UAM Flight Demonstration... First Emergency of Domestically Manufactured Aircraft
Maximum Speed 95km/h... Maximum Range 20km
Implementation of Usage Scenarios Including Reservation, Check-in, Boarding, and Landing
On the 23rd, a UAM flight was demonstrated at the 'Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Demonstration Event' held at Aram Marina in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Jinhyung Kang, Gimpo aymsdream@
Urban Air Mobility (UAM) aircraft developed by domestic companies took to the skies over Seoul for the first time. UAM refers to a next-generation advanced transportation system that transports people and cargo in urban environments using electric-powered, low-noise aircraft and vertical takeoff and landing pads. It is also known as the "sky taxi."
On the morning of the 23rd, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport held a UAM flight demonstration event at Aramarina in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, unveiling two aircraft made by domestic companies along with a real-life model of the UAM takeoff and landing pad called the "vertiport." This is the first time that domestically produced aircraft have been deployed at the flight demonstration event, now in its third year. The 2020 event featured Chinese-made aircraft, and last year German-made ones were used. This reflects confidence in the technology and safety. Notably, the domestic aircraft developers this time are two Korean SMEs: V-Space and Boltline.
The ‘V-speeder (V-Space)’ aircraft measures 3.7m in width and length, and 1.7m in height, with an empty weight of 130 kg and a payload capacity of 120 kg. It has a maximum speed of 95 km/h and a maximum range of 20 km, theoretically allowing travel from Gimpo Airport to Gangnam in under 15 minutes. The other aircraft, ‘SKYLA-V2 (Boltline),’ measures 2.4m wide, 2.6m long, and 2.7m high, with a maximum speed of 90 km/h, a flight time of 20 minutes, and a maximum range of 25 km.
At the event, a vertiport where UAM aircraft can take off and land was also revealed inside an actual building. The vertiport is the airport and core infrastructure facility for UAM. The number of vertiports that can be established in major urban areas directly affects the convenience of UAM usage. With domestic aircraft and vertiports in place, a UAM usage scenario was demonstrated on site. Eom Myung-so, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, personally showed the actual use by reserving, checking in, and boarding a UAM via an application (app).
In September, the government announced a ‘Mobility Innovation Roadmap’ strategy to proactively respond to the future mobility era. UAM is planned to operate on specific routes in the metropolitan area (urban↔airport) as early as 2025, and this event concretized that possibility. Using UAM is expected to reduce travel time from the metropolitan area to downtown Seoul by about 70%. By around 2035, the daily number of UAM users is projected to reach 210,000.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to officially introduce UAM services in 2025 and expand services to major regions by 2030. The first UAM operations in 2025 will run on specific routes, similar to city buses. Later, the service will expand to allow taxi-like use for distances of 30 to 50 km. To this end, vertiports will first be built at major hub airports such as Gimpo and Incheon, followed by installation at key locations like railway stations and integrated transfer centers.
On the 23rd, at Aramarina in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) was unveiled to the press after completing its flight during the 'Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Demonstration Event.' Photo by Kang Jin-hyung, Gimpo aymsdream@
To commercialize UAM by 2025, the government plans to proactively establish operator requirements, allocate transport rights, and set up insurance systems, while boldly applying special exemptions that minimize the application of existing regulations. Additionally, a dedicated airspace system for UAM will be established to ensure that multiple aircraft can fly safely without collision risks, and eventually, UAM, drones, and conventional aircraft will be integrated into a single 3D airspace system.
Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "UAM is a game changer for urban transportation that allows us to escape increasingly congested roads and fully utilize aerial routes," adding, "To quickly establish this new transportation system, the government will actively fulfill its role in areas such as promoting UAM demonstration and pilot projects based on cooperation with the private sector, legislating laws centered on regulatory exemptions, conducting research and development (R&D) to enhance technological competitiveness, and fostering international cooperation."
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