Virginia Tech to widen Smart Airspace trials after summer flight tests

Virginia Tech plans to expand its Smart Airspace program following a series of flight demonstrations held over the summer, according to the university's Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership.

Tombo Jones, who leads the partnership, said the next phase, known as Smart Airspace 2.0, will extend the trial network into more parts of Virginia and examine how aircraft behave in busier airspace near major airports.

Two aircraft flew in the initial trials: Electra's hybrid-electric EL2, with a pilot on board, and Textron Systems' Aerosonde Mk. 4.7, which flies autonomously. The flights used newly drawn instrument routes connecting three sites: the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute in Blacksburg, the regional airport serving Blacksburg and Roanoke, and a smaller airfield in Blackstone.

Jones said those routes and the rules written for them allowed flights to proceed safely in a range of weather and let air traffic controllers keep aircraft separated, especially where they enter and leave crowded airport airspace. That, he said, produces the dependable scheduling a commercial operation would need.

The demonstrations also examined helicopter-style instrument flight rules procedures for Electra's fixed-wing design and autonomous flying between vertiports with the Aerosonde.

One stated aim of the project is to establish shorter, more direct instrument routes so advanced aircraft can fit into the existing air traffic control system. Researchers are also studying whether smaller landing sites could serve communities without a conventional airport. The trials covered an established airport, an off-airport vertiport and a smaller facility, letting the team compare procedures under differing conditions.

The aircraft used have not yet received full certification from the Federal Aviation Administration for routine operations.