# A Survey of the Effects of Vehicle Configuration on Urban Air Mobility +
For instance, the SATS program aimed to develop new technologies and procedures to allow more small aircraft to fly safely in all weather conditions focused on four key areas: enabling more flights at non-towered/non-radar airports, integrated fleet operations, allowing for lower landing minimums, and improving single-pilot performance [6]. Similarly, EPATS program, with a focus on Europe, studied the potential of small aircraft (i.e., PAVs) to provide more transportation options in a future European air transportation system. The EPATS project focused on the needs and challenges of this new system, including the potential market, impact on infrastructure, and safety and security issues [7]. The PPLANE project took things a step further. They proposed a truly futuristic idea: a fully automated fully automated, electric PAV. This system was designed to address the limitations of current transportation systems by providing an accessible and easy-to-use option for personal transportation [8]. The SAT-Rdmp program explores integrating small aircraft into Europe's air travel system for affordable short-distance flights. It aims to identify technology, regulations, and business models to make the Small Air Transport (SAT) a reality [9]. [PERSON] et al. have also studied the configurations of small helicopters for UAM applications [10]. [PERSON] et al. have also investigated the challenges of UAM adoption in intra-city passenger transportation. They have identified pivotal factors such as safety, trust, automation, data concerns, social attitude, and socio-demographics that impact user adoption decisions [11]. A similar piece of research on the operational constraints of UAM is conducted by [PERSON] et al. [12]. UAM currently faces many different challenges. The first problem is the safety of flight which is influenced by the crowded urban environment and obstacles in airspace and wind gusts in urban environments. Weather conditions are also a common challenge in aerial transportation; however, due to the low altitude of UAM aircraft it can be more challenging. This is because of the fact that a UAM vehicle does not have enough space and time to correct its position and attitude. In addition to safety problems, due to the closer flight to populated areas, challenges like noise, visual pollution, and privacy become more critical. A recent study indicates that issues like air traffic management, navigation, communication, and airspace capacity are more challenging in UAM [13]. [PERSON] et al. have also mentioned similar challenges like regulatory, community acceptance, and concerns about safety, noise, and environmental impacts in their research [14]. Based on previous research in the field of aerial systems, the performance of an aerial system can be significantly influenced by its configuration and flight mechanisms [15]. Different configurations of aerial systems have their own advantages and disadvantages which make them suitable for specific missions and applications. Regarding the UAM, many different configurations are being used by different companies. This includes fixed-wing, morphing wing, helicopter, multirotor, and hybrid vehicles. Many obscure configurations like gyroplane, Magnus effect, cyclocopter, and gyrodyne are also being used both in concepts and real designs. In spite of a common belief that considers vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicles as the most common classification in the aerial urban vehicles (AUVs), numerous horizontal take-off and landing (HTOL) vehicles are also seen among the list of urban aerial vehicles. This paper reviews different AUVs, considering their configurations and flight mechanisms, to illustrate a comprehensive view of the current developments of the AUVs and study their benefits and challenges. Major challenges and the future of the UAM are also studied as a supplement to the topic in order to provide an up-to-date discussion considering the latest developments.