NASA Seeks to Increase Accessibility of Regional Air Travel
Most Americans have one affordable option for trips between 50 and 500 miles – the road trip. Commercial air travel doesn’t always directly serve local communities, making for a time-consuming and frequently frustrating travel experience. America is home to more than 5,000 airports, yet just 30 of these airports serve more than 70% of all travelers. The majority of airports are underutilized due to air transportation services trending towards putting more people into larger aircraft on well-traveled routes.
A recent paper from NASA suggests that the smaller, local airport you may not have previously known existed will soon be a catalyst for change in how you travel. Regional Air Mobility (RAM) seeks to fundamentally change how we travel by bringing the convenience, speed, and safety of air travel to all Americans, regardless of their proximity to a travel hub or urban center.
“NASA’s role in the development of this white paper is to articulate a consistent and complete vision for how Regional Air Mobility could provide safe, convenient, and sustainable air transportation,” said Kevin Antcliff, lead author and Deputy Lead for Emerging Applications and Technologies. “The only way to effectively cast this vision is to allow industry experts to provide specific input on how their research, innovative technologies, and operating models will enable RAM.”
Moving forward, NASA will support aeronautics-related technology development such as systems analysis, critical air-vehicle technologies, investigation of novel aircraft configurations suitable for RAM missions, autonomous operations and associated safety assurance methods, and airspace technology and integration approaches.
NASA will also support efforts by other federal agencies, such as the Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Energy, on activities that range from assuring that RAM aircraft and operations are safe, to determining potential opportunities for renewable energy generation to effectively balance the energy demand.
Meanwhile, industry partners will apply and mature technology for RAM, develop a seamless, enhanced user experience, and continue the operation and integration of RAM into their business cases.
“Due to the convergence of electric propulsion, autonomous systems, new operational models, and an already established infrastructure, RAM’s vision for air transportation will provide a convenient, affordable, and community-friendly regional travel option for both people and packages from their local airport,” said Antcliff.
To read more on RAM and NASA’s involvement visit: https://sacd.larc.nasa.gov/ram/
David Meade
NASA Langley Research Center
