An Exemplary Definition of a Vertidrome's Airside Concept of Operations

Abstract

In many cities the (public) transportation system already faces challenges to adjust appropriately to the growing population. Lifting the transportation offer into the third dimension by introducing Urban Air Mobility (UAM) may be a promising step towards an improvement. But what characteristics does UAM need to offer in order to represent successfully an extension to our traditional (public) transportation system and to fit into the concept of Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) where various modes of transportation are bundled and accessible on demand? On the one hand, the supporting ground infrastructure specialized in accommodating UAM and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) operations, in this research named vertidrome, and on the other hand a consortium of stakeholders (vehicle operator, vertidrome operator, air traffic management, passenger, city councils, etc.) will determine a considerable portion of these requirements. The vertidrome is a UAM traffic junction, which merges airside and landside operations and interactions between the vertidrome infrastructure components, the vehicles and the passengers. This research work focusses on the exemplary development of a vertidromes airside operation considering a UAM application at the Munich trade fair (Germany). Following this objective, we analyze the unique characteristics of UAM, review the current state of the art regarding UAM ground infrastructure designs and introduce a new and VTOL-specific terminology vertidrome. In addition, we define an exemplary vertidrome concept of operations: a linear and expandable drive-through (LIEDT) topology, distinct approach and departure mission profiles based on the VTOL vehicle Volocopter 2X, as well as operating (airside air) and traffic (airside ground) rules for arriving and departing vehicles. The results will contribute to the development of a corresponding discrete event-based simulation (DES) depicting the elaborated vertidrome’s airside structure and operations followed by the development of a performance assessment method evaluating a vertidrome’s airside traffic flow (Vertidrome Airside Level of Service - VALoS).