Presented to: 

By: 

Date: 

Aviation R&D Landscapes 

REDAC 

Maureen Molz and Team 

April 11, 2019 
 

 

What is a Landscape?

A Landscape is a collection of research drivers that 

provides information about their potential impacts to the 

industry. 

– Research Drivers 

• A force or motivation that stimulates R&D investment 

– Impacts 

• Industry Objectives 

• Emerging Technologies 

• Envisioned Operations 

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Developing the R&D Landscapes 

• Research drivers and their impacts will be 

described within the context of each of the 6 

research domain areas. 

• A document will be produced to effectively 

communicate Aviation Industry Landscape. 

R&D Research Domain Areas Research Domain Leads 

Airport Technology 

Aircraft Safety Assurance 

Digital Systems & Technologies 

Human and Aeromedical Factors 

Environment & Weather Impact

Mitigation 

Aviation Performance & Planning 

Michel Hovan, ANG-E2 Ryan King, ANG-E2 

Kenneth Allendoerfer, ANG-E2 

Stacey Zinke, AAM (CAMI) 

Carla Hackworth, AAM (CAMI)

Dan Herschler, ANG-C1 

Jim Hileman, AEE Randy Bass, ANG-C6

Warren Fellner, ANG-C6 

Francisco Bermudez, ANG-C5 

Eric Neiderman, ANG-E2 Ken Knopp, ANG-E2 

Eric Neiderman, ANG-E2 Hossein Eghbali, ANG-E2 

3 
 

 

R&D Landscape Process 

• Team composed of FAA research domain leads, MITRE, ANG-E4 

and senior management 

– R&D Landscape team formed and initiated on October 31, 2018. 

– Bi-weekly team meetings, with additional research domain specific meetings as 

needed. 

• Tasks involved: 

– Develop structure for data collection 

– Ensure traceability of research drivers to source documentation 

4 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Derivation of Drivers FAA’s Strategic Initiatives 

a)Make aviation safer and smarter 

b)Deliver benefits through technology 

and infrastructure 

c)Enhance global leadership 

d)Empower and innovate with the 

FAA’s people 

Future of the NAS - 2030 

Supersonic Flight 

Urban Air Mobility 

Non-Traditional NAS Access 

Points 

Space Operations 

Electric Propulsion 

Future Fuel Technologies 

Artificial Intelligence 

Remote/Virtual Technologies 

Example Research 

Drivers 

TRB Critical Issues in Transportation 

FAA NAS Horizons Strategic Interest 

a)NAS Infrastructure 

b) Smart Systems 

c) Certification & 

Regulation 

d) NAS Operational 

Information Exchange 

e) Cybersecurity 

f) Space Operations 

g) Workforce 

Issues 

a)Transformational 

Technologies and 

Services 

b)Serving a Growing and 

Shifting Population 

c) Energy and 

Sustainability 

d)Resilience and Security 

e)Safety and Public Health 

f) etc. 

Goals 

a) NextGen Evolution 

b) Benefits of the Future 

NAS 

c) Delivering Improved 

Services 

d) Seamless Integration 

e) Meeting New Challenges 

DoT Strategic Plan 

a) Safety 

b) Infrastructure 

c) Innovation 

d) Accountability 

REDAC Emerging 

Issues 

ACARE – Strategic Research & 

Innovation Agenda 

Challenges 

a)Meeting societal and 

market needs 

b)Industrial leadership 

c) Environment and 

energy supply 

d)Ensuring safety and 

security 

e)Prioritizing research, 

testing, and education 
 

 

 

Research Landscapes and Planning 

Impact 

Analysis 

FAA Research 

Portfolio Research Research 

Outputs 

What is the driver impact on industry objectives, 

emerging technologies or envisioned operations? 

By research 

domain: 

prioritized 

research 

projects 

w/FAA’s role 

(Lead, Watch, 

Participate) 

FAA’s research 

serving to meet 

FAA NARP 

objectives 

Landscapes 

Results of 

FAA’s research 

and 

Technology 

Transfer 

Planning 

Documented 

approach for 

achieving FAA’s 

research 

goals/objectives 

National Aviation 

Research Plan 

(NARP) 

Research 

Drivers 

A force or motivation that stimulates R&D investment. 

Execution Results 

Aviation

Industry FAA 

8 
 

 

R&D Landscape Schedule 

Develop plan for Landscape development Completed November 2018 

Deliver Landscape to REDAC for input Completed Spring 2019 

 Produce Landscape Document June 2019 

7 
 

 

 

 

 

Subcommittee Scope 

• Help FAA understand the aviation industry’s strategic 

focus 

• Review the driver list and identify any missing items. 

