STEM LEARNING:

Advanced Air Mobility: 

What is AAM? Student Guide

www.nasa.gov

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
2 | ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY: WHAT IS AAM? (STUDENT GUIDE)

WHAT IS AAM?

Background

ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY

When most people think of aircraft, they usually think 

about airplanes that travel at great speeds and cover 

long distances while flying routes between airports. 

More and more, however, new types of aircraft are 

transporting people and equipment to urban and rural 

locations where traditional airplanes cannot access. 

These new aircraft range in size from small cargo 

carrying drones to passenger-carrying air taxis, and 

carry out short range missions.

NASA is leading the nation to quickly open this new era 

in air travel called Advanced Air Mobility, or AAM. The 

vision of AAM is that of a safe, accessible, automated, 

and affordable air transportation system for passengers 

and cargo capable of serving previously hard-to-reach 

urban and rural locations.

According to recent NASA-commissioned market studies, by 2030 there will be as many as 500 million flights a year for 

package delivery services and 750 million flights a year for air metro services. AAM will help ensure this new airspace is 

properly managed.

Compared to airplanes and helicopters, the aircraft that fly in this new airspace are small. This, along with where they 

fly, makes it unrealistic to continuously track or control these aircraft using radar or satellite technology. Many of these 

aircraft are Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or UAVs, meaning they are self-flying or autonomous. 

AIRCRAFT AND MISSIONS WITHIN AAM

The smallest aircraft operating in this new air 

transportation system are quadcopters. These small, 

autonomous aircraft are relatively inexpensive and are 

capable of performing tasks such as aerial observation, 

crop monitoring and treatment, and package delivery. 

Hospitals, for example, can quickly send a package 

containing samples to a remote lab, speeding up 

diagnoses and helping treat patients more effectively. 

Due to their size, quadcopters do not carry people.

Larger UAVs transport people. Air taxis and single 

passenger UAV’s only carry a few people at a time, 

but they are able to bring people near their desired 

destination. Larger air metro UAV’s carry more 

passengers, but they fly between predetermined stops 

similar to how a bus or subway operates.

Figure 1. AAM is a system of safe, affordable, and automated air 

transportation for passengers and cargo in urban and rural settings. 

Credit: NASA

Figure 2. Small quadcopters will perform a variety of tasks in urban 

areas. Credit: NASA, Maria Werries
ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY: WHAT IS AAM? (STUDENT GUIDE) | 3 

Aside from carrying passengers around, larger UAVs can accomplish different missions that take advantage of their 

flexibility. For instance, using a UAV as an ambulance means that it can avoid traffic and easily access locations that 

regular ambulances and helicopters cannot. 

In rural areas, UAVs are used for aerial photography, agriculture, mapping, and inspection of buildings, power lines, and 

more. As more UAVs are developed, more and more uses for them will be discovered.

GEOFENCING

UAVs frequently encounter areas where they cannot 

fly. For example, if UAVs were to fly too close to an 

airport, they would pose a danger to airplanes landing 

and taking off. To combat this potential danger, a 

technology called geofencing is used.

Geofencing is when the global positioning system 

coordinates or a radio frequency transmission is used 

to define a geographical boundary—a virtual barrier. 

A microcomputer installed in the control system of a 

UAV automatically monitors its location. If the UAV 

gets too close to a restricted area, the microcomputer 

takes control of the aircraft and flies it away from the 

restricted zone. If this fails for some reason, it can 

also shut down the UAV, forcing it to land outside of 

the restricted area. Government regulations determine 

which areas are geofenced and this information 

automatically uploads to the microcomputer on the UAV.

Geofencing can also be used to keep aircraft within an area. Often, aircraft need to fly a specific flightpath and 

geofencing could be used to ensure they stay within the given corridor.

Figure 4. Geofencing creates virtual three-dimensional fences to keep 

UAVs in or out of certain areas. Credit: NASA

Figure 3. Some passenger carrying UAVs are single passenger aircraft, six passenger air taxis, and 15 passenger air metro aircraft. 

