Looking Upward with Urban Air Mobility
By: Federal Aviation Administration
Tags: Engineering, Internships, STEM, Drones, Drone Week

By Adithya Ramaswami, FAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Office Intern

Like many, I have always been fascinated by the power of aerospace and aviation. One defining moment that solidified my interest in aerospace was when I saw SpaceX launch its Falcon 9 Rocket from Cape Canaveral in person in December 2019. I distinctly remember standing on Jetty Park Beach that night and watching in awe as the rocket lit up the entire sky.

Adithya Ramaswami

Seeing the rocket flee Earth was breathtaking; however, at that moment, I was not aware of all that aerospace had to offer. My interest in the subject has blossomed since coming to The Ohio State University where I’m pursuing an aerospace engineering degree. Since then, I joined the Research, Engineering, and Analysis Division within the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Office as an intern.

As a student, it is exciting to see how the field of aerospace is continuing to shift, adapt, and expand its technological advancements in so many disciplines. In February 2020, I attended the inaugural Ohio Air Mobility Symposium, where I was introduced to the complexities and challenges Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) faces and the role that the FAA plays in its safe integration into civilian life. It was thought-provoking, intriguing, and eye-opening to hear about the ways we are constructing a safe and inclusive digital ecosystem.

Following the symposium, my interest in AAM continued to grow. In September, I became the leading co-founder of a new student organization called Buckeye Vertical, an interdisciplinary entity of driven and ambitious students at the Ohio State University who wish to explore the field of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and UAS. My goal is to give students the opportunity to explore AAM through professional development opportunities and project-based competitions that will support and create a platform of academic enrichment in this subject.

We are excited to compete in the upcoming Vertical Flight Society’s (VFS) Design-Build-Vertical Flight (DBVF) Competition in April 2021. The objective is to build an electric-powered remote-control vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to complete a series of tasks. I feel that this is a field that few students are aware of, and I am excited to not only embark on this new initiative, but to also increase student engagement and awareness of UAM. This is Ohio State’s first UAS design team and I, along with my classmates, am excited to explore and dive deeper into this technology.

The aerospace field is a diverse and special one, and UAS is a rapidly growing sector in the aerospace industry. Drones are becoming increasingly popular and, while we are all excited, it is important to be safe in the process. While many of my peers and I have a strong focus on the technical side of things, I remind myself that we need to look at the bigger picture and understand how the new technology will shape the world we live in. As students, we can benefit tremendously from understanding more of the regulatory side of engineering and not just the technical side.

Addressing engineering challenges is just as important as understanding how the technology will co-exist with our current system, as well as support ongoing technological advancements around the world.

Us engineering students should be able to take steps forward while maintaining a more holistic understanding of the importance of the roles of industry and government.

While drone technology is an exciting and fascinating field, engineering with purpose and understanding can help lead to more impactful contributions and a successful and safe integration into our National Airspace System.