Urban Air Mobility is at the juncture where the ever growing societal need for efficient and sustainable transport meets new solutions provided by emerging technology. The lecture provides the rationale for this new and sustainable way of flying in cities and beyond. It describes the state of the art, and in particular Airbus’ positioning with CityAirbus NextGen. In that sense, UAM is much broader than just a flying vehicle. It requires infrastructure on the round, an adapted airspace management, and an efficient integration with complementary means of transport. Furthermore, the introduction of a new means of transport requires that highest safety standards are met. The new eVTOL architectures and mission profiles call for new approaches to safety of the vehicles in their operational environment. Therefore, the second part of the lecture provides an overview on Airbus’ approach to safety and particular aspects concerning the distributed electric propulsion system, flight controls and aerostructures.
Hamburg Aerospace Lecture Series --- Collection of Presentations --- http://www.AeroLectures.de --- Annual Gerhard Sedlmayr Lecture