published journal article

Impact of Flight Trajectory Design on Performance and Noise for AAM Aircraft

Publication Date

December 16, 2025

Author(s)

Victoria Pellerito Gonzalez, Seraphin Yeung, Jacqueline Huynh

Abstract

A broad range of advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft are currently in development, each with varying community noise footprints and energy consumption depending on the specifics of their departure and arrival flight trajectories, which must be understood for effective airspace integration. This work presents a framework for analyzing AAM trajectory design, focusing on key performance characteristics, including community noise impact, energy consumption, and flight duration. The framework can be applied to diverse AAM vehicle types, as demonstrated in this work on a blown-flap short takeoff and landing vehicle, a tilt-rotor vertical takeoff and landing vehicle, and a lift-plus-cruise vertical takeoff and landing vehicle. Results of comparing various takeoff procedures for each vehicle show tradeoffs between community noise, energy consumption, and flight duration, highlighting the importance of strategic trajectory design.