A new wave of aviation innovation is taking shape above our cities, where short flights in electric air taxis could complement cars and trains as part of everyday transportation. Known as advanced air mobility (AAM), this emerging industry aims to connect communities more efficiently while reducing emissions and noise.
Before these futuristic aircraft can take off, Georgia Tech researchers say there's serious work to do - in the air, on the ground, and in policy.
Why Now? The Technology Is Catching Up
"The same battery and automation technologies we're using in electric ground vehicles are now being scaled for aircraft," said Laurie Garrow, professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and co-director of Georgia Tech's Center for Urban and Regional Air Mobility. "We're also seeing improvements in distributed propulsion and composite materials that make these aircraft lighter, quieter, and more efficient."
Garrow cautions that widespread commercial service is years away. "We may see high-profile demonstrations soon, maybe even at global events like the Olympics, but aviation certification is a rigorous process. It takes time to earn public trust."
Safety, Regulation, and Public Acceptance
The promise of AAM depends on more than aircraft design - it also requires new safety frameworks and public confidence.
"We'll need to define what I call 'roads in the sky' - safe corridors where these aircraft can operate alongside traditional air traffic," Garrow said. "And we'll need to ensure certification standards, air traffic control, and pilot training evolve alongside technology."
Understanding how these vehicles interact with complex urban environments is essential to safe operation. Marilyn Smith, David Sloan Lews Professor in the School of Aerospace Engineering and director of the Vertical Lift Research Center of Excellence, leads research on modeling and simulation to prepare aircraft for real-world conditions.
Her lab is developing real-time simulations that factor in turbulence, wind shear, and other transient effects. "These predictions are not trivial," Smith said. "We need fast, physics-based models that can run in near-real time to inform both design and regulation. There are significant and abrupt variations in the atmosphere that must be accounted for, both for passenger vehicles and smaller delivery drones."
Smith's team is also integrating artificial intelligence to improve speed and accuracy in certification - but always under expert oversight. "AI can accelerate our work," she said. "Without the knowledge of domain experts, machine learning can generate misleading results, and that's unacceptable when safety is on the line."
Infrastructure, Airspace, and the Urban Puzzle
Even the most advanced aircraft cannot operate without new infrastructure on the ground and in the sky.
Vertiports are needed to allow aircraft to take off and land vertically. Also required are "charging systems and robust fire safety protocols for high-energy batteries," Garrow said. "And perhaps most critically, we need 'rules of the road in the sky' to manage air traffic around existing airports."
Atlanta could offer a unique advantage. "The runways at Hartsfield-Jackson run east to west, while most of the metro population centers are north and south," Garrow noted. "That natural separation could make it easier to integrate vertical takeoff and landing operations."
Alex Oettl, professor in the Scheller College of Business, cautions that AAM's benefits could concentrate in major hubs without inclusive planning. "Improved connectivity will raise productivity in 'superstar cities,' but we'll need new strategies if we want to ensure smaller communities aren't left behind," he said.
China's Head Start and What It Means for the U.S.
Oettl notes that China has surged ahead in AAM thanks to coordinated government action, flexible regulations, and significant infrastructure investment.
"In contrast, the U.S. and Europe face more stringent certification requirements," Oettl said. "That slows deployment but ideally ensures stronger safety standards. It's a tradeoff between innovation speed and risk management."
Cities and companies that move first into AAM could shape standards and attract investment - but they also shoulder more risk. "There's a danger of technological lock-in or stranded assets if early systems don't scale or demand falls short," Oettl said. "We've seen parallels before, like the scooter boom that left cities with thousands of idle vehicles."
Looking Ahead: The Urban Sky
For now, AAM remains on the horizon - visible but not yet within reach. Coordinated efforts between government, industry, and academia will determine how quickly it moves from prototype to daily reality.
"Georgia has been proactive in attracting aviation manufacturing," Garrow said. "Coupled with our state's infrastructure and Georgia Tech's research ecosystem, we're well positioned to lead."
She added, "In aviation, we like to say we crawl, we walk, we run. These technologies are coming, but safely integrating them into our skies will take time, teamwork, and trust."
