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6th Workshop on AAM Infrastructure
Sept. 20-22, 2022
Marriott at the University of Dayton
Dayton, Ohio
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 VFS is hosting its 6th Workshop on Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Infrastructure on Sept. 20-22 in Dayton, Ohio. This two-day meeting is the sixth in a series of solution-focused workshops.
This year's workshop will be based on the recent collaborative work conducted by the NASA AAM Ecosystem Community Integration Working Group on “Vertiport Location Considerations.” This effort identified some 445 considerations which will be presented in a white paper, “Advanced Air Mobility Vertiport Considerations: A List and Overview,” at this year's AIAA Aviation Forum in Chicago. To download a copy of the initial listing of the identified vertiport considerations click here. The final white paper has been released, and can be viewed here.
Pricing
In order to maximize the educational opportunity and the diversity of attendees, we have set the registration rates low.
| 6th Workshop on AAM Infrastructure |
Member by 8/26 |
Member after 8/26 |
Non-member |
| Regular Attendee (in-person or virtual) |
$300 |
$350 |
$450 |
| Speaker / Session Chair / Govt / Military Presenting author or session chair; any national gov’t./ military personnel (in-person or virtual) |
$200 |
$200 |
$300 |
| Student / Retired Must be a full-time student with ID / Fully-retired and over 60 (in-person or virtual) |
$100 |
$100 |
(must be/become a member first) |
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NOTE: Virtual attendees and will receive an email communication prior to the meeting with link and instructions to access the live virtual sessions.
Since this is a working meeting, members of the press are welcome to attend, but attributions made by FAA employees must be reviewed by the FAA Communications team.
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Book your hotel room: The meeting will be held at the Marriott at the University of Dayton at 1414 South Patterson Blvd, Dayton, Ohio, USA, 45409. A discounted room rate has been negotiated, so please book your room by Friday, Sept. 2 within the hotel block to support the meeting — use this link only. Booking through the official link provides discounted parking, free wifi, a fully refundable reservation (through Sept. 2) and the lowest price at the hotel.
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Thank you to Our Sponsors!
Gold
Silver
In partnership with
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| 6th Workshop on AAM Infrastructure |
September 20-22, 2022 | Dayton, OH, USA
All times are in EDT (UTC-5) |
| September 20, 2022 |
| 0800 - 0830 |
Welcome and Introductions
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Rex Alexander, 5-alpha and VFS
Review of Congressional AAM Bills |
| 0830 - 1000 |
Site Selection exercise (part 1)
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Moderator: Nancy Mendonca, Deputy AAM Mission Integration Office, NASA
Rex Alexander, President, 5-alpha
Clint Harper, Fellow, Urban Movement Labs |
| 1000 - 1030 |
Short Break |
| 1030 - 1200 |
Site Selection exercise (part 2)
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Moderator: Nancy Mendonca, Deputy AAM Mission Integration Office, NASA
Rex Alexander, President, 5-alpha
Clint Harper, Fellow, Urban Movement Labs |
| 1200 - 1300 |
Lunch Break
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| 1300 - 1400 |
Breakout Sessions:
(in-person only)
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Topic #1 - Cybersecurity:
Discussion on Cybersecurity issues and identification of standards and scope of guidelines that need to be developed in support of Vertiport Site Selection process. Make recommendations on steps to be taken to develop cyber standards and/or tailor existing standards to Vertiport needs.
