Dynamic Reservation-Based Traffic Control System to Integrate VTOL Vehicle Operations in Connected Vehicle Surface Traffic

Urban air mobility (UAM) represents a promising concept for 3-D transportation, as it leverages a new generation of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. However, UAM currently lacks a comprehensive origin-to-destination service. In this study, we propose integrating fly-drive vehicles (FVs) into the existing road infrastructure and connected vehicle (CV) surface traffic environment through a dynamic reservation-based traffic control system, aiming to enhance travel time for high-priority FVs and provide door-to-door service. Landing and takeoff operations are provided on a first-come, first-served basis while taking into consideration the downwash that VTOL FVs can produce. In addition, the proposed approach incorporates the use of fly-drive vehicles that employ the same propulsion system for both drive and flight modes. We simulate such FVs in custom-made microsimulation tool, which includes dynamic reservation-based traffic control for FVs. Our results demonstrate that the proposed traffic control increases delays of surface vehicles when compared to base case without FVs in the network. However, the number of denied takeoff and landing requests is significantly reduced when compared to a previous study, showing that this concept indeed provided priority service to FVs. Notably, since FVs are scarce in the network and are not intended for mass use, the delay increase for surface vehicles is relatively insignificant, especially for low and moderate surface traffic conditions. Furthermore, a noise assessment showed that the proportion of FVs, if this concept is to be employed, should be minimal or FVs should produce much less noise than contemporary helicopters.