1. A PERSONAL PLANE AIR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
Claude Le Tallec, ONERA, France
Joint EU – US Workshop on Small Aircraft and Personal Planes Systems "How to Prepare the Future"
24th October 2012, Place Rogier, Brussels
Project Funded by the EC under FP7 Framework

2. Where does PPlane fit in the Air Transport System?
Airliner
Commuter A/C
Vehicle Size
Business Jet
VLJ
PAV
Todays Common Air Transportation Systems
Future Extension
Long Term
Timeline

3. What is PPlane?
PPlane is a research project funded by the European Commission with the aim of defining a viable Personal Air Transport System of the future (2030 and beyond)
PPlane has the following characteristics:
Fully automated transport enabling a “regular Joe” to use the aircraft without any prior expertise
Fly in various weather conditions
“Push button” navigation including the integration into the airspace
Aircraft is part of a “system” enabling the “user” to manage his flight:
Set flight destination
Monitor the flight from take-off to landing
Gets help and information from the ground, when and if needed, including emergencies
Aircraft operation is Safe and Secure

4. PPlane Partners French Aerospace Lab ONERA France
5 RC
4 Universities
3 SME
1 Industry
French Aerospace Lab ONERA France
Israel Aerospace Industries IAI Israel
Airnet AIR Slovenia
Bologna University UNIBO Italy
Brno University BUT Czech Rep.
CIRA CIRA Italy
Intergam Communications Ltd. ITG Israel
Warsaw University of Technology WUT Poland
AT-One, German Aerospace Center DLR Germany
Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial INTA Spain
AT-One, National Aerospace Laboratory NLR Netherlands
University of Patras PAT Greece
REA-TECH Engineering and Architect Ltd. REA Hungary

5. PPlane Overall Methodology
Recommended features/ technologies
Needed systems specifications
Delphi
Survey
HoQ Tier 1
HoQ Tier 2
Customer needs
Prioritized systems specifications
Priorities for scenarios
Prioritized spec
Scenarios processed and rated
Most promising scenarios and aircraft characteristics
PPlane team
WP 2 to 5
Selection / ranking with HoQ to get them
Go deeper in the definition of the system components
Consider selected vehicles
Specific features for turbulence
Detailed aerodynamic calculation
Refinement of vehicle concepts
Pressurized
De-iced…..
Ideas for the design of operational concepts
Engineering
Design of scenarios
(OpCo + vehicles)

6. PPlane “Roadable” Issue
Weight, safety and
social acceptance
Roadable vehicle
Non roadable vehicle

7. Potential Concepts of PPlane Vehicles7 3 1 2 5 4 6 8
European « Out of the box » study

8. PPlane Air Vehicle Cabin/Cockpit Layout
Too complex for a regular Joe

9. PPlane System Architecture
ATC: Air Traffic Control
RPS: Remote Pilot Station

10. Human Factors Team Findings
PPlane transportation system should be used by a 'regular Joe': no specific competency nor training should be required from the PPlane occupants
Only passengers on board - pilot on the ground (GP)
PPlane passenger will have to be confident and more independent than passengers from current commercial flights
A pre flight briefing will be required (emergency procedures)
A short simulation trial could be envisaged (actual PPlane in a simulated mode) for familiarisation and acceptance checking before the actual flight
In flight, information is required including voice communication with ground
PPlane Ground Pilot (GP) should have a specific license and type rating
Human factors issues are important
in the PPlane and on ground

11. Security Team Findings
Three main targets:
Protecting the passengers and aircraft from attack
Difficult to get the same protection as for conventional airlines using “secure” airports
PPlane less attractive than large airliners for any terrorism actions
Short range
Low number of passengers
Protecting the aircraft from being used for unlawful acts
Low mass and speed resulting in limited kinetic energy
Low fuel capacity
Limited payload capability
Protecting PPports from illegal intruders
Actions to improve security level were described for Czech Rep. (based on existing GA airports)
Command and control data link critical

12. Safety Team Findings On board human actions to be kept to a minimum
Flight and Flight Control System (FCS) –
Need to develop new type of highly reliable FCS and autopilot
Design of FCS system could be based on existing designs for higher category aircraft
Emergency management
New systems and procedures have to be developed
Navigation
4D contract managed at the PPlane system level
Propulsion
Multiple engine recommended (or low failure rate for electric engines?)
On board human actions to be kept to a minimum
More automation: manufacturer liability?
Pilot still “on the loop”: how much? liability?

