Urban air mobility and manned eVTOLs: safety implications

New propulsion systems, artificial intelligence, sensor technology, and operational system autonomy are transforming the short to mid-range aviation industry. Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft offer new possibilities for Urban Air Mobility (UAM). However, these developments will create operational issues and safety concerns, especially in the socalled transition period when these aircraft are expected to be manned by pilots, and assisted by onboard automation systems. In this transition period, different aircraft will have different systems for flying. Additionally, the type of flight control used during take-off and landing will often be different from the type of control used en route. In contrast to pilots on large commercial aircraft, eVTOL pilots will have available greater levels of automation, but will also incur greater variability in the type and scope of human control. How will this interaction between pilots and automation impact the safety of flight, especially in cases where the automation systems fail, and the pilot must assume full control? This paper explores the risks associated with manned eVTOLs, and the impact of automation system failures on pilot workload and flight safety by using Bayesian Belief Network.