Community engagement and discussions regarding public acceptance and the social impact of advanced air mobility (AAM) will be key research priorities, according to a report published this week by the government-backed UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The Future Flight Social Considerations and Research document was prepared by the agency’s Future Flight Challenge program and identifies the following five key research themes that it says need addressing to deliver what it calls the aviation system of the future: understanding the innovation ecosystem; public and social readiness; impacts on rural and urban environments; community and social impacts; and trustworthiness and regulatory frameworks.

The Future Flight Challenge is overseeing a £300 million ($405 million) R&D budget, jointly funded by the UK government and industry, to back its objective of achieving a leadership position in the AAM sector, by supporting work on the development of electric and autonomous aircraft, and their integration into the transportation network. “The success of these transformative innovations in how we transport people and goods or provide services, hinges entirely on societal readiness and the public perceptions of future flight technologies,” commented professor Fern Elsdon-Baker, director at the University of Birmingham’s Research Institute for STEMM in Culture and Society. “The Future Flight Social Considerations and Research paper is a call to action to both industry and academia to collaborate to better understand these perceptions and create an inclusive aviation system that works for everybody.”