13. Environment Team Findings
Emissions:
Emissions of NOX, CO, CO2 and H2O with combustion engines
No direct emission with electric engines
Noise
Engine: nearly no noise for electric engine, significant noise for combustion engines
Propeller: used with both types of engine
Perceived nuisance by population
4D contracts will enable optimized flight path
Global efficiency
PPlane may exist only if
electric propulsion becomes viable for such air vehicles

14. Automation and Control Team Findings
A&C technologies have been investigated, leading to the following conclusions:
On board 4D trajectory management: significant developments are still required, enabling acting not only on speed control but also on trajectory generation
Separation management: automated
Detect and avoid: new paradigm…
Fault detection and identification: model-based FDI techniques (that need further development) should lower hardware redundancy needs
Automatic take-off, landing and taxiing: GNSS based systems + vision based technologies still require further work
Automation and functional allocation: complex issues to share functions between on-board automation, ground automation and humans
Aid to piloting tools & remote pilot situation awareness: Back to HF issues
More work is needed to reach
sufficient automation safety levels

15. Automation in Aviation – 2012 U.S. Report Safety issue
Unmanned aircraft systems current status (US congressional report, January 2012)
Survey (Aerospace America, March 2011): in 2011, there are 680 different UAS programs world wide, up from 195 in 2005
USA unmanned aircraft inventory increased more than 40-fold from 2002 to 2010
In 2011, almost 1 in 3 U.S. warplanes is a Robot
Global Hawk-class, Reaper and Predator-class UAS will grow from approximately 340 in FY 2012 to approximately 650 in FY 2021
The Predator has only 7.5 accidents per 100,000 hours of flight:
down from 20 accidents over that time in 2005
comparable to a (manned) F-16
just under the 8.2 rate for small, single engine private airplanes flown in the U.S
High automation has made significant progress on safety!

16. Air Traffic Management issues
Conventional voice messages between Air Traffic Controllers and pilots are not an option any more. On board 4D trajectory management is required
ATC monitoring of aircraft compliance to planned 4D trajectory remains a problem for safety and efficiency
Conflict management
Uncertainty in aircraft future positioning
Latency in aircraft reaction to ATC instructions
Self sense and avoid system not practicable: a 4D contract based, preplanned, Air Traffic Management is needed
Need for a 4D contract based ATM

17. PPlane as an Element of a Multimodal Transport System
PPlane is not a substitution to any transport means, it is one segment of a multi modal transport system
Personal Rapid Transport (PRT)

18. PPort Concept #1 - Assisted Take-off and Landing
Proposed scenario: Specific ramp infrastructures

19. Estimated Cost per Km per Seat (€ per km per seat)

20. Main Conclusion
The PPlane project team has identified aspects of a new small aircraft personal transportation system to be further developed:
Technical issues:
Aircraft characteristic and performance
Associated ground support systems
High automation level that is needed for such a system
Overall system architecture definition and operation
Identification of users needs and expectations
Integration to the overall transportation system
Management of abnormal situations
Social issues
Safety of over-flown population
Environment concerns (emission , noise etc)
PPlane will ensure the mobility of people and goods, fostering safe and secure commuting, without negative impact on other parties

21. Recommendations
PPlane concept represents an important step and milestone in the long road towards a revolutionary personal air transport system
Analysis results and recommendations of the PPlane project should be used to continue the European effort to pioneer the air transport of the future
Future work to further investigate the concept has to be undertaken rapidly to support the European competitiveness in aeronautics
EU – US collaboration on automated Personal Planes Transportation Systems is encouraged in order to accelerate the common vision of global citizen mobility

22. Automation in Aviation – 2011 EC Report
Published in 2011 by the European Commission
Directorate-General for Research and Innovation
Directorate General for Mobility and Transport
“Automation has changed the roles of both the pilot and the air traffic controller. Their roles are now as strategic managers and hands-off supervisors, only intervening when necessary”
PPlane is part
of the roadmap!