Personal Air Transportation Alliance


The Personal Air Transportation Alliance was an innovation alliance of aviation transportation operators, suppliers and regional transportation research organizations that formed a non-profit organization in 2005 to define, advance and advocate new technologies and transportation systems models for personal transportation from small, regional airports outside the traditional hub-and-spoke system. PATA's purpose was to identify, articulate and promote those concepts, technologies and processes that facilitate frequent and safe air-taxi transportation from every runway. The Alliance compiled information about the air transportation business model impacts on the National Airspace System from adoption of very light jets as a basis for future fleets of VLJs, propeller driven and electric rotorcraft passenger aircraft operating in the NAS. The alliance also advocated for demonstrations of NexGen Air Traffic Control technologies and procedures at airports they served.

History

The Personal Air Transportation Alliance was formed by mutual agreement of five air taxi and air charter operators attending the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh show in the summer of 2005. The EAA event included flight demonstrations of small business jets offered for use as air taxis. The company representatives in attendance included Pogo Jet, Eclipse Aviation, Cirrus Aircraft, Linear Air, North American Jet. The mutual agreement was in response to the announcement of NASA's completion of the Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) Program flight demonstrations of small aircraft use in personal transportation by air taxi and air charter companies. The SATS Program managers stated it was beyond their scope to articulate and communicate the "SATS Vision" to national transportation planning authorities in the Joint Planning and Development Office that were evaluating the integration of very light jets and other small aircraft into the new Next Generation Aviation Systems.
The Small Aircraft Transportation System was a project of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration with the objective of developing and testing four operational capabilities to enable safe and affordable access to virtually any runway in the nation in most weather conditions. These operating capabilities rely on on-board computing, advanced flight controls, Highway in the Sky displays, and automated air traffic separation and sequencing technologies for development and testing in general aviation aircraft. The project was organized to be implemented through multiple partnership activities with the Federal Aviation Administration and state aeronautics authorities working with regional test organizations designated "SATS Labs" through the .

Purpose: vision, mission and objectives

The PATA organizing members created a Statement of Purpose:
Vision: An effective alliance composed of aviation industry leaders established for the protection, safety and enhancement of personal air transportation.
Mission: To identify, articulate, and promote those concepts, technologies, and processes that facilitate frequent and safe personal air transportation from every runway.
Objectives: Pool knowledge and support research and development of technologies and processes that will provide value to the personal air transportation industry as a basis for an emerging small aircraft transportation system through contributions to:Create public understanding and acceptance of the value, safety, and use for air-taxis as a reflection of a new small aircraft transportation systemFacilitate the personal air transportation system deployment by the establishment of links between new aircraft, expanded small airports, and new air traffic systems concepts and technologies

Members

Membership participation in PATA grew, by February of 2006 to include:

Projects and work teams

PATA created nine projects work teams that compiled confidential data and information from members to prepare market definitions, proposed Concepts of Operations, shared architectural guidelines and technical standards for supply chain alignment. The pooling of confidential information was accomplished through non-disclosure agreements between each member and the Alliance administrator which provided a summary back to membership. The project work teams included:
  • Airports
  • AirTaxi Definition
  • AirTaxi Models
  • Economic Benefits
  • Markets
  • Next Generation Aviation Transportation System Modernization
  • Research Priorities
  • Safety
  • Security
Each work team undertook secondary and primary research to create a guidelines for use among members in commercial adoption of fleets of turboprop and very light jets for purposes of air-taxi and air-charter. Findings were presented to the Joint Planning and Development Office.

Dissolution closure

PATA completed its research in June 2007 and was dissolved in December 2008.