Facilitator: Carl Fagerholm, Sikorsky
Topic #2 - Equity Considerations: Facilitator: Dr. Amber Woodburn McNair, Ohio State University |
| 1400 - 1430 |
Short Break |
| 1430 - 1530 |
Breakout Sessions:
(in-person only)
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Topic #3 - Vertiport Configuations: Facilitator: Thomas Mackie, Woolpert
Topic #4 - SMS for Vertiports: Facilitator: Rex Alexander, President, 5-alpha |
| 1530 - 1600 |
Short Break |
| 1600 - 1700 |
Breakout Sessions:
(in-person only)
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Topic #5 - Vertiport A&E Programing: Facilitators: Ted Osborne, PS&S
Charles Clauser, PS&S
Topic #6 - Audience Driven: Facilitator: Nancy Mendonca, NASA |
| 1700 - 1830 |
Reception |
| September 21, 2022 |
| 0800 - 0830 |
Welcome and Introductions
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Rex Alexander, 5-alpha
Overview of Standards in Process |
| 0830 - 1000 |
Battery Charging and Infrastructures
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Moderator: Matilde D'Arpino, Ohio State University
Rob Scholl, Textron eAviation
Theodore Bohn, Argonne National Lab
Andrew Bartosh, Heliox Energy |
| 1000 - 1030 |
Short Break |
| 1030 - 1200 |
Local Perspective
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Moderator: Clint Harper, Los Angeles Department of Transportation
Thea Ewing, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission
Chris Zarzar, TruWeather Solutions
Thomas Mackie, Woolpert
Scott Swanson, Parallax
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| 1200 - 1300 |
Lunch Break |
| 1300 - 1400 |
Breakout Session Report Outs
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Carl Fagerholm, Sikorsky
Dr. Amber Woodburn McNair, Ohio State University
Ted Osborne, PS&S
Thomas Mackie, Woolpert
Nancy Mendonca, NASA
Rex Alexander, 5-alpha |
| 1400 - 1430 |
Short Break |
| 1430 - 1530 |
An International Perspective on Vertiports
The Location of Vertiports is one of the key steps leading to a safe and efficient AAM deployment. A dynamic assessment of different elements is needed to identify where to locate each Vertiport. Based on our experiences in some countries (mainly in UAE, Brazil, India, Switzerland, Quebec (Canada) and in the US), patterns emerge. This session aims to share key findings on how to locate vertiports. Attendees will be able to identify some key steps as takeaways that would help them quickly setting up strategies to identify the location of key Vertiports in different countries.
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Moderator: Fethi Chebil, Vports
Michael Dyment, NEXA Advisors
Sergio Cecutta, SMG Consulting |
| 1530 - 1600 |
Short Break |
| 1600 - 1700 |
H2 at Airports and Vertiports
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Moderator: Arturo García-Alonso, AVports
Gaël Le Bris, WSP
Michael Dyment, NEXA Capital
Sean Jones, Airbus |
| September 22, 2022 |
| 0800 - 0815 |
Buses leave for Springfield-Beckley Airport
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Rex Alexander, 5-alpha |
| 0900 - 1400 |
Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport Tour
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BETA Technologies Vertiport
BETA Technologies Simulator
FlyOhio Community Vertiport Challenge
Ohio UAS Center
Agility Prime Program Display
Moog SureFly Vehicle
Springfield-Beckley Airport Future Development Plans |
| 1400 - 1430 |
Buses leave to return to the Marriott
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Rex Alexander, 5-alpha |
There are sponsorship opportunities available.
- Gold Sponsorship (5 max): $2,500 — includes logos/signage, flyer, two complimentary registrations and a 20-minute speaking slot. (Subject to approval and availability.)
- Silver Sponsorship (5 max): $1,500 — includes logos/signage, flyer, one complimentary registration and a 10-minute speaking slot. (Subject to approval and availability.)
- Advertiser (10 max): $500 — includes logos/signage. (Subject to approval and availability.)
More details can be found in the Sponsorship Application. Questions? Please contact Nicolas Zart for more information.
Objectives
- Provide an open forum to stakeholders and interested parties from industry and applicable government and regulatory bodies to discuss Operations & Safety requirements and expectations as they relate to AAM technology and infrastructure.
- Conduct facilitated discussions regarding key Operational & Safety questions pertaining to AAM infrastructure to better understand potential eVTOL aircraft limitations and aerodynamic deficiencies that must be considered in future infrastructure development.
