National Aeronautics and Space Administration

www.nasa.gov

AOSP Newsletter

Airspace Operations and Safety Program (AOSP)

JAN-MAR 2018 | Quarter 2

First ATD-2 Display Deployed to 

DFW Airport

5

UTM Technical Capability Level 3 

Testing at Nevada UAS Test Site

11
2 AOSP NEWSLETTER // JAN-MAR 2018

AOSP IN THE NEWS

What is NASA’s Urban 

Air Mobility Initiative?

Federal News Radio (1/10) reports 

“many cities look for ways to reduce 

vehicle traffic on clogged streets. 

They’re also looking at how to 

safely increase air traffic above those 

streets and among all the buildings. 

It’s known as urban air mobility. 

NASA’s aeronautics research mission 

directorate has been helping this 

effort with research.”

NASA-Backed Study 

Envisions ‘In-Time’ 

Aviation Safety System

Aviation Week (1/18) reports 

“industry, government and academia 

should start research into the 

requirements of a comprehensive 

‘in-time aviation safety management 

system’ (IASMS) that would continuously monitor all components 

of the U.S. national airspace system 

(NAS), the National Academies of 

Sciences, Engineering and Medicine 

recommends in a NASA-funded 

study released Jan. 18.”

‘In-Time’ Could Be Future 

Safety Standard

Aviation Week (1/24) reports “not 

content to rest on the laurels of a 

safety record that last year counted 

zero passenger airline fatalities, aviation planners in the U.S. are exploring creation of a domain-wide safety 

management system that would 

continuously monitor the airspace 

and adapt to new entrants such as 

drones, commercial space vehicles 

and small urban transport aircraft. 

At the behest of NASA, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine...”

Tech and the Future of 

Transportation: From Here 

to There

ZDNet (2/01) reports “meanwhile, 

NASA is developing an Unmanned 

Aircraft System (UAS) Traffic 

Management system, or UTM. 

This is essentially automated air 

traffic control for drones — another 

key component of a commercial 

drone ecosystem.”

Freight First as Jetmakers 

Study Single-Pilot Airplanes

Reuters (2/08) reports “a NASA 

study published in September was 

not encouraging. U.S. airline pilots 

tested solo in Boeing 737 simulators 

found the workload ‘unacceptable’ 

even in normal flight conditions, let 

alone when something went wrong. 

The study projected the prospect 

of having one of two pilots take 

a nap while the other sat at the 

controls was as being more plausible, 

suggesting it might be possible for 

airlines to reduce long-haul crew 

numbers in the future.”

Opinion: Is Automation 

Causing Manual Flying 

Skill Degradation?

AeroTime (2/15) reports “the NASA 

study revealed that during flights

with automation, pilots’ thoughts 

were unrelated to task 20% of the 

time. This could suggest that for a 

human it can be hard to engage to 

the monitoring part during all the 

time. Our mind starts to drift, we 

get bored.”
AOSP NEWSLETTER // JAN-MAR-2018 3

AOSP IN THE NEWS

Amazon, Google, Others 

Are Developing Private AirTraffic Control for Drones

The Wall Street Journal (3/09) 

reports that “in conjunction with 

the National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration, validation tests are 

slated over the next three months at 

a handful of sites. The intent is to 

develop a ‘totally different, new way 

of doing things,’ Parimal Kopardekar, 

NASA’s senior air-transport 

technologist who first suggested the 

idea of an industry-devised solution, 

told approximately 1,000 attendees 

at the conference.”

NASA Completes Third Phase 

of UAS Airspace Testing

GPS World magazine (3/26) 

reports “this third phase of NASA’s 

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) 

testing (TCL 3) again focused on 

airspace management technologies 

that will enable the safe integration 

of UAS into the national airspace. 

See below for more on the TCL 

testing program.”

NASA, NIAS Test 

Unmanned Aircraft Traffic 

Management Tech

ExecutiveGov (3/27) reports 

“NASA and the Nevada Institute for 

Autonomous Systems have tested 

unmanned aircraft systems and 

airspace management technologies 

as part of efforts to integrate 

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) 

into the U.S. national airspace 

system. NIAS said Monday the 

week-long demonstration occurred 

at a UAS test site at the Reno-Stead 

Airport in Nevada and involved 

UAS ground control systems, 

communication, navigation, 

surveillance, human factors, data 

exchange and network platforms.”

NASA Bags Landmark 

Achievement with Successful 

UTM Testing Programme

Commercial Drone Professional 

(3/28) reports “NIAS, which 

manages the Nevada UAS Test Sites 

and its NASA Unmanned Aircraft 

Systems (UAS) Traffic Management 

(UTM) partners, has announced 

that NASA provided a Flight 

Information Management System 

(FIMS) research platform that will 

serve as a future prototype system for 

the FAA to use to coordinate with 

Unmanned Service Supplier’s (USS) 

operating throughout the nation.”
4 AOSP NEWSLETTER // JAN-MAR 2018

TECHNICAL AND PROGRAMMATIC HIGHLIGHTS

NASA Synthetic Vision 

Research at Boeing 787 Miami 

Training Center Completed

POC: KYLE ELLIS

On January 30, a team from 

NASA’s Langley Research Center 

in Virginia completed a flight 

simulation assessment of Synthetic 

Vision System (SVS) flight deck 

display technology’s ability to help 

combat loss-of-control, the leading 

commercial aircraft accident category. 

A Space Act Agreement enabled 

the flight simulation study to be 

conducted in the Boeing 787 highfidelity full flight simulator at the 

Boeing Miami Training Facility with 

a full suite of integrated SVS displays 

and other NASA technologies. 

Twelve international 787 flight 

crews from an international airline, 

some with fewer than 500 hours 

of flight experience, participated 

in the assessment. A preliminary 

review of the data suggests that 

SVS significantly enhances terrain 

and attitude awareness compared 

to the traditional blue-over-brown 

Primary Flight Display. These 

results support that the display 

technology may have great potential 

to aid less experienced commercial 

airline flight crews by providing 

enhanced attitude awareness to help 

detection of, prevent entry into, 

and aid in recovery from unusual 

attitudes, especially in high terrain 

environments. The assessment 

and results support the RTCA 

Special Committee 213 (SC-213) 

in providing research data to help 

establish minimum aviation system 

performance standards and pave the 

way toward certification of the SVS 

technology. To date, the research has 

addressed numerous SC-213 research 

needs and has been highly successful 

in meeting all the Commercial 

Aviation Safety Team Safety 

Enhancement 200 requested research 

actions through a systematic research 

strategy. Additionally, this successful 

collaboration with Boeing opens the 

door to future research opportunities 

and access to a unique facility and 

pilot subject pool. The research 

was recently highlighted in the 

December 18, 2017, Aviation Today 

article (see related URL below).

