Airports should not wait for AAM to arrive before preparing for the transition and should be aware of the benefits it can bring, NBAA's Gertsen said.
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Airports should not wait for the advanced air mobility (AAM) wave to arrive but should begin preparing for the different electrification and operational needs, NBAA director of airports and ground infrastructure Alex Gertsen warned during an Airport Cooperative Research Program event last week.
“NBAA is working to help integrate AAM successfully into the National Airspace System, ensuring interoperability with all existing aircraft types and ultimately to let airports know that they should be preparing for electrification and new aircraft arriving, not to sit back and just say, ‘Oh, I can wait,’” Gertsen said. He added that airports need to remain engaged and involved as the transition occurs.
Gertsen further highlighted the benefits of AAM, chiefly that it is electric. “There’s no emissions,” he said. “While they are not a direct replacement for helicopters, they alleviate a lot of the community concerns that exist now for airports like East Hampton [New York, KJPX] and Santa Monica [California, KSMO], where the surrounding communities are more sensitive to that.”
He further noted that numerous “thought leaders” are evaluating how to prepare the infrastructure, scale it, expand it, and get the most out of it.
NBAA provided its own feedback on initial FAA guidance surrounding AAM vertiport and heliport use. “We see them as the two integrated vertical lift operations and infrastructure should be dual use,” Gertsen said. “As we transition, a lot of the existing infrastructure will be used. And as the new infrastructure gets built, it will be important that the legacy aircraft are able to use it as well.”
Airports should not wait for the advanced air mobility (AAM) wave to arrive but should begin preparing for the different electrification and operational needs, NBAA director of airports and ground infrastructure Alex Gertsen warned during an Airport Cooperative Research Program event last week.
“NBAA is working to help integrate AAM successfully into the National Airspace System, ensuring interoperability with all existing aircraft types and ultimately to let airports know that they should be preparing for electrification and new aircraft arriving, not to sit back and just say, ‘Oh, I can wait,’” Gertsen said. He added that airports need to remain engaged and involved as the transition occurs.
Gertsen further highlighted the benefits of AAM, chiefly that it is electric. “There’s no emissions,” he said. “While they are not a direct replacement for helicopters, they alleviate a lot of the community concerns that exist now for airports like East Hampton [New York, KJPX] and Santa Monica [California, KSMO].”
NBAA has provided feedback on initial FAA guidance surrounding AAM vertiport and heliport use. “We see them as the two integrated vertical lift operations and infrastructure should be dual use,” Gertsen said. “As we transition, a lot of the existing infrastructure will be used. And as the new infrastructure gets built, it will be important that the legacy aircraft are able to use it as well.”