Image to right: Michael Jones checks out the A500 twin-piston aircraft from Adam Aircraft as it sits on display during the SATS 2005: Transformation of Air Travel technology demonstration in Danville, Va., June 6, 2005. Visitors enjoyed a glimpse of the possible future of personalized air travel by small plane in the form of simulators and live demonstrations. Credit: NASA/Jeff Caplan.

In order to plan big, think small. The goal of the Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) project for the past five years has been to demonstrate that airspace capacity can be increased by maximizing the use of smaller airports that do not have radar or extensive ground aviation navigation systems. The SATS team focused on proving the feasibility of four concepts for more efficient operations in small ground spaces: higher volume operations, en-route integration, lower landing minima, and single-pilot performance.

SATS partners, the FAA, and the members of the National Consortium for Aviation Mobility demonstrated those capabilities at a June 2005 public event at a regional airport in Virginia. The event, "SATS 2005: A Transformation of Air Travel," attracted 3,000 attendees and also represented the end of the five-year SATS project. Currently, private-sector SATS partners are seeking certification on at least 22 products.

NUAVTE Team
NASA Ames Research Center, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, RnR Products