Avionics News January 2022 - 46

AIRO GROUP EXPANDS AVIONICS
CIRCLE OF INNOVATION
Continued from page 45
flown several prototypes, and we're
excited to have them on board. "
operations. Integrating and certificating
all of the new technologies " in a piloted
aircraft will give (OEMs and certification
agencies) good data sets if we decide to
go automated, " Burns said.
Integrating the new technologies
essential to piloted and then
automated urban air mobility aircraft
completes the avionics circle of
innovation because it will bring these
advanced capabilities to general
aviation aircraft, according to John
Uczekaj, president and CEO of Aspen
Avionics, a founding member of the
AIRO Group.
At EAA AirVenture 2021, the United
Kingdom-based Vehicle Redesign
Company Ltd., another founding
member of AIRO, named Aspen as
the " manufacturer of choice " for the
standard avionics in its Xcraft XP4
electric vertical takeoff and landing
vehicle. With design objectives of flying
four seats for 60 minutes at 160 knots,
the vehicle is now in the prototyping
and flight-testing segment of its
development.
Some companies have consolidated
and moved in and out of the AIRO
Group, Burns said, noting that its
members focus on coastal defense,
agile defense, AIRO Drone, SkyWatch,
Aspen on avionics, VRCO, and its " latest
merge, Jaunt Air Mobility. " Its goal is
the Journey, a four-seat eVTOL aiming
for a range of 100 miles and a top
speed of 175 miles per hour.
" It's an interesting looking aircraft
that will be certified under (the
rotorcraft rules of) Part 27, which
should allow them to get to the table
quicker than the nontraditional urban
air mobility aircraft, " Burns said. " Jaunt
was founded by a group of former Bell
Helicopter executives, so they know
that area extremely well. They have
46 avionics news * january 2022
Fly by wire
Like the VRCO XP4, the Journey
is flown by a pilot whose inputs go
through a computerized fly-by-wire
avionics system that employs artificial
intelligence to make the necessary
changes to the airframe's control
surfaces and sources of thrust as
well as reduce pilot workload and
decision-making, Burns said. " We're
using commercial fly-by-wire systems,
and a couple of our AIRO members
are very good at AI; integrating that
into fly-by-wire should provide an
incredibly steady platform with a
lot of redundancy. " As it will replace
conventional mechanical controls, it will
also save a lot of weight.
Like today's general aviation
aircraft, urban air mobility avionics
must provide the necessary flight
information pilots need, Uczekaj said.
" Attitude, altitude and airspeed will be
a direct transition from fixed-wing to
UAM avionics. The next level will be
comprehensive integration of displays,
control interaction, and artificial
intelligence, where avionics will provide
more detailed information about what's
happening and what to do next so the
pilot doesn't get behind the machine. "
Many of the new display
technologies will address the new
propulsion and control systems.
Perhaps more challenging will be
the new level of collision avoidance,
artificial intelligence supported by
radar, lidar, and other sensors that must
not miss buildings and other obstacles
and UAMs flitting about the urban
environment as well as the traditional
aircraft flying above it. " Looking at this
environment full time, AI will make
decisions and provide alternatives to
the pilot ahead of time, " Uczekaj said.
" This is technology you'll start to see in
(fixed-wing) avionics. "
Aviators will also see a new
generation of connectivity that offers
a broader range than the Connected
Panel that Aspen pioneered in 2011.
" Flying closer to buildings and flying
in the city environment will require
technology with the ability to update
from a connected standpoint in real
time, " Uczekaj said. " Right now, people
see connectivity as a Wi-Fi connection
or cellphone 5G and 4G. But broadband
connectivity will expand to within the
vehicle itself to allow units to share
information between systems. "
This includes failure mode
alternatives, Burns added. " Say you're
flying along and lose GPS for some
reason, an intentional radiator or
inadvertent interference. The system
will have the ability to look at other
alternatives to maintain a steady course
and stability and integrate with the
other systems. "
Obviously, pilots will need a new
level of training so they can efficiently
process all of this new information.
" Information is the proper term,
because we take the raw data and turn
it into actionable information so pilots
can make better decisions about their
flight path. It adds a new level of safety,
we believe, to traditional aviation, "
Burns said.
Aspen will develop some of this
technology under the AIRO banner,
" but Aspen has a long history of playing
well with others, and we'll
partner with them because we
recognize that the most cost-effective
solutions and best solutions allow for
choice, " Uczekaj said. " With what AIRO
and the AI Airgility and others bring to
the table, we'll be able to expand that. "
Expanding Aspen's interface with flight
control technology is an example. It will
focus first on UAM, but he sees that
expanding into fixed-wing aviation at
some point.
" We develop our own technology
and integrate with others. Aspen
Avionics News January 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News January 2022
