Bridging the gap between human pilot intent and autonomous flight operation is critical for real-world electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft deployment. Traditional flight planning relies on classic algorithms that struggle to incorporate flexible human preferences. We present FRAMe, an End-to-End Large Language Model (LLM) Flight Planning tool with RAG-based Memory and Multi-modal Coach Agent.
Our system integrates a planner LLM with a multi-modal coach agent and retrieval augmented generation (RAG)-based memory to generate flight plans that satisfy mission constraints while aligning with human flight operator preferences. We demonstrate the system in a range of real-world-inspired scenarios of varying difficulty levels.
Across four LLMs, the full FRAMe system (RAG and coach) yields the highest validity for every planner (up to 93.8% aggregate, 99% on Easy scenarios for the strongest planner) and shifts preference-relevant metrics in the operator-favored direction where the metric has headroom. FRAMe signifies how advanced LLMs can be deployed for human-centric mission planning, translating natural language instructions into safe, efficient, and flexible flight routes. The code is available at GitHub.
Blogger's Review: The FRAMe system showcases how modern LLM technology can be applied to complex flight planning tasks, particularly in interacting with human operators. By combining RAG memory and a multi-modal coach, FRAMe not only enhances the validity of flight plans but also ensures that operator preferences are duly considered, providing valuable insights for future autonomous flight technologies.