Related URL: http://www.

aviationtoday.com/2017/12/18/

boeing-nasa-test-nextgensynthetic-vision-787-sims/.

ATM-X Meeting with 

FAA NextGen Office

POC: BRYAN BARMORE

On January 16, NASA researchers 

supporting the Air Traffic 

Management-eXploration (ATM-X) 

Project met with representatives 

from the FAA’s NextGen Office. 

Bryan Barmore at NASA’s Langley 

Research Center in Virginia led 

discussions on potential coordination 

and collaboration on trajectory 

negotiation demonstration flights. 

The ATM-X project is currently 

working with Boeing to demonstrate 

trajectory negotiation capabilities 

using airborne internet connectivity 

and data communications on the 

Boeing EcoDemonstrator in 2019. 

Separately, the FAA’s NextGen 

Office is beginning an activity 

to show trajectory negotiation 

capabilities using airborne internet 

connectivity in live flights that will 

take place in late 2019. At this 

meeting, each group talked about 

existing plans and potential areas 

for collaboration and coordination 

to ensure best use of government 

money. NASA will allow the FAA 

the opportunity to comment on the 

negotiation concept of operations 

as it is developed. The FAA will 

invite NASA to the FAA’s industry 

day. As plans develop, each agency 

will continue discussions to ensure 

that the tests contribute to advancing 

trajectory negotiation capabilities. 

UAS in Controlled 

Airspace Aviation 

Rulemaking Committee 

POC: WILLIAM CHAN

NASA researchers supporting 

the Air Traffic ManagementeXploration (ATM-X) Project 

attended the third plenary 

meeting of the Unmanned Aerial 

Systems in Controlled Airspace 

(UASiCA) Aviation Rulemaking 

Committee Meeting held in 

Washington, DC, from January 

17 through 18. The UASiCA 

Aviation Rulemaking Committee 

is providing recommendations to 
AOSP NEWSLETTER // JAN-MAR 2018 

TECHNICAL AND PROGRAMMATIC HIGHLIGHTS

5

the FAA for regulations to allow 

normalized unmanned aerial 

systems (UAS) access to class A 

(high-altitude, positive controlled) 

airspace. The first day consisted 

of meetings by each of the five 

working groups to start developing 

FAA recommendations. The 

second day was a plenary session 

with briefings from the FAA 

and Eurocontrol on the current 

status of UAS operations in class 

A airspace and status out-briefs 

from each working group. 

First ATD-2 Display 

Deployed to DFW Airport

POC: PAUL BORCHERS

On January 18, the NASA North 

Texas Research Station (NTX) 

personnel deployed the first of 

several Airspace Technology 

Demonstration-2 (ATD-2) displays 

to facilities at Dallas-Fort Worth 

(DFW) International Airport. The 

equipment, which was installed in 

the Environmental Affairs Office, 

provides a similar ATD-2 Surface 

Trajectory-Based Operations 

display currently in use at the 

control towers of the airport and 

other FAA air traffic control 

facilities. This display will provide 

real-time situational awareness 

of local air traffic management 

decisions to DFW Airport Board 

employees, fostering a collaborative 

environment for more efficient 

airport operations. Subsequent 

installations, made possible 

through a Non-Reimbursable 

Space Act Agreement between 

NASA’s Ames Research Center 

in California and DFW Airport, 

will be made to the DFW Airport 

Operations Center, as well as the 

airport-controlled ramp towers. 

FAA TrajectoryBased Operations and 

Autonomous Use-Case 

Development Workshop

POC: WILLIAM CHAN

On January 24, NASA researchers 

supporting the Air Traffic 

Management- eXploration (ATM-X) 

Project attended the FAA TrajectoryBased Operations and Autonomous 

Use-Case Development Workshop at 

the Boeing Long Bridge facilities in 

Crystal City, Virginia. The purpose 

of the meeting, hosted by the FAA, 

was to develop an experimental use 

case that exercises the integrated 

laboratory environment being 

defined by the FAA, which is to 

include assets from partners such as 

Boeing, MITRE Corporation, and 

NASA’s Shadow Mode Assessment 

Using Realistic Technologies for 

the National Airspace System 

Testbed. These discussions could 

lead to collaborations for the 

external use of the testbed and 

inform research in the Integrated 

Diverse Operations sub-project.

ATD Technical Interchange 

Meeting for ATD-2 and 

ATD-3 Sub-Projects

POC: LEIGHTON QUON

On January 26, the Airspace 

Technology Demonstration (ATD) 

Project Office held a 1-day technical 

interchange meeting (TIM) 

between the ATD-2 and ATD-3 

sub-projects. The purpose of the 

TIM was to identify common 

areas of technical work and share 

lessons learned. The ATD TIM was 

attended by the ATD-2 and ATD-3 

project management teams, chief 

engineers, software/system architects, 

and systems engineering teams. 

The agenda included an overview, 

status and demo of the ATD-2 

and ATD-3 systems, as well as a 

discussion on how the sub-projects 

are related. The demo focused on 

system interfaces with FAA and 

other industry systems, and each 

sub-project also presented their 

technology transfer strategy and 

progress. The TIM provided a forum 

for the ATD-2 and ATD-3 teams 

to become more familiar with the 

technical details and stakeholders 

and users of each system, and 

the discussions led to insights on 

potential areas for further research. 

DFW Airport ATD-2 Display.
6 AOSP NEWSLETTER // JAN-MAR 2018

TECHNICAL AND PROGRAMMATIC HIGHLIGHTS

ATD-2 Participation in FAA 

Predictability Workshop 

POC: RICH COPPENBARGER

On January 30, NASA’s Airspace 

Technology Demonstration-2 

(ATD-2) team members participated 

in a workshop led by the FAA’s 

NextGen Systems Analysis and 

Modeling Division in Washington, 

DC. The workshop’s purpose was 

to explore methods for measuring 

and monetizing predictability 

improvements resulting from 

Trajectory-Based Operations (TBO) 

and originating from recent NASAFAA discussions on predictability 

goals shared between ATD-2 and 

broader NextGen TBO concepts. 

During the workshop, participants 

brainstormed how to further 

clarify benefits associated with 

on-the-day trajectory prediction 

enhancement, and discussed how 

to reduce uncertainty in flight 

arrival times and traffic demand 

forecasts that can lead to better 

resource allocation decisions by 

both service providers and flight 

operators. Improving predictability 

can benefit decisions regarding the 

FAA’s setting of traffic management 

initiatives, and the airlines’ use of 

available fleet equipage as well as 

gate and crew resources. The FAA 

and their contractors supporting 

TBO analysis expressed strong 

interest in the benefits that NASA 

is using for evaluating ATD-2. 