Credit: NASA
4 | ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY: WHAT IS AAM? (STUDENT GUIDE)

DETECT AND AVOID

Another issue AAM seeks to resolve is collision 

avoidance when two or more UAVs fly on paths that 

bring them too close to one another. Through a process 

called detect and avoid (DAA), a UAV automatically 

determines if there’s any danger and adjusts its 

flightpath to avoid the other UAV.

The same microcomputer on the UAV that is used for 

geofencing also controls the DAA process. As a UAV 

flies, the microcomputer determines its current location 

and intended course. This information is broadcast 

to other UAVs located nearby so they can calculate 

whether there is a collision risk. If there is no danger, 

the UAVs continue along their current flightpath. If 

the flightpaths will be too close to one another, the 

microcomputer determines which UAV has priority and 

adjusts the course(s) and/or speed(s) accordingly.

WEATHER

While all aircraft are affected by the weather, UAVs are more heavily impacted by weather than traditional, larger planes 

and helicopters. Anything that affects the flightpath of a UAV poses a danger because they can operate close to 

people, buildings, and other UAVs. The microcomputer installed in the control system of the UAV monitors the weather 

and controls the UAV accordingly. If there are light winds, adjustments to the UAVs’ courses and speeds are made to 

compensate for the wind. If the wind is too strong or another weather condition makes it too dangerous to fly the UAV, 

the microcomputer will prevent it from taking off or landing it if it’s already in the air.

URBAN AIR MOBILITY

One of the most challenging aspects of AAM is controlling aircraft while flying in urban areas. Buildings make tracking 

aircraft difficult and special precautions must be taken to ensure aircraft do not harm people or buildings. As a result, a 

robust control system is required. Urban Air Mobility, or UAM, is the name given to this aspect of AAM.

It is important to note that passenger carrying UAVs in urban environments cannot land and takeoff anywhere they 

want because this interferes with other modes of transportation. Instead, they land at Vertiports, which are located 

throughout the city. Vertiports are flight terminals for UAVs similar to airports for larger planes. They can be located on 

top of preexisting buildings or in standalone buildings designed for UAV operations. Many vertiports must be located 

throughout the city to ensure passengers can leave from or arrive at a location near their origin or destination.

Figure 5. Autonomous UAVs transmit flight information to other UAVs 

to detect and avoid dangerous situations. Credit: NASA
ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY: WHAT IS AAM? (STUDENT GUIDE) | 5 

1. Why is a system like AAM needed instead of using traditional radar or satellite aircraft control systems?

2. How does AAM benefit both rural and urban areas?

3. According to what you just read, geofences are used around airports. Think of two other places where you would 

use geofences. Why you would use them in each place?

4. Why is DAA so important in AAM?

5. Aside from wind, what are some other types of weather that would make it difficult for a small UAV to fly?

6. You are in a city that has air taxis. You decide to take one to get to a restaurant. You find out it cannot deliver you on 

the street right in front of the restaurant but must deliver you at a nearby vertiport. Why is this?

7. Explain what a vertiport is. Why are they currently not commonly found?

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM)—a safe, automated air transportation system for passengers and cargo in urban and rural 

locations

Autonomous—able to control the actions of oneself; in aircraft, flying without a human controlling it

Detect and avoid (DAA—system by which unmanned aerial vehicles communicate with each other to avoid collisions 

and maintain safe flying conditions

Geofencing—creating a virtual three-dimensional boundary around an area to keep unmanned aerial vehicles in or out

Urban Air Mobility (UAM)—a component of Advanced Air Mobility for controlling aircraft in an urban environment

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)—small aircraft that can be remotely or autonomously controlled

Vertiport—location in an urban environment where unmanned aerial vehicles can land and takeoff

Reading Comprehension Questions

Glossary
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