PAAV Completes “Tabletop” Activity with Subject Matter Experts
July 12, 2022
On May 27, 2022, the ATM-X Project’s Pathfinding for Airspace with Autonomous Vehicles (PAAV) Sub-Project completed a Tabletop activity with controller and pilot Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). The goal of the Tabletop was to provide a forum to vet, with the SMEs, concept elements of integrating unmanned cargo operations into the NAS, by allowing for a discussion that would identify gaps and shortfalls with existing procedures and regulations and propose potential solutions to solve these issues. A phased approach was used for the Tabletop. In the first session scheduled from May 16-19, both manned and unmanned pilots were presented with 17 narratives, which included nine use cases that highlighted single aircraft operations and eight use cases focused on m:N (i.e., multiple operators, each cooperatively managing multiple assets) operations and were asked to assess challenges and solutions to enable such operations. In the second session scheduled from May 23–26, controllers were presented with the same set of use cases and asked about their perspective. In the third session on May 27, the pilot and controller SMEs were brought together for a joint discussion. A fourth session, scheduled for the Fall of 2022, will be an outbrief to the FAA, industry stakeholders, and academic/research representatives. Findings from the Tabletop will be included in the ConUse Version 1 document.