Wednesday, August 3rd - Day 1
Welcome - 8:00AM to 8:10AM
Ballroom
Opening Remarks - 8:10AM to 8:30AM
Ballroom
Toks Omishakin
Secretary, California State Transportation Agency
Early Morning - 8:30AM to 10:00AM: Plenary Session
Advancing Aerial Mobility: Current Practices, Innovations, and Emerging Futures - Ballroom
This plenary session led the conference with a panel discussion of how transformative and disruptive aviation technologies are creating new use cases, business models, aircrafts, and other opportunities for on-demand air mobility and goods delivery in urban, suburban, and rural communities. The panel featured thought leaders sharing their views on opportunities, risks, and indicators to watch to prepare for advanced air mobility.
Moderator:
Todd Petersen - Chief Technology Officer, Lacuna
Speakers:
Andrew Cummins - Director of Strategy and Business Development, Archer Aviation
Edward Espiritu - Senior Manager, United Airlines
Addison Ferrell - Head of Americas, Skyports
Shivanjli Sharma - Aerospace Research Engineer, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Ben Tigner - Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Overair
Melissa Tomkiel - President, BLADE
Morning Break - 10:00AM to 10:30AM
Astrojet and Foyer
Late Morning - 10:30AM to 12:00PM: Breakout Sessions
Environmental Impacts: Weather, Noise, Visual Pollution, and Land Use Privacy - Looper
This session focused on the environmental factors associated with AAM operations such as weather, noise and visual pollution, and privacy over sensitive land uses. In this session, participants learned about:
- The impacts weather could have on AAM operations;
- The potential noise, visual, and privacy impacts of individual aircraft and scaled AAM operations; and
- Strategies for prevention and mitigation that can be employed to address potential concerns.
Moderator:
Paul Wheeler - Director, Aerial Innnovation, WSP
Speakers:
Ryan Biziorek - Associate Principal, Arup
Timothy Middleton - Principal Consultant, HMMH
Brendan Reed - Director of Airport Planning and Environmental Affairs, San Diego International Airport
Colleen Reiche - Senior Director, EY-Parthenon
Stakeholder and Community Engagement - Clipper
This session discussed the similarities and differences between stakeholder and community engagement, and discuss tools and best practices for the public and private sectors to engage stakeholders and implementing public involvement activities as part of the AAM planning process. In this session, participants learned about:
- Inclusive engagement strategies for diverse stakeholders and underserved populations;
- Forward-thinking engagement strategies for stakeholders with limited experience with AAM and aviation; and
- Methods for enhancing inclusivity and equity as part of AAM planning and implementation.
Moderator:
Geoffrey Gosling - Principal, Aviation System Consulting, LLC - Presentation
Speakers:
Gaël Le Bris - Senior Aviation Planner, WSP - Presentation
Liza Josias - Human Factors and Stakeholder Engagement Lead, Eve Air Mobility - Presentation
Lisa Peterson - Vice President of Business Development, Airspace Link, Inc. - Presentation
Maranda Thompson - Aviation Planning Supervisor/Project Manager, Mead & Hunt - Presentation
Beth White - Senior Strategist for Industry and Public Engagement, Federal Aviation Administration - Presentation
Integrating AAM into a Multimodal System - Ballroom
This session featured a lively discussion about strategies and best practices for the public sector to integrate AAM with intermodal passenger facilities and digital services. As part of this session, participants learned about:
- The potential impacts of AAM on intermodal passenger facility operation, access, and design;
- Policy and design strategies for repurposing existing infrastructure; renovating and adapting facilities for changes in modal access; and replacing infrastructure to prepare for AAM;
- Strategies for creating AAM-oriented development (e.g., “aerotropolis” concept);
- Potential business models, partnerships, and funding to enable the development and financing of AAM facilities; and
- Opportunities and challenges for integrating AAM into mobility on demand (MOD) and mobility as a service (MaaS).