The group may hold a follow-up 

meeting in April 2018, in which 

the FAA would provide an update 

on its forthcoming efforts to engage 

with airlines on predictability 

improvements and better operational 

decisions. NASA would also 

provide an update on its ATD-2 

benefits assessments and initial 

field demonstration findings. 

NTX Personnel Tour 

American Airlines Command 

Center at DFW and 

Discuss Collaboration

POC: PAUL BORCHERS

On January 30, the American 

Airlines (AAL) Dallas-Fort Worth 

(DFW) Control Center Manager 

hosted a tour of the airline’s new 

Command Center facility, located 

in Terminal A of DFW, for NASA’s 

North Texas Research Station (NTX) 

personnel. This 10,000 square 

foot windowless facility replaced 

the 1,500 square foot ramp tower 

positioned between Terminals A 

and C, and it serves as a model 

for future airport control centers 

that will be built at other AAL 

hubs. AAL consolidated its airport 

ramp control, airport maintenance, 

passenger operations, and ramp 

operations coordinators in this 

single location, complete with its 

own emergency operations center. A 

video wall provides high definition 

and wide-angle views from cameras 

located around the terminals of 

DFW and ramp controllers are 

positioned immediately in front of 

this wall with large surface traffic 

displays. AAL has offered to make 

space available behind the ramp 

controllers for NASA Airspace 

Technology Demonstration-2 

(ATD-2) sub-project observers, 

including an area for a Surface 

Trajectory Based Operations display 

that shows inputs from the DFW 

air traffic control towers. Such 

an installation would be utilized 

in Phase 3 of the ATD-2 effort. 

Management by Trajectory 

Technical Interchange Meeting

POC: BRYAN BARMORE

On February 1, NASA researchers 

supporting the Air Traffic 

Management- eXploration (ATMX) Project hosted a technical 

interchange meeting (TIM) with the 

Management by Trajectory (MBT) 

NASA research announcement 

(NRA) team at NASA’s Langley 

Research Center in Virginia. The 

American Airlines Command Center. MBT NRA team, led by Mosaic 
AOSP NEWSLETTER // JAN-MAR 2018 

TECHNICAL AND PROGRAMMATIC HIGHLIGHTS

7

ATM, is tasked with developing 

an MBT concept of operations, 

studying the impacts of possible 

changes in roles and responsibilities 

between various agents in the air 

traffic system, and identifying the 

concept’s potential impact on system 

safety in a way that brings the 

National Airspace System closer to 

a full Trajectory Based Operations 

environment. The TIM, hosted by 

the Increasing Diverse Operations 

sub-project team, focused on the 

definition of the goals, requirements, 

and execution plan for the fast time 

simulation experiment that the 

contractor team will conduct during 

FY18 to examine various aspects of 

the MBT concept of operations. 

ATD-2/ATD-3 Independent 

Cost Estimate Briefing 

to ARMD OAA

POC: LEIGHTON QUON

On February 7, Leighton Quon, the 

Airspace Technology Demonstration 

(ATD) Project Manager, provided 

a briefing to the Aeronautics 

Research Mission Directorate 

(ARMD) Office of the Associate 

Administrator (OAA) to discuss the 

Independent Cost Estimate for the 

ATD-2 and ATD-3 sub-projects at 

NASA Headquarters in Washington, 

DC. The purpose of the meeting 

was to provide the ARMD OAA 

with a report from an analysis 

conducted by an independent 

agency to assess the full life-cycle 

costs of the two sub-projects to 

ensure overall project success. 

Smart and Secure 

Cities and Communities 

Challenge Kickoff 2018

POC: JOHN KOELLING

From February 6 through 8, NASA 

researchers supporting the SystemWide Safety (SWS) Project attended 

the Internet of Things - Enabled 

SmartCity Framework Workshop, 

hosted by the National Institute 

of Science and Technology (NIST) 

in Washington, DC. As a result of 

this event, NASA and NIST are 

considering strategic partnerships 

with relevant participants in this 

very broad activity, particularly 

regarding safety-related information 

services that may support or 

become part of the envisioned 

In-Time System-Wide Safety 

Assurance (ISSA) Emerging 

Operations system architecture and 

concept of operations. One action 

resulting from the meeting was to 

forward the soon-to-be-released 

ISSA Request for Information 

announcement to the NIST point 

of contact, who offered to distribute 

it to the Integrated Engineering 

Services community, and/or to 

help coordinate a webinar on the 

subject that may serve to facilitate 

future collaboration with interested 

organizations or communities. 

FAA and UAST Meeting

POC: JOHN KOELLING

On February 8, NASA researchers 

supporting the System-Wide 

Safety Project participated in the 

second meeting of the FAA and the 

Unmanned Aircraft Safety Team 

(UAST) in Washington, DC. At 

the request of the FAA and UAST, 

NASA researchers supported 

the study team in analyzing the 

recent accident/collision of a small 

consumer unmanned aerial system 

(UAS) with a U.S. Army Black 

Hawk helicopter. The team is 

charged with identifying effective 

and feasible intervention strategies 

that can be implemented to avoid 

future accidents like these. Status 

and findings were reported at the 

UAST meeting held on March 9 in 

Baltimore, Maryland, in conjunction 

with the FAA’s UAS Symposium. 

ATD-2 Briefing to NextGen 

Advisory Committee 

Subcommittee

POC: AL CAPPS

On February 15, NASA 

provided an Airspace Technology 

Demonstration-2 (ATD-2) 

update to the NextGen Advisory 

Committee Subcommittee (NACSC) 

at their monthly meeting in 

Washington, DC. The NextGen 

Advisory Committee (NAC) 

provides a venue where the FAA 
8 AOSP NEWSLETTER // JAN-MAR 2018

TECHNICAL AND PROGRAMMATIC HIGHLIGHTS

can solicit a consensus-based set 

of recommendations on issues 

that are critical to the successful 

implementation of NextGen. It is 

also a forum to obtain a commitment 

of resources and synchronized 

planning between government and 

industry. The NACSC supports the 

NAC and is comprised of FAA and 

aviation industry representatives 

with broad knowledge and expertise 

related to the implementation of 

NextGen. This briefing reported early 

benefits, findings, and lessons learned 

for three aspects of the ATD-2 Field 

Demonstration: data exchange and 

integration, collaborative surface 

metering, and overhead stream 

insertion. NACSC participants 

expressed appreciation for NASA’s 

leadership of the ATD-2 effort and 

strong interest in seeing the results 

of this research effectively transferred 

to the FAA and industry recipients. 