- Identify collaborative research and development opportunities necessary for creating safe infrastructure design standards based on aircraft performance criteria.
Deliverables
- Build upon existing safety data to identify pre-competitive areas where proactive industry collaboration would be valuable in accelerating adoption.
- Identify collaborative opportunities between industry and government agencies that will benefit the UAM industry.
- Draft consensus-based strategies to advance infrastructure Operations and Safety at key Federal, State and Local levels.
Organizers
- Rex Alexander, 5-Alpha
- Cliff Johnson, FAA Tech Center
- Nancy Mendonca, NASA
- Clint Harper, Urban Movement Labs
- Dr. Amber Woodburn McNair, Ohio State University
- Doug Sweet, Architecture Technology Corp.
- Matilde D'Arpino, Ohio State University
- Dr. Fethi Chebil, Vports
- Arturo Garcia-Alonso, AVports
Background
The Vertical Flight Society, founded in 1943 as the American Helicopter Society, is the world's leading professional organization working to advance vertical flight. VFS has been a leading advocate and supporter of what we call "The Electric VTOL Revolution." We held the world's eVTOL technical meeting in 2014; we now have 200+ hours of informative and educational videos on electric VTOL. A summary of the work that VFS and its partners have done, along with information on previous events and activities, can be found on this webpage.
In the 1st workshop in Sept. 2019, industry representatives and regulators focused on the "defining challenges" of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, identifying key stakeholders and strategies for moving forward.
The 2nd Workshop on eVTOL Infrastructure, held virtually (due to COVID-19) in a series on sponsored webinars in April and May 2020, covered foundational elements needed to support the development of safe, functional and economically viable infrastructure to support UAM applications.
The 3rd Workshop on eVTOL Infrastructure, held virtually (due to COVID-19) in a series was held in September 2020, covered foundational elements needed to support the development of safe, functional and economically viable infrastructure to support UAM applications. A virtual tour of the FAA Technical Center in Atlantic City was also part of the program. The output of the workshop was captured via audience inputs and used to set the content for the 4th workshop.
The 4th Workshop on eVTOL Infrastructure, held virtually in March 2021, addressed policy changes needed to support the development of safe, functional and economically viable infrastructure to support UAM applications.
The 5th Workshop on eVTOL Infrastructure, also held virtually in September 2021, focusd on infrastructure operations and safety as they relate to eVTOL aircraft capabilities and performance.
Questions?
Please contact Rex Alexander for more information.
Updated Aug. 23, 2022
Nancy Mendonca is currently the NASA Deputy in the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) Mission Integration Office (AMIO). The AMIO integrates ARMD’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) efforts across the four ARMD Programs and with the AAM community. She served 24 years in the Navy flying H-46 helicopters. Between the Navy and NASA she worked at the Missile Defense Agency on the Marine Corps MRAP Program and at NTIA working on the Federal Strategic Spectrum Plan. She graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering and subsequently eared Master of Science degrees in Aeronautical Engineering and National Security and Strategic Studies. She is also a Certified Public Accountant and has currently prioritized rescuing Great Danes and riding horses over flying helicopters.
Rex Alexander has over four decades of military aviation, general aviation and commercial aviation experience, and is a globally recognized subject matter expert on helicopter, vertical lift and eVTOL infrastructure. He is the founder and president of the aeronautical consulting firm Five-Alpha (5α) and has served as Infrastructure Advisor to the Vertical Flight Society since January 2019.
Clint Harper synthesizes 21 years of diverse aviation experience with a passion for urban design and community engagement. An Air Force veteran, Clint’s military experience includes aircraft dispatch, airport operations, airport planning, heliport planning, and unmanned aerial vehicle operations. After his military career, he pursued his love of cities with a Master of City and Metropolitan Planning degree and a graduate certificate in Urban Design, where he studied new aviation-based urban form concepts, such as the aerotropolis and airport urbanism. Clint put this all to work for the Utah Division of Aeronautics, where he led efforts to better integrate general aviation airports with their host communities through economic development opportunities. He was among the first to engage in advanced air mobility integration initiatives as a community advocate, calling on the aviation industry to engage with communities early. His primary goal is to shape advanced air mobility to benefit as many citizens as possible through improved access to opportunities, mobility, and job creation.
