Advanced Air Mobility (AAM)

Joseph Post is a senior researcher in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, specializing in aviation and air transportation. Prior to joining the university staff, he held various senior positions at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), including Acting Director of Systems Engineering & Integration and Director of Systems Analysis & Modeling. Mr. Post was responsible for the enterprise architecture and system requirements for the nation’s Air Traffic Control (ATC) system, and related analytics and computer modeling. He also was responsible for ATC enterprise safety as well as cybersecurity of the FAA’s research & development complex. During the last two years of his federal career, he served as Visiting Professor of Practice at USF, where he helped teach graduate courses relating to air transportation. Prior to joining FAA Mr. Post was a defense analyst at the Congressional Budget Office. He also worked for many years at Washington-based think tanks, performing studies and analyses for the Department of Defense, Department of Transportation, and NASA. Mr. Post is a licensed commercial pilot and remote pilot (small UAS).

AAM Research Projects and Publications:

• Evaluating the Impacts of Emerging Advanced Air Mobility on the Transportation System in the Tampa Bay Region
  • Sponsored by Florida Department of Transportation.
  • The objective of this ongoing project is to introduce emerging passenger AAM in statewide demand modeling, developing a scenario generator for future passenger AAM settings, to evaluate the impacts of passenger AAM in the Tampa Bay Region. The impacts could include operational impacts, such as mileage travelled, average speed in the roadway system, total travel time, air pollutant emissions, and transportation equity.
• Automated Flight Planning of High-Density Urban Air Mobility
  • Sponsored by Amazon Research Award
  • This study proposes an Automated Flight Planning System (AFPS) that includes a Low-Altitude Airspace Management System (LAMS), automatically generating an airpath network with the capability of avoiding obstacles and obstructions in low-altitude airspace, and a Low-Altitude Traffic Management System (LTMS), detecting and resolving potential conflicts with flight level assignment deconfliction strategy.
  • Tang, H., Y. Zhang, and J. Post, Pre-Departure Flight Planning to Minimize Operating Cost for Urban Air Mobility, AIAA Aviation 2022 Forum, Chicago, IL, June 2022, https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2022-3318.
• Environmental impact analysis of on-demand urban air mobility: A case study of the Tampa Bay Area
  • Sponsored by Center for Transportation Environmental and Community Health (CTECH), USDOT Tier 1 UTC
  • This study developed and applied a method of comparing air pollutantemissions from ground transportation to those of multimodal UAM, including greenhouse gases and other air pollutants (NO_x, SO₂, PM₅).

• • Zhao P., J. Post, Z. Wu, W. Du & Y Zhang (2022), Environmental impact analysis of on-demand urban air mobility: A case study of the Tampa Bay Area, Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, Volume 110, 2022, 103438, ISSN 1361-9209, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2022.103438.

• Freeway Incident Detection and Management using Unmanned Aircraft Systems
  • Sponsored by National Institute for Congestion Reduction (NICR), USDOT National UTC
  • This ongoing study uses drones to collect traffic data, develops learning algorithms for object detection and incident identification, and explores solutions to expedite the clearance of incidents for reducing non-recurrent congestion on freeway corridors.
• UAS Traffic Management (UTM) Ecosystem Roadmap and Architecture
  • This effort developed a proposed enterprise architecture and associated roadmap for the deployment of UTM services by the FAA.

Other Selected Publications:

1. J. Post, The Next Generation Air Transportation System of the United States: Vision, Accomplishments, and Future Directions, Engineering (7), 2021.
2. D. Howell, R. Dean, and J. Post, Reduced Separation in US Oceanic Airspace: Benefits Analysis through Fast-Time Modelling, 13th USA/Europe Air Traffic Management R&D Seminar, Vienna, Austria, June 2019.
3. Y. Cao, L. Jin, N. Nguyen, S. Landry, D. Sun, and J. Post, Evaluation of Fuel Benefits Depending on Continuous Descent Approach Procedures, Air Traffic Control Quarterly, Vol. 22 No. 3, 2015.
4. L. Hao, M. Hansen, Y. Zhang, and J. Post, New York, New York: Two Ways of Estimating the Delay Impact of New York Airports, Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Vol. 70, October 2014.
5. J. Post, S. Shresta, and M. Wells, An Analysis of the Potential Benefits of Improved Surveillance in the Kabul Flight Information Region, 18th Air Transport Research Society World Conference, Bordeaux, France, July 2014.
6. P. Truong and J. Post, Assessing the Environmental Benefits of NextGen Improvements in the National Airspace System, 14th AIAA Aviation Technology, Integration, and Operations Forum, Los Angeles, CA, August 2013.
7. S. Timar, G. Hunter, and J. Post, Assessing the Benefits of NextGen Performance Based Navigation (PBN), 10th USA/Europe Air Traffic Management R&D Seminar, Chicago, IL, June 2013.
8. T. Kotegawa, D. DeLaurentis, K. Noonan, and J. Post , Impact of Commercial Airline Network Evolution on the U.S. Air Transportation System, 9th USA/Europe Air Traffic Management R&D Seminar, Berlin, Germany, June 2011.
9. J. Post, M. Wells, J. Bonn, and P. Ramsey, Financial Incentives for NextGen Avionics: ADS-B Case Study, 9th USA/Europe Air Traffic Management R&D Seminar, Berlin, Germany, June 2011.
10. J. Post, K. Noonan, and J. Barrer, Air Transportation Delay Implications of a Local GPS Outage in the U.S.: A Simulation Study, 27th International Congress of the Aeronautical Sciences, Nice, France, September 2010.
11. J. Post, D. Murphy, and J. Bonn, A Regression Model of National Airspace System Delay, AIAA 6th Aviation Technology, Integration, and Operations Forum, Wichita, KS, September 2006.
12. J. Post, M. Bennett, and D. Knorr, Real Options in Capital Investment Decision-Making: Data Link Case Study, AIAA 4th Aviation Technology, Integration, and Operations Forum, Chicago, IL, September 2004.
13. J. Post, J. Bonn, M. Bennett, D. Howell, and D. Knorr, The Use of Flight Track and Convective Weather Densities for National Airspace System Efficiency Analysis, 21st IEEE/AIAA Digital Avionics Systems Conference, Irvine, CA, October 2002.
14. D. Knorr, J. Post, J. Biros, and M. Blucher, Operational Assessment of Free Flight Phase 1 Air Traffic Management Capabilities, in Air Transportation Systems Engineering, George Donohue and Andres Zellweger, ed., Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics Vol. 193, AIAA, Reston, VA, 2001.

Joseph Post is a senior researcher in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, specializing in aviation and air transportation. Prior to joining the university staff, he held various senior positions at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), including Acting Director of Systems Engineering & Integration and Director of Systems Analysis & Modeling. Mr. Post was responsible for the enterprise architecture and system requirements for the nation’s Air Traffic Control (ATC) system, and related analytics and computer modeling. He also was responsible for ATC enterprise safety as well as cybersecurity of the FAA’s research & development complex. During the last two years of his federal career, he served as Visiting Professor of Practice at USF, where he helped teach graduate courses relating to air transportation. Prior to joining FAA Mr. Post was a defense analyst at the Congressional Budget Office. He also worked for many years at Washington-based think tanks, performing studies and analyses for the Department of Defense, Department of Transportation, and NASA. Mr. Post is a licensed commercial pilot and remote pilot (small UAS).

AAM Research Projects and Publications:

• Evaluating the Impacts of Emerging Advanced Air Mobility on the Transportation System in the Tampa Bay Region
  • Sponsored by Florida Department of Transportation.
  • The objective of this ongoing project is to introduce emerging passenger AAM in statewide demand modeling, developing a scenario generator for future passenger AAM settings, to evaluate the impacts of passenger AAM in the Tampa Bay Region. The impacts could include operational impacts, such as mileage travelled, average speed in the roadway system, total travel time, air pollutant emissions, and transportation equity.
• Automated Flight Planning of High-Density Urban Air Mobility
  • Sponsored by Amazon Research Award
  • This study proposes an Automated Flight Planning System (AFPS) that includes a Low-Altitude Airspace Management System (LAMS), automatically generating an airpath network with the capability of avoiding obstacles and obstructions in low-altitude airspace, and a Low-Altitude Traffic Management System (LTMS), detecting and resolving potential conflicts with flight level assignment deconfliction strategy.
  • Tang, H., Y. Zhang, and J. Post, Pre-Departure Flight Planning to Minimize Operating Cost for Urban Air Mobility, AIAA Aviation 2022 Forum, Chicago, IL, June 2022, https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2022-3318.
• Environmental impact analysis of on-demand urban air mobility: A case study of the Tampa Bay Area
  • Sponsored by Center for Transportation Environmental and Community Health (CTECH), USDOT Tier 1 UTC
  • This study developed and applied a method of comparing air pollutantemissions from ground transportation to those of multimodal UAM, including greenhouse gases and other air pollutants (NO_x, SO₂, PM₅).