Cyber Physical Systems 

Steering Group/Smart 

Cities and Communities 

Task Force Meeting 

POC: YURI GAWDIAK

On February 15, Yuri Gawdiak, 

Associate Program Director for the 

Airspace Operations and Safety 

Program, participated in the Cyber 

Physical Systems Steering Group/

Smart Cities and Communities 

Task Force Meeting in Washington, 

DC. At the meeting, hosted by the 

National Institute of Standards and 

Technology, there was a briefing 

on the Cybersecurity for Internet 

of Things Program to include a list 

of additional efforts the program 

office should be aware of and 

may want to leverage in designing 

prototypes for our own tools, 

facilities, ground systems, etc.

NASA Hosts Air Traffic 

Controller Leadership for 

ATD-2 Familiarization 

POC: AL CAPPS

On February 16, NASA hosted Paul 

Rinaldi, the President for National 

Air Traffic Controllers Association 

(NATCA), and members of his 

leadership team for familiarization on the Airspace Technology 

Demonstration-2 (ATD-2). The visit 

began with a briefing, demonstration, 

and a question-and-answer session 

at NASA’s lab at the Charlotte 

Douglas International Airport 

(CLT). The visitors then went to 

the FAA Air Traffic Control Tower 

and Terminal Radar Approach 

Control facility to observe the ATD-2 

Integrated Arrival/Departure/Surface 

Operations system in use there. The 

familiarization visit wrapped up 

with observations in the American 

Airlines Ramp Tower at CLT. 

NATCA has been a partner from 

the beginning of the ATD-2 Field 

Demo effort, providing invaluable 

expertise and support. During this 

visit, NATCA’s leadership expressed 

interest in the early results from the 

field demo, a desire to expand its use 

in other locations, and continued 

support for the collaborative effort. 

ATD-2 demo and briefing to NATCA leadership at CLT.
AOSP NEWSLETTER // JAN-MAR 2018 9

TECHNICAL AND PROGRAMMATIC HIGHLIGHTS

NASA/FAA RTT Quarterly 

Review Held at NASA’s Ames 

Research Center in California

POC: MIKE MADSON

On February 21 and 22, the FAA 

and NASA conducted their joint 

quarterly review of current and 

potential future Research Transition 

Team (RTT) collaborations at 

NASA’s Ames Research Center 

in California. These quarterly 

meetings provide a valuable 

two-way exchange of information 

related to technology development 

and transition planning. Current 

collaborations include the Airspace 

Technology Demonstration (ATD), 

Air Traffic Management-eXploration 

(ATM-X), and the Unmanned 

Aircraft Systems (UAS) Traffic 

Management Projects. During this 

meeting, updates on ATD-2 (focused 

on Integrated Arrival/Departure/

Surface Operations) and ATD-3 

(focused on Applied Traffic Flow 

Management) efforts were provided, 

as well as the status of the ATM-X 

Project formulation. ATD-2 Phase 

1 field demonstration preliminary 

benefits and lessons learned were 

presented; the FAA was impressed 

by the ATD-2 development and 

expressed interest in the results of 

the field demonstrations. The first 

RTT technology transfer is scheduled 

for September 30. ATD-3 provided 

updates on: 1) the December 2017 

Multi-Flight Common Route Tech 

Transfer to the FAA, 2) the upcoming 

Dynamic Routes Around Weather 

(DRAW) simulation, 3) preparations 

for DRAW Tech Transfer #1 in June, 

and 4) the Multi-Agent Air/Ground 

Integrated Coordination activity in 

partnership with Alaska Airlines. The 

NASA airside technology, Traffic 

Aware Planner, was identified by 

the FAA as a product of interest for 

technology transfer through the RTT. 

Finally, NASA provided updates 

on the UAS Traffic Management 

Pilot Program and the Technology 

Capability Level Demonstration 

Status. The next quarterly review 

is tentatively scheduled for the 

week of May 28 or June 4. 

NASA/Boeing Space Act 

Agreement Annex 

POC: WILLIAM CHAN

On February 22, NASA 

researchers supporting the Air 

Traffic Management-eXploration 

(ATM-X) Project in collaboration 

with counterparts from Boeing 

finalized a NASA/Boeing Space Act 

Agreement for both stakeholders 

to work toward completing their 

goals for a joint activity on the 

2018 Boeing EcoDemonstrator 

flight. The EcoDemonstrator 2018 

flight is scheduled for early April 

and is a connectivity checkout 

in preparation for the proposed 

NASA-Boeing EcoDemonstrator 

Flight in 2019. In 2019, the 

ATM-X Project will work with 

Boeing and the FAA Tech Center to 

understand real-world issues related 

to an eventual goal of improving 

automated management of a flight 

from pre-departure and en route. 

ATD-2 Kicks Off Phase 3 

Activities in North Texas 

POC: ANDREW GING

On February 26 and 27, NASA 

met with North Texas Field 

Demonstration Partners at the 

Dallas/Fort Worth Terminal Radar 

Approach Control (TRACON) 

facility (D10) to kickoff Airspace 

Technology Demonstration-2 (ATD2) Phase 3 activities. Representatives 

from the FAA included FAA 

Headquarters, the Southwest 

Regional Office, D10 TRACON, 

Fort Worth En Route Center 

(ZFW), and the Dallas/Fort Worth 

International Airport (DFW) and 

Dallas Love Field (DAL) Air Traffic 

Control Tower. Representatives from 

the DFW Board, American Airlines, 

and Southwest Airlines were also in 

attendance. Phase 3 will build on 

existing ATD-2 Integrated Arrival/

Departure/Surface Operations 

(IADS) system installations at DFW, 

D10, and ZFW to operationally 

test terminal departure scheduling 

coordination between DFW 

and DAL and enable increased 

collaboration via data exchange and 

integration. NASA and Phase 3 Field 
10 AOSP NEWSLETTER // JAN-MAR 2018

TECHNICAL AND PROGRAMMATIC HIGHLIGHTS

Demo Partners discussed better use 

of existing capacity at the terminal 

departure boundary as a key 

expected benefit of the technology. 

Participants expressed concurrence 

with the near-term objectives, the 

agile development plan, and next 

steps. The NASA team will meet 

regularly with North Texas Field 

Demo Partners to refine the IADS 

terminal departure scheduling 

concept and technology via the agile 

requirements identification process 

used for ATD-2 Phases 1 and 2. A 

subset of the participants toured 

the North Texas Research Station 

lab and were given demonstrations 

of the ATD-2 systems currently 

operating at the Charlotte Douglas 

International Airport as well as at 

DFW. One of the demonstrations 

was a new capability to schedule 

Call for Release/Approval Request 

from the ATD-2 Time Based 

Flow Metering (TBFM) clients 

for DFW and DAL towers, to a 

prototype of TBFM En Route 

Departure Capability, adapted 

to the D10 terminal boundary. 

