eFlightJournal-04-2020+01-2021double issue

Cover e-flight-garden Story talk
e-flight-Garden talk
Road construction ahead
(for eVTOLs traffic )
Despite the economic
crises,technology companies
around the world are investing
in eVTOLs. This year
alone, Joby, Hyundai, and
Lilium have received more
than a billion dollars. With
this money the development
and certification of the vehicles
are progressing including
planning for the coming innercity
infrastructure. However,
one other important
piece for the eVTOL puzzle
is still missing - the “roads
inside the centers “or better
the air traffic control, which
makes eVTOLs possible.
A new German startup D3 has set the
goal to develop an Air Traffic Management
(ATM) System for eV-
TOL Air Taxis.
We spoke with Corvin Huber
CEO and his experts Ralph Schupenhauer
(Head of Air Traffic Control)
and Otto Bommer (Head of Avionics).
Corvin Huber led several German aircraft
manufacturers (EXTRA, REMOS, Econoflug) to
exhibits with international investors (UK & US). He
rapidly built & scaled hard-hitting tech company businesses
& engineering teams. Corvin has managed as
well small-cap tech investors. Ralph Schuppenhauerwas
Head of Product Development at Deutsche Flugsicherung.
He also worked at Next Gen ATC System
Willi Tacke from e-flight-Journal in the e-flight-Garden
Talk #5 about Air Traffic Control for UAM.
UAC Karlsruhe and was Program
Manager for SES Interoperability
Standardization. Otto Bommer,
D3’s Head of Avionic,was
a Program Manager for the Airbus
A400M mission management
computer. He led Honeywell Regelsysteme
and was VP of product development
at Becker Avionics.
eFJ: Let’s start with a provoking question: Why
do we need a new ATM system for eVTOLs? Why
they cannot fly with the existing system,which has developed
and is proven over the 50 years?
Corvin Huber: Traditional ATM was never intended to
manage a large number of aircraft in close proximity to
dense city centers. Urban Airspace is dense, complex
and totally unforgiving. Well known human Pilot Controller
action is not a scalable proposition. UAM ATM started
from the ground up.
eFJ: What is the major difference to the existing systems
and what are the key-features of the D3 UAM-
ATM?
Corvin Huber: We are working on a system which is
based on a concept of automated distribution of safe air
routes and the automated clearance of these routes so
they are safe and certifiable. It allows cities to maintain
control of their airspace and integrate existing service
56 e Flight Journal 1 / 2021