Moderator:
Joseph Iacobucci - New Mobility Practice Leader, Sam Schwartz Engineering
Speakers:
Gabriela Juarez - City Planner, City of Los Angeles - Presentation
Adrienne Lindgren - State and Local Partnerships Lead, Supernal - Presentation
Caryn Moore Lund - Head of Launch, United States, Lilium - Presentation
Suzanne Murtha - Vice President Connected and Automated Technologies, AECOM - Presentation
Lunchtime Keynote - 12:00PM to 1:30PM
Ballroom
John Cavolowsky
Director, Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Early Afternoon - 1:30PM to 3:00PM: Breakout Sessions
Ensuring Safety of Novel Aircraft Designs, Technologies, and Infrastructure - Looper
New infrastructure, novel technologies, and combinations of features that could be found in AAM aircraft (e.g., distributed electric propulsion/tilt-wing propulsion, VTOL, autonomy hardware and software, optionally piloted configurations, electric energy storage, etc.) could present a number of regulatory and safety challenges. In this session, participants learned about efforts to identify and address regulatory and safety challenges for emerging aviation technologies, such as:
- Autonomy and highly complex software
- Electric propulsion and energy storage
- Uncrewed and optionally piloted aircraft; and
- One operator flying or managing multiple aircraft.
Moderator:
Chris Hart - Founder, Hart Solutions LLC
Speakers
Ryan Naru - Government Affairs, Joby Aviation - Presentation
Abby Smith - Deputy Executive Director, Office of Unmanned Aircraft System Integration at Federal Aviation Administration - Presentation
Richard Stocker - Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority - Presentation
Workforce and Economic Development - Clipper
This session discussed the workforce development needs to support AAM and potential opportunities to support economic development. In this session, participants learned about:
- The critical skill issues the aviation sector faces preparing for electric, autonomous, and carbon neutral aviation;
- Education and training requirements needed to support new capabilities to support AAM; and
- Potential opportunities for AAM to create high-road jobs that offer living wages, benefits, and opportunities for upward mobility, and safe and healthy working conditions.
Moderator:
Karen Philbrick - Executive Director, Mineta Transportation Institute
Speakers:
Rubén Del Rosario - Vice President of Aerospace and Advanced Transportation, Crown Consulting - Presentation
Ernest Huffman - Principal Planner, North Central Texas Council of Governments - Presentation
Benjamin Merran - Director, NEXA Capital Partners - Presentation
Joshua Metz - Executive Director, Monterey Bay Drone, Automation, and Robotics Technology (DART) Initiative - Presentation
Paul Stith - Associate Vice President of Global Transportation Initiatives, Black & Veatch - Presentation
The Role of Local and Regional Governments in Planning for Advanced Air Mobility - Ballroom
The session discussed the role cities, counties, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), tribal governments, and other jurisdictions play in integrating AAM into local and regional planning processes and transportation improvement programs. In this session, participants learned about:
- What is AAM, and how will it impact local and regional governments;
- Opportunities and challenges that arise when planning for AAM at the local and regional levels of government;
- Considerations for integrating AAM into planning processes; and
- Balancing competing needs with limited public resources.
Moderator:
Yolanka Wulff - Executive Director, Community Air Mobility Initiative (CAMI) - Presentation
Speakers:
Jacques Coulon - Transportation Planning Projects Coordinator, City of Orlando - Presentation
Thea Ewing - Chief Regional Development Officer, Senior Director of Programming Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission - Presentation
Clint Harper - Advanced Air Mobility Program Manager, Urban Movement Labs - Presentation
Shahab Hasan - Director, Airspace Programs, Crown Consulting - Presentation
George Kivork - Head of State and Local Policy, Joby Aviation
Afternoon Break - 3:00PM to 3:30 PM
Astroject and Foyer
Late Afternoon - 3:30PM to 5:00PM: Plenary Session
Guiding Safe, Sustainable, and Equitable Outcomes - Ballroom
This session featured a lively discussion among thought leaders discussing steps the public and private sectors need to take today to achieve the safe, sustainable, and equitable deployment of scaled AAM operations. The session included a discussion on what is needed to ensure airworthiness and operational safety; the role of electrification, hydrogen, and alternative fuels to achieve carbon neutrality; and considerations for including equity into AAM planning and implementation.
Moderator:
Susan Shaheen - Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California at Berkeley
Speakers:
Vince Bertoni - Director of Planning, City of Los Angeles - Presentation
John Cavolowsky - Director, Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration - Presentation
Chris Hart - Founder, Hart Solutions LLC - Presentation
Lori Pepper - Deputy Secretary for Innovative Mobility Solutions, California State Transportation Agency
Yolanka Wulff - Executive Director, Community Air Mobility Initiative - Presentation
Reception - 5:30PM
Memories of the Past and a Vision for the Future - SFO Museum, International Terminal
Join us for happy hour with aviation art, history, and networking at the SFO Museum. The museum holds over 150,000 objects related to the history of commercial aviation and the airline industry. The museum's collection includes significant holdings on the histories of San Francisco International Airport, and major airlines such as Pan American World Airways, and United Airlines.