Human Factors Data Collection 

for ATD-2 Phase 1 Completed

POC: LINDSAY STEVENS

From March 4 through 9, NASA 

completed the third and final round 

of subjective human factors data 

collection for Phase 1 of the Airspace 

Technology Demonstration-2 

(ATD-2) Field Demonstration. Data 

were collected at the Charlotte 

Douglas International Airport (CLT), 

American Airlines (AAL) Ramp 

Control, FAA Air Traffic Control 

Tower (ATCT), and Terminal Radar 

Approach Control (TRACON). 

CLT, FAA’s ATCT, TRACON, and 

AAL Ramp Control Managers and 

Controllers completed feedback 

forms during the data collection. 

The first set of human factors data 

were collected in September 2017 

to gather information about baseline 

operations prior to the installation 

of ATD-2 tools in the field. The 

second data collection period 

occurred 2 months later (November 

2017), focusing on the impacts 

of ATD-2 tools in the operational 

environment before surface metering 

was introduced. In the third round 

of data collection, users provided 

feedback about the impact of ATD-2 

tools in the operational environment 

following the introduction of surface 

metering into the field. Human 

factors data collection will continue 

during the Phase 2 demonstration. 

JARUS Working 

Group Meetings 

POC: MARCUS JOHNSON

The Joint Authorities for Rulemaking 

on Unmanned Systems (JARUS) 

held a meeting for their Detect and 

Avoid (#4) and Risk and Safety 

Assessment (#6) working groups 

to further discuss a risk-based 

safety methodology for unmanned 

aircraft systems (UAS) operations 

called the Specific Operations Risk 

Assessment (SORA), at NASA’s 

Ames Research Center in California, 

from March 5 through 9. During 

the meeting, Joseph Rios presented 

the Unmanned Aircraft Systems 

(UAS) Traffic Management (UTM) 

concept to the JARUS working 

groups and engaged in follow-on 

discussions on how UTM fits 

within the SORA methodology. 

Overall, UTM was broadly viewed as 

valuable to the SORA development 

and the FAA has requested NASA 

UTM project contribution to the 

UTM Appendix of the SORA. The 

JARUS working group’s membership 

includes mainly U.S. and European 

Civil Aviation Authorities (CAAs). 

The SORA methodology has 

been gaining momentum among 

many of the CAAs as a potentially 

suitable means for demonstrating 

compliance with regulations. 

North Texas Field Demo Partners Meeting.
AOSP NEWSLETTER // JAN-MAR 2018 11

TECHNICAL AND PROGRAMMATIC HIGHLIGHTS

UTM Technical Capability 

Level 3 Testing at 

Nevada UAS Test Site

POC: ARWA AWEISSI AND QUANG DAO

From March 5 through 9, the 

Nevada Institute for Autonomous 

Systems (NIAS) and its partners 

flew multiple unmanned aircraft 

systems (UAS) over a week-long 

testing period at the Reno-Stead 

Airport UAS Range. Five days of 

operations were scheduled with 

87 operations completed (54 

UAS flights and 33 simulations) 

during the week. The Nevada test 

site conducted tests on data and 

information exchange between UAS 

service suppliers, communication 

and navigation reliability onboard 

UAS, and focused on how UAS 

Traffic Management (UTM) can 

enable key use cases, such as: critical 

medical supply delivery, hotel 

surveillance/inspection, disaster 

response surveillance/assessment, 

and first responder area security.

NASA UTM provided test support 

in the UTM lab at NASA’s Ames 

Research Center in California 

during the testing to ensure data 

quality and track operations. NASA 

human factor researchers were 

onsite in Nevada observing and 

interviewing flight crews to inquire 

about UAS operator perspectives 

on UTM concepts and to learn 

about their operational models. 

Technology Capability testing will 

continue at five other UAS test 

sites through the end of May.

FAA’s TFM System’s 

Deployment Team Attends 

IDM HITL Simulation 

POC: NANCY SMITH AND PAUL LEE

On November 29, MITRE, the FAA 

NextGen Organization (ANG) and 

NASA held a General Aviation (GA) 

User Forum at Charlotte Douglas 

International Airport (CLT). The 

forum focused on information 

sharing for GA flight operations at 

CLT. In addition to representatives 

from MITRE, NASA and FAA/

ANG, participants included 

representatives from the National Air 

Traffic Controller Association, CLT 

Air Traffic Control Tower, American 

Airlines, National Business Aviation 

Association and corporate flight 

operators at CLT. An overview of 

the Air Traffic Demonstration-2 

(ATD-2) Field Demonstration 

and the role of data exchange 

and integration in the ATD-2 

Integrated/Arrival/Departure/

Surface system was presented 

by NASA. NASA also discussed 

the importance of information 

sharing for GA operations at CLT 

and lesser-equipped airports. 

MITRE described a prototype 

mobile device application they 

developed under FAA/ANG 

sponsorship. They also outlined the 

procedures that GA pilots are using 

to submit an Earliest Off-Block 

Time/Ready-to-Taxi Time in the 

UTM Technical Capability Level 3 testing at the Reno-Stead Airport UAS test range in Nevada.
12 AOSP NEWSLETTER // JAN-MAR 2018

TECHNICAL AND PROGRAMMATIC HIGHLIGHTS

current beta-test of the mobile 

application. Pilots provided feedback 

that NASA can use to understand 

GA operations and their departure 

procedures at CLT. Specific data 

elements that may be available to 

pilots were also discussed. Pilots 

provided additional feedback on 

the potential usefulness of receiving 

each of the data elements. 

ATD-2 Team Conducts 

Training Sessions 

POC: LINDSAY STEVENS AND SHIVANJLI SHARMA

The Airspace Technology 

Demonstration-2 (ATD-2) team 

continued providing supplemental 

training on the Integrated Arrival/

Departure/Surface (IADS) system 

to FAA personnel at Charlotte 

Douglas International Airport 

(CLT) this past quarter. The 

first training session (January 29 

through February 2) focused on 

training new Traffic Management 

Coordinators and supervisors 

on the IADS system to broaden 

the use of the electronic Call for 

Release process between CLT and 

the Washington, DC-based En 

Route Center during all shifts. The 

training combined a series of short 

classroom sessions in the terminal 

area facility back room environment 

followed by hands-on training in 

the operational areas. The ATD-2 

team conducts regular training 

sessions to familiarize new users 

as well as inform current users of 

refinements to the IADS capabilities. 

On February 13, Shadow Session 

15 for the ATD-2 Phase 1 Field 

Demonstration was conducted in the 

NASA ATD-2 Lab located at CLT. 

