Enhancing the human performance of eVTOL pilots with take-off patterns for skyscraper-constrained urban air mobility

The emerging concepts and developments of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) have garnered greater interest to revolutionise urban and regional transport using low-altitude airspace. While many research efforts have been dedicated to electrical vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) capability, airspace management and corridor design, the human factors in eVTOL aircraft operations remain crucial to ensure flight safety in constrained urban areas. Particularly, eVTOL aircraft take-off in urban areas with skyscrapers surrounding them could be challenging and demanding to pilots. This research evaluates two types of take-off patterns, including Elevate-Hover-Yaw (EHY) and Simultaneous Climb-and-Turn (SCT), on how they can enhance the human performance of eVTOL pilots during the take-off flight phase. Our results indicated that the EHY pattern at the required cruising altitude (EHY-R) demands more visual resources than all other patterns, as the pilots need to inspect the blind spots frequently to prevent collision with surrounding skyscrapers. Its lower altitude version (EHY-L) addresses this challenge. The alpha power indicated that the relaxation level between different patterns is nonsignificant. Meanwhile, the cognitive workload in EHY patterns is lower than in SCT patterns. Therefore, our results suggested that the EHY-L take-off pattern is the optimal suit for an urban skyscraper-constrained environment.