• • Zhao P., J. Post, Z. Wu, W. Du & Y Zhang (2022), Environmental impact analysis of on-demand urban air mobility: A case study of the Tampa Bay Area, Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, Volume 110, 2022, 103438, ISSN 1361-9209, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2022.103438.

• Freeway Incident Detection and Management using Unmanned Aircraft Systems
  • Sponsored by National Institute for Congestion Reduction (NICR), USDOT National UTC
  • This ongoing study uses drones to collect traffic data, develops learning algorithms for object detection and incident identification, and explores solutions to expedite the clearance of incidents for reducing non-recurrent congestion on freeway corridors.
• UAS Traffic Management (UTM) Ecosystem Roadmap and Architecture
  • This effort developed a proposed enterprise architecture and associated roadmap for the deployment of UTM services by the FAA.

Other Selected Publications:

1. J. Post, The Next Generation Air Transportation System of the United States: Vision, Accomplishments, and Future Directions, Engineering (7), 2021.
2. D. Howell, R. Dean, and J. Post, Reduced Separation in US Oceanic Airspace: Benefits Analysis through Fast-Time Modelling, 13th USA/Europe Air Traffic Management R&D Seminar, Vienna, Austria, June 2019.
3. Y. Cao, L. Jin, N. Nguyen, S. Landry, D. Sun, and J. Post, Evaluation of Fuel Benefits Depending on Continuous Descent Approach Procedures, Air Traffic Control Quarterly, Vol. 22 No. 3, 2015.
4. L. Hao, M. Hansen, Y. Zhang, and J. Post, New York, New York: Two Ways of Estimating the Delay Impact of New York Airports, Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Vol. 70, October 2014.
5. J. Post, S. Shresta, and M. Wells, An Analysis of the Potential Benefits of Improved Surveillance in the Kabul Flight Information Region, 18th Air Transport Research Society World Conference, Bordeaux, France, July 2014.
6. P. Truong and J. Post, Assessing the Environmental Benefits of NextGen Improvements in the National Airspace System, 14th AIAA Aviation Technology, Integration, and Operations Forum, Los Angeles, CA, August 2013.
7. S. Timar, G. Hunter, and J. Post, Assessing the Benefits of NextGen Performance Based Navigation (PBN), 10th USA/Europe Air Traffic Management R&D Seminar, Chicago, IL, June 2013.
8. T. Kotegawa, D. DeLaurentis, K. Noonan, and J. Post , Impact of Commercial Airline Network Evolution on the U.S. Air Transportation System, 9th USA/Europe Air Traffic Management R&D Seminar, Berlin, Germany, June 2011.
9. J. Post, M. Wells, J. Bonn, and P. Ramsey, Financial Incentives for NextGen Avionics: ADS-B Case Study, 9th USA/Europe Air Traffic Management R&D Seminar, Berlin, Germany, June 2011.
10. J. Post, K. Noonan, and J. Barrer, Air Transportation Delay Implications of a Local GPS Outage in the U.S.: A Simulation Study, 27th International Congress of the Aeronautical Sciences, Nice, France, September 2010.
11. J. Post, D. Murphy, and J. Bonn, A Regression Model of National Airspace System Delay, AIAA 6th Aviation Technology, Integration, and Operations Forum, Wichita, KS, September 2006.
12. J. Post, M. Bennett, and D. Knorr, Real Options in Capital Investment Decision-Making: Data Link Case Study, AIAA 4th Aviation Technology, Integration, and Operations Forum, Chicago, IL, September 2004.
13. J. Post, J. Bonn, M. Bennett, D. Howell, and D. Knorr, The Use of Flight Track and Convective Weather Densities for National Airspace System Efficiency Analysis, 21st IEEE/AIAA Digital Avionics Systems Conference, Irvine, CA, October 2002.
14. D. Knorr, J. Post, J. Biros, and M. Blucher, Operational Assessment of Free Flight Phase 1 Air Traffic Management Capabilities, in Air Transportation Systems Engineering, George Donohue and Andres Zellweger, ed., Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics Vol. 193, AIAA, Reston, VA, 2001.