Metron Aviation completes NASA advanced air mobility simulation campaign

Metron Aviation and partners AAMTEX and Unmanned Experts finished a NASA Advanced Air Mobility Pathfinders simulation campaign in September 2026 after more than 1,000 flight simulations. The work tested airspace management tools and operating concepts for electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft in busy U.S. airspace, including around Dallas Love Field.

Why it matters: - NASA's Advanced Air Mobility Pathfinders work is aimed at proving the technologies and operating concepts needed to safely scale electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft and other advanced air mobility flights in the National Airspace System. - The campaign's results are intended to help shape future operational concepts, industry standards, deployment strategies, and Part 146 certification-ready solutions. - The testing helps move advanced air mobility from research toward operational use.

What happened: - Metron Aviation, AAMTEX, and Unmanned Experts completed participation in NASA's Advanced Air Mobility Pathfinders Technical Capability Level 1 simulation campaign. - The campaign began in late 2025 and ended in September 2026, with final data collection in August and September. - The simulations supported NASA's effort to evaluate how advanced air mobility can be integrated into the National Airspace System. - The campaign included realistic operations around Dallas Love Field, with eVTOL pilots and air traffic controllers managing arrival and departure activity at busy vertiports.

The details: - Metron Aviation provided demand-capacity balancing, operational intent management, conformance monitoring, fleet management and high-fidelity flight simulation capabilities. - The effort supported both human-piloted and autonomous flight operations in realistic airspace environments. - The team completed more than 1,000 flight simulations across 27 data collection runs. - The project included dozens of medium- and high-density simulation runs. - NASA's AAMP initiative is examining how airspace service providers, operators and air traffic systems can work together to safely manage more complex advanced air mobility operations. - The campaign generated insights for future airspace management approaches and deployment planning. - Metron Aviation is a Stratify Aerospace company and a global leader in air traffic management solutions. - Metron Aviation supports airlines, airports, air navigation service providers and government agencies worldwide with software, analytics, simulation and collaborative decision-making tools. - More information is available in Metron Aviation's announcement.

Between the lines: - The simulation campaign shows how NASA is trying to pressure-test advanced air mobility in conditions closer to real operations, not just in theory. - The mix of human-piloted and autonomous scenarios suggests the industry is still working through how both models will fit into shared airspace. - The Part 146 reference signals that certification and validation remain central hurdles before broader deployment.

What's next: - Insights from TCL-1 are expected to inform future solution enhancements and industry collaboration. - Metron Aviation and its partners plan to use the experience to support secure, scalable and validated advanced air mobility solutions. - The broader next step is transitioning advanced air mobility from simulation and research into routine operational use.