• Identify the characteristics or individual components of each driver and 

the timeframe to maturity. 

• Identify if the driver presents challenges that the FAA should pay 

attention to. 

• Identify entities (academia, government, or industry) that are currently 

conducting work related to this driver. 

• Separate from F&Rs, provide subcommittee Workbook 

input to the DFO’s prior to the full REDAC meeting on 4/11. 

• Be prepared to summarize during the full REDAC meeting 

on 4/11. 

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Research Driver List 

• Supersonic Flight 

• Urban Air Mobility 

• Growth of Mixed Operations (Piloted, Autonomous, 

Unmanned 

• New Mission Types 

• Non-Traditional NAS Access Points 

• Space Operations 

• Enable Routine Small UAS Operations Beyond Visual 

Line of Sight (BVLOS) 

• Autonomous ground service equipment at airports 

• Aircraft Command and Control Using Automation and 

Remote Sensing Technology 

• New Vehicles or their Components Which Make Use of 

New Technologies, Software, or Materials 

• Certification using New Technologies, Standards, or 

Processes 

• Remote/Virtual Technologies 

• Advances in Electric or Hybrid Electric Propulsion 

• Future Fuel Technologies 

• New Technologies to Airport Pavement Infrastructure 

and Design 

• Information Assurance and Security for All Operations 

(cyber-security) 

• Big Data Analytics and Techniques 

• Human-Machine Teaming and New Technology 

Interfaces 

• Artificial Intelligence 

• Increased Connectivity by Cyber-Physical Systems 

(Internet of Things Technologies) 

• Crowd Sourcing Weather Data 

• Advancement in Position, Navigation, & Timing 

Technology 

• Risk-Based Decision-Making techniques and analytics 

• Infrastructure Resiliency and Continuity of Operations 

• New Medical Technologies and New Substances 

(Medications, Drugs, Etc.) 

9 
Subcommittee Roundtable Discussion 

• Impressions 

• Approach 

• Summary of comments 

10 
Backups 

11 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Subcommittee Approaches 

Environment and Energy 

•Struggled with the overall intent of the 

exercise and how FAA planned to utilize 

inputs 

•Identified top five drivers related to E&E 

•Identified subcommittee members to 

develop workbook response for each of

these 5. 

NAS Operations 

•Reviewed full list of drivers, identifying

ones that pertained to their subcommittee 

and grouped them as: 

•Emergent Operations 

•Infrastructure 

•Data 

•Assigned all subcommittee members task

of filling out workbook and providing back

to the chair for consolidation 

Airports 

•Evaluated each driver based on 

importance (1-5) 

•Identified any links between drivers 

•Discussed concerns/issues at a high level 

•Identified subcommittee members to 

develop workbook response for each of

the drivers 

Aircraft Safety 

•Went through full list of drivers as a group 

•Identified major issues concerning each 

driver 

•Identified some additional source 

documentation 

•Captured notes and planned for

additional coordination among members. 

Human Factors 

• Struggled with the overall intent of

the exercise and how FAA planned to 

utilize inputs 

• Reviewed the drivers and had 

discussion as to definitions of each 

to ensure full understanding 

• Discussion about how their present

emerging issues document mapped 

to these drivers. 

12 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Subcommittee Driver Changes/Additions – 

Initial Feedback 

Airports Aircraft Safety Human Factors 

• Added Drivers: • Changed Drivers: •Changed Drivers: 

•Human-machine Teaming & New • Aviation System Sustainability • Enable Routine Small UAS Technology Interfaces – Split into two 

• Aviation System Capacity Operations BVLOS separate drivers 

• Future Security Technologies • Added Drivers: •Artificial Intelligence – Category needs to be 

broadened or reframed • In-Time System-Wide Safety •Added Drivers: assurance (e.g. Digital Twinning •Training 

• Runway Friction & Braking •Pilot Demographics 

•Larger UAS Integration 

Environment and Energy NAS Operations 

• Changed Drivers: • Changed Drivers 

• New Vehicles or their • Increased Connectivity by CyberComponents Which Make Use of Physical Systems (Internet of 

New Tech, Software or Matls  Things Technologies) & Spectrum 

Sustainable Growth of Subsonic (4G/5G) 

Transports Through Novel Vehicle

Configurations, Operational

Concepts and New Technologies 13