The Vertical Flight Society (VFS) is holding its 7th Workshop on Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Infrastructure on Sept. 26-28, 2023, in Cape May, New Jersey. Registration is now open for in-person and online attendance.
AAM is an air transport system concept that integrates new, transformational aircraft designs and flight technologies into existing and modified airspace operations. Typically, highly automated, AAM aircraft may be powered by batteries, hybrid electric systems or hydrogen fuel cells. AAM aircraft now in development and pressing towards certification include both electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and those needing runways for short or conventional (eSTOL or eCTOL) takeoffs.
VFS has been a leader in vertical flight and electric flight for more than a decade, working to support the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other agencies to support the integration of eVTOL and AAM aircraft into the national airspace system. This workshop is being held at the Cape May Convention Hall, about 45 minutes south of the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey (near Atlantic City).
Tuesday morning, Sept. 26 will begin with AAM 101 — led by the Community Air Mobility Initiative (CAMI) — followed by a deep dive into important and timely AAM infrastructure topics through noon on Thursday, Sept. 28. Attendees also have the opportunity to sign up for a tour of the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center on Thursday afternoon.
The event includes keynotes from Paula Nouragas, Chief Scientist and Technical Advisor, Office of Science and Technology Integration, FAA Tech Center; and Haddon Antonucci, Policy Director, office of local Congressman Jeff Van Drew, a staunch advocate for the FAA Tech Center and AAM.
Workshop sessions cover the following topics: infrastructure data integrity; performance-based infrastructure; performance-based fire protection in AAM; FAA AAM infrastructure update; AAM infrastructure and insurance; AAM operations at airports; AAM digital infrastructure; drone and droneport integration; and micro grids for AAM. Moderators include representatives of eVTOL developers, architecture and engineering firms, infrastructure companies, AAM thought leaders and FAA officials.
As with past workshops, VFS will be providing a one-of-a-kind forum to stakeholders and interested parties from industry and government to discuss the latest efforts, advancements and challenges as it relates to AAM infrastructure. While many are talking about infrastructure for eVTOL and other types of AAM aircraft, VFS has been actively developing consensus-based solutions through its highly successful workshop series to shape the future.
Who should attend: eVTOL manufacturers, federal and state department of transportation (DOT) officials, FAA officials, municipality leaders, Department of Defense (DOD) leaders, infrastructure designers, architecture and engineering firms, insurance companies, FAA Part 135 certificate holders, building and fire code professionals, land-use professionals, and everyone else interested in learning more about Advanced Air Mobility.
For more information and to register for the event, go to: www.vtol.org/inf-2023. Beyond our current sponsors — Hyundai Motor Corporation’s Supernal eVTOL developer and architecture and engineering firm PS&S — a limited number of additional sponsorships remain.
The first four AAM Infrastructure Workshops were held semi-annually from September 2019 to September 2021, and have been held annually since then. These are the only workshops in the world that address this important defining challenge of advanced air mobility. More information on AAM infrastructure can be found at www.vtol.org/infrastructure.
The non-profit Vertical Flight Society is the world’s premier vertical flight technical society. Since it was founded as the American Helicopter Society in 1943, the Society has been a major force in the advancement of vertical flight. VFS is the global resource for information on vertical flight technology. For more than 80 years, it has provided global leadership for scientific, technical, educational and legislative initiatives that advance the state of the art of vertical flight.
VFS hosted the world’s first electric VTOL technical meeting in 2014, launched the world’s first eVTOL eNewsletter in 2016, world’s first dedicated eVTOL website in 2017 (www.eVTOL.news), the world’s first eVTOL short course in 2018, and the world’s first hydrogen-electric aviation symposium in March 2022. The Society began sponsoring the Electric Aircraft Symposium in 2018 and soon took over responsibility for running it from the CAFE Foundation.
