Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

Managing Editor

It is not the first concept of operations (ConOps) to address plans for advanced air mobility services using eVTOL aircraft, but the document published by new partners Wisk Aero and Skyports appears to be the first to directly address&nbsp;fully&nbsp;autonomous operations produced for engagement with international stakeholders. In China, EHang evidently has had extensive engagement with the country’s regulators over its extensive plans for commercial aircraft with its EH216 and VT-30 families of Autonomous Aerial Vehicles.
The 32-page paper is not a pitch for Wisk’s business model, which remains something of a mystery to most outside observers, but rather a template for how groundbreaking autonomous eVTOL flights could get underway. It envisages a heady mix of autonomous aircraft operating alongside existing drones and also fleets of piloted eVTOL vehicles, based on assumptions mapped out in existing NASA maturity levels for the new technology.
Proposed infrastructure concepts are based on vertiports with six parking bays/gates for eVTOL aircraft and a pair of takeoff and landing areas. It is assumed that the aircraft would&nbsp;operate&nbsp;under FAA’s 14 CFR Part 135 rules, or equivalent international requirements. A more interesting, and possibly contentious, assumption is that AAM services would have to start with scheduled flights before the technology is ready to support scaling up to on-demand services.
The ConOps outlines considerations for the automation and data systems used to make vertiports function&nbsp;smoothly, as well as resource management and scheduling systems. It also considers in some detail how sensors and situational awareness technology would be used to process aircraft and airspace data to support safe operations.
Farther into the document, the Skyport and Wisk experts offer lists of the sort of skills needed to support every aspect of autonomous operations, mapping out a step-by-step guide to how each commercial movement would be fulfilled. They also discuss important considerations such as the security of the facilities and operations.
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Charles Alcock

New Concept of Operations Spells Out How Autonomous eVTOL Vehicles Could Operate Alongside Other Aircraft

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