Thursday, August 4th - Day 2
Morning Keynote - 8:00AM to 8:30AM
Ballroom
Julie Lorenz
Secretary, Kansas Department of Transportation
Early Morning - 8:30AM to 10:00AM: Plenary Session
Public Sector Perspectives on Advanced Air Mobility - Ballroom
This session featured public sector perspectives on planning and implementing AAM. In this session, public sector thought leaders discussed institutional readiness, opportunities and obstacles, emerging practices, and considerations to help public agencies integrate AAM in their communities.
Moderator:
Raja Sengupta - Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California at Berkeley
Speakers:
Carlos Cruz-Casas - Chief Innovation Officer, Miami-Dade County
Jared Esselman - Director of Aeronautics, Utah Department of Transportation - Presentation
Ramses Madou - Division Manager, Planning, Policy, and Sustainability, Department of Transportation, City of San Jose
Pricila Roldan - Regional Planner and Partnership Strategist, San Diego Association of Governments - Presentation
Morning Break - 10:00AM to 10:30AM
Astrojet and Foyer
Late Morning - 10:30AM to 12:00PM: Breakout Sessions
Safe and Equitable Airspace and Flight Operations - Clipper
This session discussed the safety, equity, and environmental impacts of AAM flight operations on the airspace, transportation corridors, and surrounding community. In this session, participants learned about:
- The role of public and private data service providers for supporting airspace management and flight operations;
- Potential impacts of flight paths and AAM operations on communities;
- Metrics, tools, and strategies for estimating and understanding the impacts of AAM flight operations; and
- Potential strategies for mitigating adverse environmental impacts.
Moderator:
Toni Drummond - Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Global Aerial Management Group
Speakers:
Antony Evans - Traffic Management System Architect, Acubed - Presentation
Curtis Ostrodka - Director of Smart Communities, VHB - Presentation
Jasenka Rakas - Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California at Berkeley - Presentation
Anuja Verma - Principal, Aviation Systems, The MITRE Corporation - Presentation
Yu Zhang - Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of South Florida - Presentation
Regional Air Mobility: Opportunities and Challenges for Rural Communities and Small Airports - Ballroom
This session explored the use of AAM for intraregional use cases of up to a few hundred miles that occur within or between urban and rural areas. In this session, participants learned about:
- What is regional air mobility;
- Potential impacts, opportunities, and challenges of regional air mobility;
- Planning considerations and infrastructure needs to prepare rural communities and small airports for regional air mobility; and
- Considerations for small airports and rural communities working with other key stakeholders, such as aircraft manufacturers and service providers.
Moderator:
Mark Hansen - Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California at Berkeley
Speakers:
Arthur Dubois - Director of Engineering, Xwing - Presentation
Nicholas Flom - Specialist Leader, Deloitte - Presentation
Manal Habib - Chief Executive Officer, MightyFly - Presentation
Will Heyburn - Chief Financial Officer, BLADE - Video
Dave Merrill - Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Elroy Air - Presentation
Susan Ying - Senior Vice President, Ampaire - Presentation
Building Public Trust in Electric, Hydrogen, and Autonomous Aviation - Looper
Trust is a necessary component of gaining public support for electric, hydrogen, and autonomous aviation. This session featured a discussion of the factors that may support or impede building public trust in electric, hydrogen, and autonomous flight. In this session, participants learned about:
- Potential barriers to public acceptance of electric and hydrogen aircraft and autonomous flight, such as safety and range anxiety; and
- Strategies for enhancing public understanding of electric, hydrogen, and autonomous aviation.