Carl Fagerholm is a Senior Systems Security Engineer at Lockheed Martin.
Dr. Amber McNair is an Assistant Professor of City and Regional Planning in the Knowlton School at the Ohio State University. She also holds an affiliated position with the Center for Aviation Studies. Her professional background includes two years (2009-2011) as an engineer with the Federal Highway Administration in the US Department of Transportation. As a Civil Engineer, Dr. McNair contributed to the design and construction of federal roads and assisted with federal and environmental oversight during project delivery. During this experience, she partnered and collaborated with state and local transportation agencies at multiple locations throughout the United States.
Thomas Mackie is a Project Director within the Aviation Geospatial practice at Woolpert specializing in providing surveying, mapping, geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing leadership to aviation clients around the world.
Cliff Johnson is a research engineer, program manager, and technical expert for the Aviation Research Division at the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, NJ. He leads several research and development activities that seek to improve aviation safety, primarily focused on rotorcraft, unmanned aircraft, and vertical lift (i.e., eVTOL). Mr. Johnson is qualified on the ScanEagle unmanned aircraft systems platform and has supported several unmanned aircraft and rotorcraft simulations and live flight tests as a test director, pilot, and flight test engineer. These activities have included working with entities such as the FAA, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Defense, and various industry partners.
Nicky Armour is an Aviation Safety Lead at The MITRE Corporation.
Ted Osborne brings 40 years of architectural design and planning experience to the Building Services Group. His prior work includes architectural design and engineering solutions for pharmaceutical manufacturing plants, research and development labs, urban redevelopment programs, corporate headquarters buildings, healthcare, education, and as project principal developing infrastructure protection measures due to Superstorm Sandy damage. He has worked on projects for: N.J. Department of Treasury, N.J. Department of Transportation, N.J. Turnpike Authority, Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission and The New York State Thruway Authority.
Doug Sweet has over 40 years overall experience supporting the transportation industry, with 35 years of experience directly supporting aviation research. This includes experience in the areas of traffic flow management, air traffic control, fast-time NAS-wide simulation, real-time aircraft and ATM simulation, trajectory based operations, and ATM decision support tool design. In the 18 years at NASA Ames, he has held several technical and managerial positions supporting a wide variety of aviation research efforts. Since leaving NASA and working in industry supporting both NASA and the FAA in ATM research, he has continued to hold a variety of technical leadership and managerial positions and is currently the Vice President of Simulation and Modeling for Architecture Technology Corporation.
Dr. Matilde D'Arpino received the M.S. degree in electrical engineering and the Ph.D. degree from the University of Cassino, Italy, in 2010 and 2014, respectively. During 2014–2015, she was a Research Fellow with the Laboratory of Automation, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, Cassino, working on power electronics for industrial and power systems. From 2016, she has been a Research Associate, a Senior Research Assocate, and now a Research Scientist at The Ohio State University Center for Automotive Research, Columbus, OH, USA. She is Lead Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) of several research projects funded by US Department of Energy, NASA, and major US automotive companies. She is author of more than 30 contributes to international journals and conferences.
Rob Scholl is president and chief executive officer of Textron eAviation, a business segment that is pursuing Textron’s long-term strategy to offer a family of sustainable aircraft for urban air mobility, general aviation, cargo and special mission roles. Scholl was previously senior vice president of Textron’s eAviation initiative prior to it becoming a Textron business segment. Prior to his role with eAviation, he was Textron Aviation’s senior vice president – Sales, leading the global Commercial Aircraft Sales, Pre-Owned Sales and Flight Operations. He was responsible for global sales initiatives to ensure a strong and direct industry presence to meet customers’ needs for Cessna and Beechcraft jets, turboprops and pistons. Rob also served on the Board of Directors of Flight Safety Textron Aviation Training. Scholl has a bachelor’s degree in Geological Sciences and Business Economics from Brown University and an MBA in Marketing Management from Ohio State University.
