Husted, Turner urge FAA to keep Ohio in flying car spotlight

The federal effort, announced last September, is meant to speed the testing of electric airplanes, rotorcraft and other “advanced air mobility” aircraft in the United States.

“Ohio has a robust aviation and aerospace ecosystem, built on a long history of aviation innovation,” the lawmakers said in the letter, which was released Wednesday by Husted’s office. “With a proven and unique model for cross-sector and state collaboration, Ohio has seen over $1.2 billion invested over the past decade by industry partners, including the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), GE Aerospace, Joby Aviation, Beta Technologies, and JobsOhio.”

The Dayton-Springfield area has generated a growing share of attention in this arena.

Greene County is home to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, where key decision-makers plan the arming and equipping of the Air Force.

Joby Aviation, a designer and producer of eVTOL aircraft, began production of propeller blades at a Concorde Drive facility near Dayton International Airport in November.

And earlier this month, Joby said it had agreed to buy a 728,000-square-foot building at 1669 Capstone Way in Vandalia, a concrete step toward plans to double production to four aircraft a month in 2027, while also providing space for “significant future growth,” the company said.

In Springfield, the National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence at Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport has the technology to allow drone pilots to fly their craft beyond a controller’s line of sight, enabling crucial research and testing of drone sensor arrays.

Springfield’s unique capabilities are in place as the Department of Defense last year pledged to focus on production and fielding of low-cost drones to maintain battlefield prowess, with help from private industry.