Feds launch groundbreaking electric plane pilot program in Virginia

Virginia hosted the first flight of the federal government’s advanced air mobility pilot program in Charlottesville on Friday, an electric aviation initiative that sets the stage for the nation to improve air transportation while boosting health services and mitigating impacts on the environment.

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The program, driven by the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration, is designed to accelerate the safe integration of advanced air mobility into the country’s national airspace system.

State and federal leaders attended the inaugural flight Friday afternoon including Greg Campbell, director of Virginia’s Department of Aviation. 

“We are truly honored here in Virginia to be an important part of this milestone, where we can start to demonstrate the successful integration of these new exciting aircraft into the national air transportation system, and bring the economic and societal benefits to our residents here in Virginia,” Campbell said on Friday.

Campbell added that future demonstrations will be held in other parts of the state with aircrafts and technology of different sizes, transporting passengers, medical resources and other cargo.

Kyle Clark, CEO of aerospace and defense company BETA Technologies, said Friday’s flight is a starting point for a new phase in aviation.

“We have this beautiful national asset of the air above us, and these thousands of airports across the country that can be served by lower-cost electric aviation,” Clark said, “And if you’re tracking me, this is a massive, massive unlock.”

Clark’s team was on hand at Signature Aviation – Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport Friday to test the air taxis in real-word conditions. Staff of United Therapeutics and the Multistate Collaborative eiPP National Integration Complex, a partnership between multiple states, the FAA and aviation companies were also present. 

The partnership, including representatives from Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, wrote the application awarded by the federal government to bring the test flight to the area.

Following remarks, the flight demonstration showed how a routine electric aircraft will use a multistate corridor connecting Virginia and Maryland to carry organs developed by United Therapeutics through the National Airspace System. 

The demonstration is the first of several that will expand to at least 26 states.

Virginia is actively involved in other advanced air mobility efforts. 

Lawmakers approved the creation of an advanced air mobility program within the Department of Aviation, allocated $1 million to the Virginia Department of Aviation to support the development of an Advanced Air Mobility test site in cooperation with the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority, and recently allocated an additional $500,000 to the test site.

Virginia House Transportation Committee Chair Karrie Delaney, D-Fairfax, said in a statement to the Mercury that the moment marked a major milestone in aviation, and there was “no better place for that takeoff” than in Virginia.

“We have worked hard to capitalize on the unique potential to expand advanced air mobility in the commonwealth,” Delaney said. “I look forward to continuing that work so that Virginia is a top state welcoming the future of aviation and aerospace.”