The objective of the shadow session 

was to review the use of surface 

metering, demonstrate new features 

of the recent IADS software release, 

and discuss plans for future software 

releases. Field Demo Partners from 

the National Air Traffic Controllers 

Association, American Airlines 

(AAL), FAA Headquarters, and 

CLT Air Traffic Control Tower 

(ATCT) participated in the shadow 

session. Discussion topics included 

IADS system robustness and fidelity 

over the last 2 months, evolution 

of the Data Analysis and System 

Health (DASH) capabilities, and 

analysis of the impact of surface 

metering along with initial benefits 

metrics in fuel burn and emissions 

savings. Discussions provided 

valuable feedback on the progress 

of the Phase 1 Field Demonstration, 

and field demo partners agreed to 

extend surface metering to bank 

three starting on February 19.

At another training session 

on March 8, the ATD-2 team 

conducted a virtual training session 

for FAA ATCT and AAL Ramp 

Managers on the new features and 

updates to the IADS system. The 

IADS system is deployed at CLT and 

is in daily operational use in the AAL 

Ramp Tower and FAA ATCT during 

the Phase 1 Field Demonstration. 

The training session was for IADS 

software release 3.1.1, which features 

a new Surface Metering Display 

that enables metering by individual 

runways, new DASH interface, 

and continued expansion of data 

exchange and integration elements.

Emergent Aircraft Systems 

and the Dispatcher Workshop

POC: RICHARD MOGFORD

On March 14, NASA’s Ames 

Research Center in California hosted 

a workshop to build awareness of fleet 

management services in the burgeoning emergent vehicle research and 

development community at the Ames 

Conference Center. The workshop 

familiarized NASA researchers and 

the emerging aviation industry 

with the roles and capabilities of 

current airline operation centers 

(AOCs). There are many types of 

new aircraft and operations being 

developed to support transportation 

Members of the TFMS DT team met with 

NASA researchers for IDM HITL simulations.
AOSP NEWSLETTER // JAN-MAR 2018 13

TECHNICAL AND PROGRAMMATIC HIGHLIGHTS

of cargo, urban air mobility, package 

delivery, infrastructure surveillance, 

agricultural survey, environmental 

monitoring, and other areas. However, the infrastructure and technology to enable and safely manage 

widespread use of these aircraft does 

not yet exist. The various classes of 

new vehicles will need adaptations 

of traditional air traffic management 

to ensure safe separation from each 

other and from other aircraft. These 

aircraft will also require services that 

have been traditionally provided 

by AOCs to manage commercial 

aircraft fleets. This includes flight 

planning, flight following, weather 

avoidance, equipment monitoring, 

maintenance, weight and balance, 

and crew scheduling. The workshop 

focused on how AOC services (or 

fleet management) could be applied 

to future manned and unmanned 

flight operations and on NASA’s 

work on new aircraft systems. There 

were 92 attendees (and 15 to 20 

online attendees) from the airline 

industry, FAA, NASA, and new 

technology companies. The Airline 

Dispatchers Federation supported the 

planning and conduct of the meeting. 

NASA-FAA Joint 

UTM Pilot Program 

Partnership Workshop 

POC: JOSEPH RIOS

On March 15, NASA researchers 

leading the Unmanned Aircraft 

Systems (UAS) Traffic Management 

(UTM) Project hosted the NASAFAA Joint UTM Pilot Program 

Partnership Workshop at NASA’s 

Ames Research Center in California. 

The purpose of the workshop was 

to define pilot programs; review the 

concept of operations, scenarios, 

use cases, and requirements; and 

define the UAS service supplier role. 

NASA and the FAA are currently 

defining requirements for the 

development and integration of a 

UTM System Pilot Program (UPP) 

as mandated by Congress in the FAA 

Extension, Safety, and Security Act 

of 2016. Continuing the industry 

partnership with NASA and the 

FAA on the Flight Information 

Management System prototype, and 

the Low Altitude Authorization and 

Notification Capability, the UPP 

will demonstrate the integration 

of these capabilities and develop 

an ability to dynamically restrict 

airspace to support UTM operations. 

FRET Team Investigating 

Integration of Existing 

Analysis Tools 

POC: JOHN KOELLING

On March 16, NASA researchers 

supporting the System-Wide Safety 

(SWS) Project at NASA’s Langley 

Research Center in Virginia began 

investigating the integration of 

existing analysis tools in parallel 

with completing the new graphical 

interface for creating requirements. 

The Formal Requirements 

Elicitation Tool (FRET) team is 

considering two options. The first 

one connects FRET to CoCoSim, 

which verifies formal properties on 

Simulink design models. It involves 

generating formal requirements in 

the form of Simulink observers (i.e., 

Attendees at the Emergent Aircraft Systems and the Dispatcher Workshop.
14 AOSP NEWSLETTER // JAN-MAR 2018

TECHNICAL AND PROGRAMMATIC HIGHLIGHTS

made of Simulink blocks instead 

of a logical formula). The other 

option would connect FRET with 

the Sorbent Polymer Extraction and 

Remediation System, the Rockwell 

Collins tool used by the Air Force 

Research Laboratory to either 

check requirement consistency or 

verify formal (linear temporal logic) 

requirements on system models 

(possibly expressed in Architecture 

and Analysis Design Language). The 

team is currently giving priority to 

the first option, connecting FRET 

to CoCoSim, because it will allow 

NASA to have a more complete 

solution during the in-house 

evaluation of FRET by the “flight/

mission” colleagues. Checking 

it this way is a good evaluation 

before providing it to industry. 

TBO Technical Interchange 

Meeting with MITRE, 

FAA, and NASA

POC: BRYAN BARMORE

On March 19, a technical 

interchange meeting (TIM) 

with NASA and several FAA 

organizations focused on future 

Trajectory-Based Operations (TBO) 

was hosted at the MITRE Center 

for Advanced Aviation System 

Development, in McLean, Virginia. 

Bryan Barmore, Jennifer Kibler, and 

Ryan Chartrand—researchers from 

NASA’s Langley Research Center 

in Virginia—attended the second 

TBO TIM with MITRE and the 

FAA. The first meeting was held 

at Langley in October 2017. The 

goal is to bring major TBO research 

organizations together to ensure 

common awareness of ongoing 

work and to identify collaboration 

and leverage opportunities. MITRE 

presented several briefings on 

time-based management operations, 

advanced trajectory modeling, and 

arrival management. They also 

provided tours of their Integrated 

Demonstration and Experimentation 

for Aeronautics Lab. The meeting 

identified several opportunities 

to learn from and leverage each 

other’s work to more efficiently 

develop and test TBO concepts and 

tools. A series of teleconferences are 

planned over the next few months 

to finish introducing the various 

groups’ current research portfolios. 

