Session Filter: Forum

A panel of pioneering professional flight test pilots and flight test engineers shares their lessons learned from testing novel and innovative electrically-propelled aircraft. As professional flight testers, they bring their flight test experiences from conventionally-powered aircraft to the new world of electric aviation and share their hard-learned lessons with the community. Understanding how to plan for electric energy storage systems compared with fuel systems, electric powerplants compared to reciprocating or turbine engines, and displaying and interpreting the state of the electric powerplant compared to traditional ones are but a few of the topics that the panel may discuss. A question-and-answer session will allow the community to learn from these flight test pioneers.

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is the most promising near- and mid-term solution to reducing carbon emissions and putting aviation on a path toward achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

SAF can be made with a variety of technologies that use physical, biological, and chemical reactions to break down biomass and waste resources and recombine them into energy-dense hydrocarbons. This session will explore these various technologies.

Hypersonics are currently in the realm of the defense industry and space applications. When we look at supersonic travel, we are at the precipice of commercial supersonic travel if the airframe and engine technologies become available on the market. However, commercial hypersonics face additional challenges and a longer time frame. To short-circuit this, the industry is looking at near-term military applications to help develop solutions that ultimately will address the challenges of hypersonic flight for both civil and military applications. The goal is to unlock the technology needed to develop a vehicle system that is efficient, eco-friendly, and easily integrated into the global air and launch traffic of the future. This panel will discuss the challenges of hypersonic flight, the technology available today for military applications, the technology needed to be developed for tomorrow’s military applications and efficient, sustainable hypersonic commercial flight, and the policies and regulations needed to be addressed for the integration of hypersonic travel within the global air and launch traffic.

• The aviation industry has had some very important successes over the past year, and some exciting changes coming to the industry. Our executives will cover these subjects, and provide their view of the impact of advancing technology, as we assess the current and future state of the industry!
• Lead in presentation: White House Aviation Policy Initiative
  “A Vision for America’s Continued Global Leadership in Aeronautics”

Air traffic management (ATM) proposals for advanced air mobility (AAM) recognize the need for strategic and tactical airspace deconfliction, where the need for coordination appears in different forms and nuances. From using predefined corridors to the evolving to 4D trajectory-based operations, limitations applying ATM principles to very dense and potentially more complex operations must be considered.

Also, watch the 10 May 2023 AIAA AAM Task Force meeting with the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), hosted by the Vertical Flight Society.  Watch Video

The aviation industry plays a significant role in the global economy, connecting people and businesses around the world. However, aviation is responsible for a growing percentage of greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change. To address this challenge and meet the net-zero 2050 goals, the industry is focusing on decarbonization efforts now, including alternative fuels, electric and hybrid-electric aircraft, and other innovative technologies.

The session will explore the latest developments in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), including production, supply chain, and infrastructure considerations. The panelists will also examine the potential of new technologies such as electric and hybrid-electric aircraft, exploring the technological and regulatory hurdles that must be overcome to bring these innovations to market.

Finally, the session will highlight the role of partnerships and collaboration in driving progress toward a more sustainable aviation industry. Panelists will share best practices and success stories from collaborations between airlines, airports, and other stakeholders in the industry.

As the long anticipated first manned flight of the X-57 Maxwell Project approaches, we reflect on the design approaches and highlight the challenges and lessons learned from developing and implementing distributed electric propulsion.

All advanced air mobility (AAM) transformational missions need certifiable automation to lower operating costs to reduce pilot training or remove the pilot from the aircraft. Some of the industry is proposing a crawl, walk, run with regulatory agencies from slowly removing pilot functions that are verifiable in software before they remove the pilot from the cockpit. This panel will discuss challenges to prove software can make multiple decisions in a contingency better than a pilot.

Also, watch the 10 May 2023 AIAA AAM Task Force meeting with the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), hosted by the Vertical Flight Society.  Watch Video

The current aircraft certification standards and processes are adequate for certifying our current understanding of aircraft – airplanes are airplanes, helicopters are helicopters and so on. Future aircraft will blur the lines – airplanes the take off like helicopters, helicopters will cruise like airplanes, uncrewed systems, automated/autonomous systems will test the limits of the current understanding of certification standards and processes.

Further, the latest technological advancements in aircraft design and manufacturing, including composite materials, additive manufacturing, and electric propulsion systems present challenges for regulators and manufacturers.

The panel will look towards the future of aircraft certification and explore emerging trends and technologies, such as supersonic and hypersonic flight, urban air mobility, and autonomous aircraft. They will discuss the unique challenges these new technologies present for certification and the regulatory approaches needed to ensure their safe operation.

The industry commitment to net zero 2050 comes with many challenges, not least of which is finding fuels that provide energy density comparable to current aviation fuels. Hydrogen has many of the characteristics required but comes with another set of challenges and benefits. Leading industry advocates will address the challenges and their vision of hydrogen as a fuel for the next generation of aviation.

Introductory Presentation

• Technological Innovations Driving a Hydrogen-Electric Aviation Future
  Driven by global growth in demand for high-speed mobility, as well as a need to ensure profitability and sustainability of aviation into the future, a strategic transition towards alternative propulsion and energy sources is necessary. The use of liquid hydrogen (LH2) as an energy carrier serves as a promising avenue to zero-emissions commercial air travel of the future. However, for fully hydrogen-electric concepts to be feasible, significant progress in cryogenic and superconducting systems and distributed electric propulsion technologies must be developed. The Center for Cryogenic High-Efficiency Electrical Technologies for Aircraft (CHEETA), established under the NASA University Leadership Initiative program, was developed to address these technological gaps. This presentation will provide an overview of the research activities supported through CHEETA, including several challenges, opportunities, and impact areas associated with next-generation cryogenic electrified aircraft propulsion technologies.