Title:
Emergency landing assistant for Urban Air Mobility aircraft
Notlandeassistent für Urban Air Mobility Luftfahrzeuge
Authors:
F. Settele, F. Mothes, M. Dehm, A. Knoll
Abstract:
This paper presents a trajectory planning algorithm for urban air vehicles with wings. The flight path is approximated by a finite number of quasi-stationary circular and straight line segments in three-dimensional space. The underlying numerical optimization problem, for which a two-dimensional Dubins path is used for initialization, is then solved using an NLP solver. The algorithm is described and demonstrated using the scenario of a complete propulsion failure. Three different configurations of start and destination points, as well as three different cost functions, are considered. Through clever assumptions made in the underlying model and thanks to the Dubins path initialization, which approximates the nonholonomic flight system, the algorithm converges quickly and reliably.
Event:
Deutscher Luft- und Raumfahrtkongress 2025, Augsburg
Location, Year:
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Luft- und Raumfahrt - Lilienthal-Oberth e.V., Bonn, 2026
Format:
21,0 x 29,7 cm, 8 Pages
Descriptors:
EN: Geometric path planning, urban air mobility, emergency landing assistant, nonlinear optimization, computationally efficient trajectory planning
Citation:
Settele, F.; Mothes, F.; et al. (2026): Notlandeassistent für Urban Air Mobility Luftfahrzeuge. DGLR Published Conference Papers. Volume 4. (2026). ISSN: 2941-3451. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Luft- und Raumfahrt - Lilienthal-Oberth e.V.. (Text). https://doi.org/10.25967/650404. urn:nbn:de:101:1-2602061228022.160647539636.
Publishing Date:
06.02.2026