What's a Woolpert? Podcast Episode 8: Advanced Air Mobility

So, What’s a Woolpert anyway?

It’s not a what, but a who. Specifically, it is the collection of whos that comprise Woolpert—the premier architecture, engineering, and geospatial (AEG) firm.

What’s a Woolpert enables our thought leaders to add insight to current events and perspective to new technologies that impact the natural, built, and social environments around us. From water legislation to turf systems, satellite advancements to the buzz of AI, join us as we share work and personal experiences, connect the dots within our increasingly interconnected world, and brainstorm solutions to widespread challenges so we can all get smarter together.

Don’t know if you can see them yet, but they’re there, lurking on the horizon… and soon, uncrewed aircraft will be everywhere. And we aren’t talking about the drones we’ll be exchanging this holiday season or the ones zipping around every professional sports venue. We are talking about large, electric uncrewed aircraft that are designed to quietly and quickly transport multiple humans across sizeable distances.

Electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs) will soon be sharing the lower altitudes of the skies alongside commercial aircraft, helicopters, hobbyists, and last-mile delivery services while simultaneously avoiding vegetation, construction cranes, and other temporary obstructions—all without the aid of a traditional pilot.

We’re talking about Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), an aviation industry initiative designed to govern the seemingly chaotic world of uncrewed travel and movement.

Thankfully, we have experts to help safely guide us in this journey. Zach Shuman has been leading Woolpert’s advancements in AAM for years, working directly with the FAA and the commercial industry on determining standards, policies, and technical guidance for our airspace.

In today’s podcast, Zach leads a lively discussion addressing eVTOL safety certification, why aircraft tail logos matter, how easily will humans adjust to a pilotless aircraft, who runs TSA at the vertiport, and how technology and data are helping us solve these challenges. He also can almost hear what you’re thinking, and offers this advice: “Call it a Jetson and risk getting chased out of the aviation conference.”