The next face-to-face meeting will 

take place at the FAA Technical 

Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey, 

sometime over the summer. 

FAA Sponsored 91.113 See 

and Avoid Mitigation via 

Technology Workshop

POC: MARCUS JOHNSON

Marcus Johnson was invited to 

speak about NASA’s Unmanned 

Aircraft Systems (UAS) Traffic 

Management (UTM) approach 

to complying with the intent of 

91.113 for small UAS operations at 

the MITRE Center for Advanced 

Aviation System Development in 

McLean, Virginia, from March 19 

through 20. The FAA’s Aircraft 

Certification Office and MITRE 

have had ongoing discussions on 

UAS FAR 91.113 See and Avoid 

concepts and mitigation procedures 

and technology development. 

Topic areas discussed at this 

meeting included: technology 

mitigations, safety and risk 

considerations, performance 

standards, and impacts to air 

traffic control. Johnson presented 

NASA’s UTM research activities. 

IDM Researchers Conduct 

Workshop with the FAA’s 

CDM Flow Evaluation Team

POC: NANCY SMITH AND PAUL LEE

From March 20 through 21, 

Integrated Demand Management 

(IDM) researchers at NASA’s Ames 

Research Center in California 

conducted a two-day workshop with 

the FAA’s Collaborative Decision 

Making (CDM) Flow Evaluation 

Team (FET). The purpose of the 

meetings was to gain stakeholder 

feedback on the perceived benefits 

of the IDM concept and a better 

understanding of stakeholder 

concerns about the FAA’s 

Collaborative Trajectory Options 

Program (CTOP) automation and 

procedures. IDM briefings and 

demonstrations were followed by a 

series of mixed-equipage “part-task” 

simulation runs. During these 

runs, FET members were asked 
AOSP NEWSLETTER // JAN-MAR 2018 15

TECHNICAL AND PROGRAMMATIC HIGHLIGHTS

to role-play as traffic management 

coordinators for airlines with 

different CTOP capabilities that 

either limited or enhanced their 

ability to benefit from the operations.

Assigned equipage levels varied 

between runs which gave operators 

a chance to see how benefits were 

distributed system-wide, as well 

as the differential impact between 

“early” and “late adopters.” A 

longer “full-simulation” that looked 

at the broader impact of IDM 

during convective weather on 

multi-airport operations was run 

on the second day. Participants 

found the mixed-equipage scenarios 

particularly enlightening and were 

pleasantly surprised to see how the 

benefits (reduced ground delay, 

improved schedule conformance, 

and improved throughput) 

were shared across all users.

RTCA SC-186 Working 

Group 4 Meeting to Progress 

ADS-B Standards

POC: BRYAN BARMORE

RTCA SC-186 Working Group 

4 (WG4) is working on updating 

the Interval Management Safety 

and Performance Requirements 

(SPR) and Minimum Operational 

Performance Standards (MOPS) 

to add additional operational 

capabilities such as connection 

with data communications and 

multiple runway operations. Bryan 

Barmore at NASA’s Langley 

Research Center in Virginia 

participated in this meeting under 

a reimbursable agreement with 

the FAA to provide subject matter 

expertise for Advanced Interval 

Management. The meeting was 

held at RTCA in Washington, 

DC, from March 20 through 22. 

The purpose of the meeting was 

to review updates to the SPR to 

support additional capabilities for 

Advanced Interval Management 

and their impact on equipment 

and safety requirements. Closely 

spaced parallel runway operations 

will require more stringent safety 

and performance requirements. 

Briefings were presented covering 

the outcomes from several associated 

activities including planned flight 

operations by American Airlines 

for their Phoenix operations. The 

next meeting is currently planned 

for July in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 

Final updates to the SPR and MOPS 

are planned for December 2019. 

UAS in Controlled 

Airspace Aviation 

Rulemaking Committee

POC: BRYAN BARMORE

The Unmanned Aircraft System 

(UAS) in Controlled Airspace 

Aviation Rulemaking Committee, 

from NASA’s Ames Research Center 

in California, met at Amazon 

in Washington, DC for their 

fourth plenary meeting. Ames is 

developing recommendations to 

the FAA to enable normalized 

operations of a UAS in Class A 

airspace within 3 to 5 years. Bryan 

Barmore, from NASA’s Langley 

Research Center in Virginia, 

attended as part of the Navigation 

and Performance working group. 

Due to a snowstorm, the plenary 

meeting was canceled on March 

21 and working groups met via 

teleconference. On March 22, 

NASA presented plans from the 

UAS in the National Airspace 

System Project for a System 

Integration and Operationalization 

activity by Will Johnson. The 

FAA also presented information 

on how they conduct cost/benefit 

analyses to support new regulations 

and rules. In the afternoon, each 

working group presented their 

initial drafts of recommendations. 

Discussions focused on relationships 

between recommendations from 

The CDM Flow Evaluation Team joined 

IDM researchers and subject matter experts

for a 2-day exploratory human-in-the-loop simulation in the Ames Airspace Operations Laboratory.
16 AOSP NEWSLETTER // JAN-MAR 2018

TECHNICAL AND PROGRAMMATIC HIGHLIGHTS

the different working groups and 

concerns and ideas from other Ames 

members. The next plenary meeting 

will be in May with a full review of 

recommendations by Ames. Final 

recommendations will be agreed 

to by August 2018, and the final 

report and recommendations will be 

submitted to the FAA by December 

2018. Ames will remain open until 

June 2019 to address any questions 

and clarifications from the FAA. 

Northeast Region UseCase Discussions with 

External Stakeholders

POC: BRYAN BARMORE

Researchers supporting the Air 

Traffic Management-eXploration 

(ATM-X) Project engaged with 

several external stakeholders during 

meetings held in Washington, DC. 

Discussions with Steve Bradford 

(Chief Scientist, FAA Office of 

NextGen), Mark Hopkins (Director, 

Air Traffic Management, Delta Air 

Lines), and Rob Goldman (Senior 

Manager, Air Traffic Management, 

Delta Air Lines) took place at NASA 

Headquarters on March 27. On 

March 28, a meeting with Mike 

Cirillo, Managing Director for Air 

Traffic Management at Airlines 

for America (A4A), occurred 

at A4A; and another meeting 

with Joe Bertapelle, Director, 

Strategic Airspace Programs at 

JetBlue Airways was held at NASA 

Headquarters. During all four 

stakeholder meetings, discussions 

focused on candidate Northeast 

(NE) Region use-cases being 

considered for investigation within 

the ATM-X Increasing Diverse 

Operations (IDO) sub-project. 

