Small Aircraft Transportation System
Encyclopedia
The Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) is a joint research project between the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), along with local airports and aviation authorities. It is designed to facilitate transportation between small General Aviation
airports using small aircraft as an alternative to traditional airline travel.
caused the Transportation Security Administration
to dramatically increase security measures. These increases also increased the time passengers had to spend at the airport before making it onto a flight. After the tourism industry rebounded from the recession caused by the attacks, the increase in traffic further increased the strain on the system.
NASA
and the FAA saw in General Aviation
the cure to the aviation industries problems. With more than 3,400 small airports in the U.S.
alone, a large amount of traffic could be diverted from mass transit airline travel, to private, small aircraft General Aviation
.
With new technologies proposed by NASA
and new logistics, systems and infrastructure developed by the FAA, the idea was born.
The concept of the Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) was first envisioned in the late 1980s in a workshop by the AIAA, NASA, FAA, and industry titled, "The Role of Technology in Revitalizing the U.S. General Aviation Industry." The SATS concept was first articulated by that name in the 1997 presentation by NASA at the Oshkosh Airventure Convention, "Life After Airliners." The SATS concept emerged from the work of the Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments (AGATE) Alliance. The AGATE Alliance was a public-private partnership (1994-2001), established by NASA, between government and industry to revitalize the technology deployment capacity for the U.S. General Aviation industry. Based on the technology design guidelines, system standards, and certification standards developed by AGATE, a new generation of personal transportation aircraft were developed by industry from around the world. These new aircraft appear to be economically and operationally viable for use in on-demand transportation fleet operations. The first of the fleet operators began services in 2005, with increasing numbers of companies starting operations in 2006 and 2007.
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
(FAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), along with local airports and aviation authorities. It is designed to facilitate transportation between small General Aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
airports using small aircraft as an alternative to traditional airline travel.
Conception
The terrorist attacks of September the 11thSeptember 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
caused the Transportation Security Administration
Transportation Security Administration
The Transportation Security Administration is an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that exercises authority over the safety and security of the traveling public in the United States....
to dramatically increase security measures. These increases also increased the time passengers had to spend at the airport before making it onto a flight. After the tourism industry rebounded from the recession caused by the attacks, the increase in traffic further increased the strain on the system.
NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
and the FAA saw in General Aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
the cure to the aviation industries problems. With more than 3,400 small airports in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
alone, a large amount of traffic could be diverted from mass transit airline travel, to private, small aircraft General Aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
.
With new technologies proposed by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
and new logistics, systems and infrastructure developed by the FAA, the idea was born.
The concept of the Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) was first envisioned in the late 1980s in a workshop by the AIAA, NASA, FAA, and industry titled, "The Role of Technology in Revitalizing the U.S. General Aviation Industry." The SATS concept was first articulated by that name in the 1997 presentation by NASA at the Oshkosh Airventure Convention, "Life After Airliners." The SATS concept emerged from the work of the Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments (AGATE) Alliance. The AGATE Alliance was a public-private partnership (1994-2001), established by NASA, between government and industry to revitalize the technology deployment capacity for the U.S. General Aviation industry. Based on the technology design guidelines, system standards, and certification standards developed by AGATE, a new generation of personal transportation aircraft were developed by industry from around the world. These new aircraft appear to be economically and operationally viable for use in on-demand transportation fleet operations. The first of the fleet operators began services in 2005, with increasing numbers of companies starting operations in 2006 and 2007.
Proposed Technology
A poor safety record for small aircraft operating from general aviation airports, restricted airspace capacity, and weather complications were seen as the greatest barriers to the expanded use of small aircraft and community airports for public transportation. The SATS Project (2001-2006), conducted by NASA and partners in the National Consortium for Aviation Mobility (NCAM) proved the viability of technical capabilities in the following four areas:- High-volume operations at airports without control towers or terminal radar facilities
- Technologies enabling safe landings at more airports in almost all weather conditions
- Integration of SATS aircraft into a higher capacity air traffic control system, with complex flows and slower aircraft
- Improved single-pilot ability to function competently in evolving, complex national airspace
Publications
- Evaluating the Efficiency of a Small Aircraft Transportation System Network Using Planning and Simulation Models (2006)
- Nationwide Impacts of Very Light Jet Traffic in the Future Next Generation Air Transportation System (NGATS) (2006)
- A Transportation Systems Analysis Model (TSAM) to study the impact of the Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) (2005)
- An Integrated Model To Study The Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) (2003)
External links
- Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) Project Office
- Monte Carlo based operations analysis package & air taxi business planning software developed during the SATS program
- Transportation Systems Analysis Model - TSAM is a nationwide transportation planning model to forecast air taxi demand in the United States.