Ohio national forum launches advanced air mobility framework

As reported by Aerospace Manufacturing and Design’s Eric Brothers, local, state and federal officials celebrated the groundbreaking of the National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence (NAAMCE) at the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport near Dayton, Ohio. The groundbreaking was commemorated during the National Advanced Air Mobility Industry Forum, a two-day event from Aug. 22-23, 2022, hosted by the Dayton Development Coalition, in collaboration with the City of Springfield, JobsOhio, Clark State College and the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). 

The forum sought to drive home Ohio’s recently released advanced air mobility (AAM) framework, developed by ODOT, through DriveOhio and the Ohio Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Center. This framework will support, and position Ohio for, anticipated advanced aviation growth throughout the state. 

The advanced air mobility (AAM) framework is said to capture the existing advanced aviation ecosystem, Ohio-specific activities, route planning considerations, recommendations for establishing vertiports and provides a strategic map for Ohio to support this emerging industry. Three use cases that have the potential to drive transportation efficiency and support a robust new aerospace industry in the state are cargo/freight delivery, regional air mobility and emergency services, the Ohio UAS Center states.

The NAAMCE is one step toward this goal. Funded by a $6 million Department of Defense (DOD) Defense Community Infrastructure Program grant (which is expected to surpass $10 million with additional investment funding), the site will feature a two-story, 30,000-square-foot office building to house administrative, laboratory, meeting and collaboration space, with 25,000 square feet of aircraft hangar space available for use by the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and private industry. The center will support the expanding work of manufacturers and operators of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and UAS. 

Brothers notes that the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport already supports eVTOL developments and the city of Springfield, Dayton Development Coalition (DDC), JobsOhio and the state of Ohio have worked closely with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and its AFWERX Agility Prime program to accelerate commercial eVTOL technology development. Plus, the new facility is within 30 minutes’ drive of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the AFRL. Opening of the NAAMCE is planned for September 2023.

During the National Advanced Air Mobility Industry Forum, exhibits and industry panel discussions at Clark State College’s Hollenbeck Bailey Creative Arts and Conference Center in downtown Springfield were followed by highlighted AAM activity at the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport (mentioned above). This included breaking ground for the NAAMCE, featured flight demonstrations (including Joby Aviation and Beta Technologies simulators) and panel discussions on state and federal AAM initiatives, aircraft certification and AAM healthcare applications.

Exhibitors included representatives of the region’s resources for research and development (R&D), aerospace manufacturing, colleges and universities, and workforce development. Panel discussions featured industry representatives from Joby Aviation (Santa Cruz, Calif., U.S.), LIFT Aircraft (Austin, Texas, U.S.), Lilium (Munich, Germany), Beta Technologies (South Burlington, Vt., U.S.) and Workhorse Group (Sharonville, Ohio, U.S.), plus government officials from the FAA, NASA and USAF. Discussion topics included eVTOL progress to-date, AAM aircraft certification and integration into the national air space, healthcare use cases and federal agency partnerships.

State officials estimate the AAM economic impact in Ohio to reach $13 billion through 2045, generating 15,000 related jobs if the state continues to invest in advanced air mobility (AAM) activities.