May/June 2023 - 29

CONSULTANT CORNER
International Airport. We're considering
the future of aviation demand.
The transition to AAM is on the
horizon and it's going to emerge soon.
We know that it could emerge with
various types of aircraft and demand
could skyrocket depending on the
operating cost of the aircraft.
You don't have a flight operator
ready to operate AAM at a specific
airport and if you look at the FAA
Terminal Area Forecast, or even the
aerospace forecast, you don't have anything
about AAM. However, when
you do a master plan for a commercial
service airport with a planning
horizon of 2040, you need to have that
conversation about AAM. In order to
solve that equation, instead of having
a quantitative activity forecast, we
developed a few planning scenarios
based on realistic level of demand.
And based on that, we developed some
conceptual vertiports that are scalable.
At PHL, we're talking about UAM
to fly from downtown Philadelphia
and the greater Philadelphia area to the
airport. Depending on what happens
with demand, you can implement a
different size of vertiport. In terms
of placement, we considered a new
ground transportation center along
the terminal area that consolidates all
the needs in terms of parking, ground
transportation etc. The roof of that
facility is perfectly located for accommodating
a vertiport facility.
AB: Airports like Philadelphia definitely
need this infrastructure inside their
master plans, but will implementing
AAM or UAM take a larger consortium
from across the region?
GL: As of today, we don't know
because we don't have a clear idea of
the level of activity of AAM in the
coming years, because there are so
many question marks. You have different
levels of demand which trigger
different facility requirements that are
going to drive the cost of the facility
and influencing the kind of business
models of vertiports.
In the specific case of Philadelphia,
we're not discussing any of that. What
we're saying is let's make sure that
we can accommodate these different
scenarios at the airport, depending
on what's going to happen, and
make sure that we don't hinder the
emergence of UAM activity at PHL.
We're drawing a box that is protected
in order to make sure that we can fit
the vertiport regardless of the, of the
level of demand.
AB: How does a vertiport geared
towards AAM and UAM traffic differ
from a traditional vertiport?
GL: At a high level they look alike, but
if you dig down a bit they're very different.
If you look at helicopter transportation
today, we have relatively low
intensity operations with a small community
of experienced pilots flying
mature technologies. If you look at
AAM or UAM, we're talking about
potentially high intensity operations
across urban areas with a new type of
aircraft and new pilots. We need to
reinvent the way we provide vertical
flight in order to provide that kind of
point-to-point on-demand mobility.
You'll see a broad variety of facilities
from small vertiports that look a lot
like existing helipads and vertiports
that are more complex with a small
terminal facility, different types of
amenities, more integration with
ground transportation, maybe maintenance
and repair services and FBOs.
AB: You said this isn't just an issue for
large hub airport likes Philadelphia.
What other kinds of airports need to
prepare for AAM now?
GL: Everyone needs to ask themselves
what's going to happen at their airport
with AAM. Large airports might think
UAM is a no-brainer because it's going
to provide airport access, but smaller
facilities might be easier to access
because there's extra capacity available.
Small community airports could
see AAM as an opportunity to provide
on-demand or scheduled service to
UAM
Use Cases/Missions:
On-demand intra-urban transportation
VTOL aircraft (1-5 pax)
Range: 10-20 miles
RAM
Use Cases/Missions:
On-demand regional transportation
V/STOL aircraft (1-19 pax)
Range: 10-70 miles
OTHER
Use Cases/Missions:
Last-mile cargo delivery
Small UAS (<250 lbs.)
Range: 10-30 miles
Medical supply delivery
Small UAS (medical emergency supply)
Range: 10-30 miles
Heavier air cargo deliveries
Larger UAS (>250 lbs.), STOL
Range: 10-70 miles
Medevac
Larger UAS, V/STOL and CTOL aircraft
Range: 10-70 miles
SOURCE: WSP USA
increase connectivity to larger transportation
hubs. It provides an opportunity
to reinvent the kind of regional
aviation we had in past decades.
AB: What do airport leaders need to
think about right now to ensure they're
prepared for AAM when it takes off?
GL: We need to educate ourselves about
what's coming in order to understand
the complexity of all these issues. I
think we're living through the most
exciting period in aviation history.
Everything is changing, so aviation
and airport leaders need to educate
themselves about what's coming and
make sure they're involved in that
thought leadership process. 
MAY/JUNE 2023 \ AVIATIONPROS.COM / 29
http://www.AVIATIONPROS.COM

May/June 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May/June 2023

Inside the Fence
Industry Update
Newark Liberty International Airport’s Very Jersey Terminal A
Practical ICS Integration for Airport Operators
DFW Uses Passenger360 for Multilingual Wayfinding
How to Address Competing Audio Needs at Airports
Address Today’s Traveler Needs: A Holistic Approach to Credential Security
Is Profiling Still a Four-Letter Word
MCO Goes Secure with dormakaba Exit Lane Breach Control Technology
Prepare Your Airport for AAM
Taking a Look at O’Hare 21
TPA Goes Electric with BYD
Airport Guru
Legal Matters
May/June 2023 - 1
May/June 2023 - 2
May/June 2023 - 3
May/June 2023 - 4
May/June 2023 - Inside the Fence
May/June 2023 - Industry Update
May/June 2023 - 7
May/June 2023 - 8
May/June 2023 - 9
May/June 2023 - Newark Liberty International Airport’s Very Jersey Terminal A
May/June 2023 - 11
May/June 2023 - 12
May/June 2023 - 13
May/June 2023 - 14
May/June 2023 - 15
May/June 2023 - Practical ICS Integration for Airport Operators
May/June 2023 - 17
May/June 2023 - DFW Uses Passenger360 for Multilingual Wayfinding
May/June 2023 - 19
May/June 2023 - How to Address Competing Audio Needs at Airports
May/June 2023 - 21
May/June 2023 - Address Today’s Traveler Needs: A Holistic Approach to Credential Security
May/June 2023 - 23
May/June 2023 - Is Profiling Still a Four-Letter Word
May/June 2023 - 25
May/June 2023 - MCO Goes Secure with dormakaba Exit Lane Breach Control Technology
May/June 2023 - Prepare Your Airport for AAM
May/June 2023 - 28
May/June 2023 - 29
May/June 2023 - Taking a Look at O’Hare 21
May/June 2023 - 31
May/June 2023 - 32
May/June 2023 - 33
May/June 2023 - 34
May/June 2023 - 35
May/June 2023 - TPA Goes Electric with BYD
May/June 2023 - 37
May/June 2023 - Airport Guru
May/June 2023 - 39
May/June 2023 - Legal Matters
May/June 2023 - 41
May/June 2023 - 42
May/June 2023 - 43
May/June 2023 - 44
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