Moderator:
Anna Dietrich - Director, Industry & Strategy, Community Air Mobility Initiative
Speakers:
Nicholas Matcheck - Partnerships Manager, Advanced Air Mobility, Supernal
Axel Radermacher - Co-founder and Head of Product, Odys Aviation
Anuj Totapudi - Director of Business Development, ZeroAvia
Pavan Yedavalli - Head of Product Intelligence / Systems Simulation, Wisk
Lunchtime Keynote - 12:00PM to 1:30PM
Ballroom
Abby Smith
Deputy Executive Director, Office of Unmanned Aircraft System Integration at Federal Aviation Administration
Early Afternoon - 1:30PM to 3:00PM: Breakout Sessions
Securing Advanced Air Mobility - Clipper
Ensuring personal, personnel, physical, and cyber- security of all aspects of AAM will be critical to maintaining safety and public trust. In this session, participants learned about:
- Physical security of the cargo, vertiports, aircraft, charging/refueling, other physical infrastructure;
- Cybersecurity needs for enabling IT systems (e.g., ticketing/booking, air traffic management, communications, navigation, surveillance, and autonomous aircraft systems);
- Potential practices to mitigate the risk of insiders (i.e., workers, contractors, vendors, etc.) from exploiting their legitimate access to AAM infrastructure and services for unauthorized purpose; and
- Advanced technologies, such as biometrics, passenger rating systems, and trusted traveler programs that could be employed to enhance personal security for a passenger’s journey.
Moderator:
Ravi Singh - Vice President, Integration & Infrastructure, Crown Consulting
Speakers
Kenneth Freeman - Secure Airspace Project Engineer, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center
Christopher Kucera - Head of Strategic Partnerships, OneSky
Torrie Meliska - Product Manager, Vertiports, Wisk
Michael Rucinski - Industry Engagement Manager, General Aviation, Policy, Plans, and Engagement, Transportation Security Administration
Potential Benefits of AAM and Aviation for Communities - Looper
This session discussed the various impacts of airports on local communities, such as direct, indirect, induced and catalytic economic impacts; delivery of emergency humanitarian aid relief, medical supplies, and organs for transplantation; and promoting social inclusion in rural communities. In this session, participants learned about:
- The impacts of airports and aviation that are less frequently discussed;
- Emerging use cases for AAM and UAS to serve emergency response and humanitarian use cases.
Moderator:
Basil Yap - Co-Founder and Principal, AeroX - Presentation
Speakers:
Marc Ausman - Chief Product Officer, Electra.aero - Presentation
Carl Dietrich - Founder & President, Jump Aero - Presentation
Johnny Doo - President, International Vehicle Research, Inc. - Presentation
Jeffrey Smith - Chairman of the Board of Directors, Helicopter Association International - Presentation
Equity Impacts of Vertiports - Ballroom
This session discussed the potential equity implications of vertiports and flight paths. In this session, participants learned about:
- Potential impacts of vertiports on nearby neighborhoods;
- Opportunities for vertiports to revitalize neighborhoods and serve as a catalyst for mixed-use development;
- Policies to prevent gentrification and displacement; and
- Strategies for mitigating adverse environmental impacts
Moderator:
Adam Cohen - Senior Research Manager, Transportation Sustainability Research Center, University of California at Berkeley - Presentation
Speakers:
Chris Fernando - Advisor and Advanced Air Mobility Consultant, EY-Parthenon
Chris Musei-Sequeira - Founder and Principal, CJSC LLC - Presentation
Kerry Rohrmeier - Assistant Professor, San Jose State University
Steven Spinello - Infrastructure Manager, Skyports
Amber Woodburn McNair - Assistant Professor, City and Regional Planning, Ohio State University
Afternoon Break - 3:00PM to 3:30PM
Astrojet and Foyer
Late Afternoon - 3:30 PM to 5:00PM: Plenary Session
Governing for On-Demand Air Mobility - Ballroom
This session closed the conference with a discussion of the roles and responsibilities of the public sector, and the legal issues, policies, and best practices around governing, taxing, and regulating advanced air mobility.
Moderator:
Justin Towles - President, Crown Consulting
Speakers:
Riley Beaman - UAS Program Manager, North Carolina Department of Transportation Division of Aviation
Doug Coleman - Chief Legal Officer, Reliable Robotics
John S. Eberhardt III - Chief Technology Officer, ATA, LLC
Daniel Friedenzohn - Associate Dean, College of Aviation, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
Dawn Zoldi - Founder and Chief Executive Officer, P3 Tech Consulting LLC
No Host Happy Hour - 5:00PM to 6:00PM
Twin Craft Bar at the Grand Hyatt Hotel
Contact Nick Matcheck of Supernal and Anuj Totapudi of ZeroAvia for more information.