Innovators, regulators, and other stakeholders are converging on Springfield, Ohio, next week for the fifth annual National Advanced Air Mobility Industry Forum (NAAMIF). The October 15 event is staged at what appears to be an inflection point as new aircraft, propulsion systems, and autonomous flight technology begin entering service across multiple applications straddling defense and civil use cases.
As part of a three-day program, October 16 will feature a STEM education session for more than 250 local students. Then, on October 17, organizers will open the doors to the general public for the Great American Electric Air Race, featuring a precision landing competition, as well as a speed circuit and team relay races.
According to Ted Angel, executive director of the National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence (NAAMCE), which is hosting the gathering, some participating companies are on the cusp of commercializing a mix of eVTOL vehicles, drones, and hybrid-electric airplanes. Some of these businesses are now NAAMCE tenants at a facility at Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport (KSGH), which serves as an incubator and testbed for this new wave of aviation technology.
“This is just about the only location where you can test, build, and fly in one place,” Angel told AIN. “Most people have to pack up their equipment to a remote test flight, but here they can more easily and quickly repeat tests at this airfield.”
BVLOS Flight Testing
The NAAMCE has its own ground-based detect-and-avoid system, allowing companies to conduct beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) flights with aircraft up to 18,000 feet in the U.S. National Airspace System. The center’s staff helps tenants secure the required airworthiness approval, which is available on-site with help from the co-located U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory.
Although Ohio was not among the eight states selected to lead the FAA’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, NAAMCE is actively supporting companies involved in flight trials now underway to prove new aircraft in real-world operating conditions. “We are now seeing actual use cases flown, and this opens the door to actual revenue services, not just pilots,” Angel said.
The NAAMIF event will feature presentations from sector leaders such as Beta Technologies, Joby Aviation, Eve Air Mobility, Regent, and Electra. The agenda also includes a trio of workshops intended to address challenges still facing the sector, with findings to be published in a series of white papers.
A session called “AAM Enterprise Solutions” will focus on how manufacturers can apply digital technology to expand production capacity to potentially deliver hundreds of aircraft each year. In the “Beyond the Prototype” session, the Eve team will lead an assessment of ecosystem needs as new aircraft approach certification. The Novelty to Normal meeting will consider how communities can embrace the transportation solutions the sector promises.
The NAAMCE is at the heart of a broader initiative, backed by JobsOhio, to position the Dayton-Springfield region as a hub of aerospace innovation. Joby already manufactures propeller blades in Dayton, and Electra plans to assemble its in-development EL9 hybrid-electric aircraft at AirPark Ohio, adjacent to KSGH.
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