Theodore Bohn is the principal investigator at the EV-Smart Grid Interoperability Center at Argonne. He is very active in PHEV-related standards committees, including chairing the SAE J2953 (interoperability) and the IS015118-PT6 sub-committee (physical layer communication interoperability). He has over 25 years' experience with advanced technology and alternative energy fueled vehicle R&D and has worked for each of the US based automobile OEMs and many Tier I automotive suppliers.
Andrew Bartosh is an expert in commercial and industrial segments of energy, EV charging, utilities, demand response (DR), distributed energy resource management (DERMS).
Darshan Divakaran is an aviation innovation leader, technology evangelist, high-tech intrapreneur, executive consultant, geospatial strategist and technology keynote speaker with expertise in unmanned aviation, aviation development, flight operations, airborne safety, remote sensing, geospatial analysis and program management. His areas of expertise in unmanned aviation also includes Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM), Counter-UAS (CUAS) and Urban Air Mobility. He has been recognized by Interdrone and Commercial UAV News as one of the top commercial drone visionaries. He works for the United States Air Force as the Senior Operations Research Analyst on the AFWERX program. He is also the program manager on Agility Prime and AFVentures, which are innovative programs under AFWERX. In addition he supports the industry engagement, outreach and educational initiatives for AFWERX.
Thea Ewing leads the transportation planning efforts for both the agency’s Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Rural Planning Organization. She is an 18-year public servant focused on transportation, economic development, and community planning. She has worked at county, regional, and state levels of government. Thea has a BA in Public Administration and Urban and Regional Planning from Miami University and a Masters of Public Administration from Wright State University.
Dr. Fethi Chebil has over 20 years of experience in major design construction projects, Public/Private Partnerships and certification processes, centered in the Aviation Industry. He has held a variety of executive positions, starting his career with the International Civil Aviation Organization(ICAO) as Airport safety Expert. Moving on to SNC Lavalin heading the Airport Business within the Construction Group, leading Airport design and Operations before moving back to ICAO supporting different countries in airport certification and Regulatory Compliance. He holds a PhD in Industrial Engineering and Mathematics. Polytechnique Montreal, Canada, as well as a MSc Project Management from UQAM in Montreal, Canada, and a Masters in Airport Management from ENAC, in Toulouse, France.
Mr. Dyment is the Managing Partner of NEXA Capital Partners, a Washington DC based investment banking and corporate finance advisory firm. A highly experienced transportation, aerospace and defense industry consultant and trusted financial advisor to top management, he has decades of operational, M&A and corporate finance experience. Aerospace clients have included Airbus, Thales, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman and NASA to name a few. He has undertaken Urban Air Mobility business intelligence and finance programs for eVTOL vehicle and service providers and directly for NASA. NEXA recently completed a business intelligence study called Urban Air Mobility—Economics and Global Markets, which provides market and economic 20 year forecasts for 74 of the world’s largest metropolitan areas. Prior to NEXA, Mr. Dyment was Senior Managing Director with PricewaterhouseCoopers, responsible for key aerospace and defense industry clients. He served in the business consulting unit of Arthur Andersen LLP, where he was the global managing partner of its Aviation Industry Practice. He holds a Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a B.Sc.Eng. in Geomatics Engineering from the University of New Brunswick.
Sergio Cecutta is founder and partner at SMG Consulting, an Aerospace, Defense and Automotive management consulting firm, where he leads strategy, product and program management, market analysis and business development for a diverse client portfolio of worldwide companies. He has been a part of the Urban Air Mobility industry since its early days and he has helped multiple clients understand this market and provide tailored products. As a senior executive at multiple Fortune 200 companies, he has been involved with the development and introduction of products like the Airbus A380, the SmartView Synthetic Vision System and the Gulfstream G500/600. He has also led the strategic due diligence of several M&A deals. He received an MBA from the W. P. Carey school of business and he holds a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Rome and the Technion Israel Institute of Technology.
