• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.50 no.12
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• pp.819-828
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• 2022

Sensitivity of aircraft sizing depending on battery performance was studied for a generic quad tilt rotor type electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle. The mission requirements proposed by Uber Elevate and NASA were used for initial sizing, and the calculated gross weight is ranged between 5,000lb and 11,000lb for battery specific energy range of 200-400Wh/kg in pack level and continuous discharge rate range of 4-5C. For the assumed gross weight of 7,000lb, the required battery performance was calculated with two different criteria: available power and energy, and the effects of battery specific energy and discharge rate are analyzed. The maximum discharge rate is also recommended considering failure cases such as one battery pack inoperative and one prop rotor inoperative.

• Journal of Advanced Navigation Technology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.201-209
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• 2024

This study investigates the operational facets of low-density urban air mobility (UAM) from an airline's perspective amid burgeoning concerns about urban congestion in megacities. UAM, employing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) technology, emerges as a potential remedy to the challenges of traffic gridlock and environmental degradation. As the UAM market progresses from initial stages to maturity, tailored traffic control systems become paramount. Focused on the context of low-density environments during UAM's inception, this research scrutinizes operational frameworks, essential infrastructure, and likely scenarios. It aims to bolster the safety and efficiency of UAM operations by delving into the specifics of traffic control concepts designed for these unique settings. The study seeks to significantly contribute to optimizing UAM's initial phases, providing insights into crucial operational dynamics for a smoother integration of urban air mobility into contemporary urban landscapes.

• Journal of Advanced Navigation Technology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.338-347
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• 2024

This paper deals with the study of bird collision avoidance measures in UAM operations from an operator's perspective. Urban air traffic is defined as a next-generation transportation system that uses environmentally friendly electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to provide transportation services between key points within and around urban centers. For the successful establishment of the UAM industry, it is necessary to ensure safety issues that determine public acceptance. Among the hazards that can occur in aviation operations, preventing bird collisions in urban environments is a measure that can greatly secure operational safety and public acceptance. In addition to physical measures, procedural control measures are required to prevent bird strikes. In order to ensure the safety of UAM operations, this study aims to provide a direction for the establishment of UAM bird collision prevention measures by categorizing bird collision prevention measures into physical and procedural methods and flight sections such as takeoff, landing, and corridor sections. Through this, we hope to contribute to the improvement of the safety of the urban air traffic operation system.

• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.44-53
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• 2020

In conjunction with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the unmanned aerial vehicle industry is being developed to a new paradigm by combining advanced technologies such as AI, Big Data and the IoT. Aeronautical developed countries such as the U.S. are focusing their efforts on the development of the safer unmanned aerial vehicles. The Korea Aerospace Research Institute, as part of the national R&D project in 2011, had succeeded in developing the first vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAS, called Smart-UAV. However, although the development technology of the VTOL UAS is possessed, developing and operating of the VTOL UAS for commercial or military use are limited. The type certification procedure of the VTOL UAS developed by domestic technology is stipulated in the Korean Aviation Safety Act, but the Korean VTOL UAS airworthiness standards (KAS) hsve not been established. Thus, this study investigated the development trends of the VTOL UAS in Korea and abroad and national certification systems and procedures, and benchmarked the special conditions for the VTOL aircraft, announced by the EASA on July 2, 2019, to establish standards for type certificate of the VTOL UAS in Korea.

• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.10-16
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• 2017

In order to improve the safety of the multi-copter, Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) performed a wind-tunnel test using an octocopter with the maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 28 kg. The wind-tunnel test was performed with three different RPM ranges, 3,500, 4,500 and 5,500 rpm, and three different wind speeds, 3.5, 5 and 7 m/sec. The tested range of the angle of attacks was $-40^{\circ}$ to $20^{\circ}degree$ and ${\pm}90^{\circ}degree$. Vortex ring state (VRS) of the tested multi-copter was located around the vertical descending speed of 6 m/sec and the decrement of thrust was about 13 % at the time of testing. Compared with the single propeller wind-tunnel test result, the propeller efficiency of the octocopter dropped to 10 to 15% depending on the propeller RPM. It is hypothesized that the obtained aerodynamic characteristics by the wind-tunnel test will be used to improve the performance and wind resistance of the multi-copter.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.75-84
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• 2021

The authors had presented two previous papers[1,2] on Helicopter/Rotorcraft develoment in Europe and US. Meanwhile, the next generation rotorcrafts, currently under development in US and Europe, have new configurations (tilt-rotor, coaxial, compound) of rotor-type vertical takeoff/landing rotorcrafts to overcome the disadvantages of traditional helicopters. For developing these new types of rotorcrafts, the upgraded conceptual design/comprehensive programs are required. In US and Europe, they are already developing new program tools with their technologies and database obtained during more than last half centuries. For us, many academia, research institutes and industrial engineers have experienced and developed core technologies on rotorcrafts (aerodynamics, structural analysis, flight dynamics, and noise analysis etc.) comparable to US and Europe during last couple of decades of developing helicopters and various configurations of rotorcrafts. In this paper, the pros and cons of conceptual design/comprehensive tools currently used in US and Europe have been summarized. Furthermore, the possibilities and problems to develope our own design and analysis tools have been studied.