at our own testing air space in Memmingen/Tannheim were successful. And we have experienced substantial interest from not only manufacturers, but also cities and regions around the world, resulting in strategic cooperations. The need for our solutions and systems is here. And I am convinced that we will deliver in time to help launch UAM as a safe and open mode of transportation around the globe.”

Why it’s Important: Skyroads’ CEO Corvin Huber makes an important point that currently, there is no automated airspace management software in accordance with regulations that is interoperable between all types of aircraft. While the FAA and NASA in collaboration with companies like SkyGrid and AirMap have begun this work in the United States, companies like Skyroads are sure to surface in other locales in order to manage their airspace. Ultimately, as both the unmanned and automated aircraft industries develop, aircraft management systems like Skyroads will move further along the road to becoming an integral part of future airspace.

Find more information about the recent White paper at Skyroads’ website.

Source // Skyroads