These stakeholders’ feedback will 

significantly influence the selection 

and refinement of the NE Region 

use-case scenario that will be 

used to develop an initial IDO 

Concept of Operations (ConOps). 

Additionally, these stakeholders 

agreed to review and comment 

upon portions of the initial IDO 

ConOps as they are developed 

throughout the remainder of FY18. 
AOSP NEWSLETTER // JAN-MAR 2018 17

RECOGNITION

Parimal Kopardekar 

on CES Panel

POC: PARIMAL KOPARDEKAR

Parimal Kopardekar, Senior Technologist for Air Transportation Systems 

at NASA’s Ames Research Center in 

California, was invited to participate 

on a conversational-style panel at the 

2018 Consumer Electronics Show 

on January 10, titled “New Frontiers 

in Mobility Technologies,” organized 

by Deloitte, and part of the “Smart 

Cities: Thriving in the Future” 

track. Other panelists included Julie 

Richman, the Chief Information 

Officer from the City of Boulder, 

Colorado; Charles Wald, the Federal 

Practice Senior Advisor from Deloitte 

(U.S. Air Force, Retired); and Bibop 

Gresta, Chairman of Hyperloop 

Transportation Technologies. The 

panel was moderated by the Deloitte 

Global Aerospace and Defense lead, 

Robin Lineberger. Kopardekar’s 

comments included how drones and 

urban air mobility operations will 

be enabled by NASA’s Unmanned 

Aircraft Systems (UAS) Traffic 

Management (UTM) concept.

Keynote at AHS Conference

POC: PARIMAL KOPARDEKAR

 Parimal Kopardekar, Senior 

Technologist for Air Transportation 

Systems at NASA’s Ames Research 

Center in California, was one 

of three keynote speakers at the 

opening session of the American 

Helicopter Society (AHS) 

International’s Aeromechanics 

Design for Transformative Vertical 

Flight conference on January 

16 in San Francisco, California. 

Kopardekar’s talk focused on 

the airspace operations for the 

emerging electric vertical take-off 

and landing vehicles and their 

operations in the context of urban 

air mobility. The keynote address 

was attended by more than 300 

participants. On January 19, 

Kopardekar chaired a panel on the 

“Challenges of Urban Air Mobility 

Airspace,” and panelists included 

representatives from Uber, MIT, 

Voom/A3, and Levitate Capital. 

ConOps for European 

UTM Systems Project 

Advisory Board 

POC: AKBAR SULTAN

On October 19, senior technologist 

for Air Transportation Systems at 

NASA’s Ames Research Center in 

California, Parimal Kopardekar, 

was presented with an Air Traffic 

Control Association (ATCA) 

President’s Citation of Merit Award. 

ATCA recognizes the outstanding 

achievement of individuals 

and organizations engaged in 

the development, operation or 

maintenance of the worldwide air 

traffic control system. Kopardekar’s 

award was for his technical 

and community leadership in 

Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) 

Traffic Management, and advancing 

safe UAS integration forward. 

AIAA Announces Its 

Class of 2018 Fellows 

and Honorary Fellows 

POC: KENNY MCCOMBS

On February 1, Parimal Kopardekar, 

Senior Technologist for Air 

Transportation Systems at NASA’s 

Ames Research Center in California, 

and Steve Young, Formulation 

Lead for the System-Wide Safety 

Project at NASA’s Langley Research 

Center in Virginia, were elected 

to the American Institute of 

Aeronautics and Astronautics 

(AIAA) Class of 2018 Fellows 

and Honorary Fellows. AIAA 

confers the distinction of Fellow 

upon individuals in recognition 

of their notable and valuable 

contributions to the arts, sciences, 

or technology of aeronautics and 

astronautics. Both will be inducted 

at a ceremony on May 2, 2018, 

at the AIAA Aerospace Spotlight 

Awards Gala in Washington, DC. 

Parimal Kopardekar Serves 

as Panelist at the Third 

FAA UAS Symposium

POC: PARIMAL KOPARDEKAR

 Parimal Kopardekar, Senior 

Technologist for Air Transportation 

Systems at NASA’s Ames Research 

Center in California, was invited 

to participate at the third FAA 

Unmanned Aircraft Systems 

(UAS) Symposium, on March 

7 in Baltimore, Maryland. 

Kopardekar was a panelist on the 
18 AOSP NEWSLETTER // JAN-MAR 2018

RECOGNITION

“Understanding and Enabling Air 

Traffic Management for UAS panel” 

moderated by FAA Chief Scientist 

for NextGen Steve Bradford, with 

participation from Jay Merkle (FAA 

Air Traffic Organization), Susan 

Roberts (General Electric), and 

Matt Fanelli (Skyward). Kopardekar 

presented the Unmanned Aircraft 

System (UAS) Traffic Management 

(UTM) architecture and the 

FAA’s industry components. 

Merkle discussed the low altitude 

authorization and notification 

capability, used for the FAA’s drone 

authorization and authentication 

function in UTM, and gave 

credit to NASA’s UTM project 

for identifying this requirement. 

The panel also discussed the UTM 

System Pilot Project Industry 

Day scheduled for March 15 at 

NASA’s Ames Research Center in 

California. The Symposium also 

showcased keynote addresses from 

Gur Kimchi (Amazon Prime Air) 

and James Burgess (Project Wing), 

with the topic of “Research to 

Reality.” Both speakers described 

their respective companies’ 

development efforts, needs and 

approaches, and clearly indicated 

their eagerness to establish UTM 

services within their businesses. 

Presentation at the FAA 

Interagency Planning 

Office Core Cyber Team 

Monthly Meeting 

POC: PAUL NELSON

On February 15, Paul Nelson, 

Airspace Operations and 

Safety Integration Manager 

for Cybersecurity and 

Communications, provided a 

briefing on the Unmanned Aircraft 

Systems Traffic Management 

project and cybersecurity issues 

at the FAA NextGen Interagency 

Planning Office Core Cyber 

Team Monthly International 

Council on Clean Transportation 

meeting. This meeting was 

held at FAA Headquarters in 

Washington, DC. Meeting attendees 

considered the briefing extremely 

informative and well-received. 

NITRD Cyber-Physical 

Systems IWG 

POC: PAUL NELSON

On March 15, Paul Nelson, 

Airspace Operations and 

Safety Integration Manager for 

Cybersecurity and Communications, 

attended the Networking and 

Information Technology Research 

and Development (NITRD) 

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) 

Interagency Working Group 

(IWG) by teleconference. At the 

meeting, there were three short 

presentations by David Corman 

(National Science Foundation), 

Ariel Gold (U.S. Department 

of Transportation), and Edward 

Griffor (National Institute of 

Standards and Technology), which 

focused on different aspects of CPS 

within the transportation industry. 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

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Washington, DC 20024

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