Arturo is co-owner and managing director of “Airport Intelligence S.L.”, an aviation consultancy firm specialized in airport management, data analytics and operational intelligence. A vocational aviation enthusiast, Arturo has been professionally involved in the aviation and aerospace sectors for more than 20 years, combining airport operations, engineering, ground handling and civil aviation authority management experience. Arturo previously worked with Aena Aeropuertos, an airport planning consultancy firm, the ground handling company Acciona Airport Services, the Spanish civil aviation authority, and ACI World, where he led and directed the ACI Airport Service Quality (ASQ) team during the transition to the new services in 2015. Over the last four years, as an airport management consultant for Munich Airport International, he led and directed consultancy services on airport operations, infrastructure, management and service quality at different locations around the world. Arturo holds a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Airport Design and Management, and has the ACI-ICAO International Airport Professional (IAP) and Aviation Security Professional Management (AVSEC-PM) accreditations.
Gaël Le Bris is a senior aviation planner in the Raleigh, North Carolina office of WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, a global engineering and professional services organization.Prior to joining WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, Mr. Le Bris served for more than six years as airside development manager at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, where he was responsible for management and coordination of large-scale, complex development projects, major runway and taxiway rehabilitations, airside/airspace planning projects, and technical studies. Mr. Le Bris also served as airside operations manager, addressing irregular operations and crisis situations with the airport stakeholders. Mr. Le Bris earned a master’s degree in airport management and development from the Florida Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in engineering/air transportation and economics from the National University of Civil Aviation, Toulouse, France. He authored various research projects and publications in airport engineering and aviation safety. Among his professional affiliations, he is a member of the Transportation Research Board.
Prior to his recent retirement, Mr. Clauser served as Lead Architect for the company’s Urban Air Mobility Task Force (UAM/ TF). As a former commercial pilot and flight instructor, his aviation background has helped guide the company’s work in UAM development. He has written a comprehensive UAM Operations Manual for the company and was primarily responsible for business development and staying abreast of UAM advancements. He is a board member of the American Helicopter Museum and Educational Center in West Chester PA, and holds memberships in the Vertical Flight Society, the Experimental Aircraft Association, and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. He also serves served on two of NASA’s Transformative Vertical Flight Working Groups. In his past aviation background, he has flown over 25 different aircraft, including six military aircraft, and published magazine articles having flown the Bell AH-1C Cobra at USN TPS and the Grumman E-2C Hawkeye with VAW-127. He has owned two single engine General Aviation aircraft. Lastly, he assisted with early development of the Air Victory Museum at South Jersey Regional Airport in Medford, NJ (KVAY), and is currently helping with the restoration of a Rutan Long EZ.
Chris Zarzar is an applied hydrometeorologist and has served in academic, government, and private sector positions. His research uses a combination of uncrewed aircraft systems (i.e. drones), numerical modeling, and GIS techniques in an applied approach to understanding human-land-atmosphere interactions, and natural hazard risk communication.
Sean Jones is a Senior Program Manager for Research and Technology (R&T) at Airbus Americas. He is responsible for developing and managing funding opportunities and partnerships with research and technology communities in North America with an emphasis on Sustainable Aviation.
Mr. Jones brings 15 years of engineering and technology insertion experience in the aerospace and defense industry on programs from the F-35 to the Littoral Combat Ship, as well as upstart programs supplying autonomous radars for unmanned vessels. He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Kansas State University, and an MBA from Georgetown University.
Mr. Swanson is a 20-year veteran of the United States Air Force (USAF) and an unmanned aerial systems (UAS) pioneer. As an USAF officer, Mr. Swanson was Command Pilot with over 3,000 hours flying a variety of helicopters in the Special Operations and Rescue missions as well as several UAS platforms. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).
