FlyOhio to Partner with NASA in Deployment of Ohio's Advanced Air Mobility Ecosystem

COLUMBUS - FlyOhio, a collaboration of public, private and academic institutions led by DriveOhio’s advanced air mobility (AAM) group, has been selected to participate in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign. The award focuses on system development through integrated vehicle and airspace demonstrations in real-world scenarios that are critical to safe and effective commercialization.

“In Ohio, we have a longstanding history with advancing aerospace technology, and we continue to pursue new opportunities to support the development of cutting-edge technology,” said Governor DeWine. “We are eager to join with NASA in a new, broad coalition of institutions across the state who are investing in the advancement of this transformative aerospace technology.”

Building upon Ohio’s ground-breaking work in “beyond-line-of-sight” drone systems and SkyVision work at Springfield-Beckley Airport and leveraging relationships established through the U.S. Air Force’s Agility Prime program, FlyOhio’s project will incorporate multiple use cases for personal travel and delivery of goods across the State of Ohio. The FlyOhio team is comprised of key aircraft manufacturers, operators, and airspace service providers and suppliers, as well as Ohio regional and city planning organizations, local stakeholders, academic institutions, and health care networks.

The multiyear program lays out an innovative framework to design, test and deploy a statewide AAM strategy focused on the movement of people and goods. Specifically, the winning proposal outlines test applications in health care delivery, air taxi or air metro, and regional air cargo transport.

The program’s development will be supported by the FlyOhio AAM Economic Impact Study due to be released June 6, 2021. A unique research effort to forecast the potential economic impacts of urban and regional air mobility, the report provides data on Ohio’s major urban centers and air corridors connecting its largest cities to rural communities. Also, the report examines Ohio’s advanced aviation infrastructure needs, revenue potential, and prospective job growth, among other economic indicators.

“Advanced Air Mobility technology is revolutionizing the transportation industry and Ohio is well positioned to lead market adoption as these solutions scale. At DriveOhio, we are committed to developing and deploying connected, automated, shared, and electric vehicles and infrastructure on the ground and in the air. This program is a manifestation of that ethos, and we are excited to increase the advanced aviation investment in Ohio’s economy,” said Howard Wood, executive director at DriveOhio. 

Home to more than 550 aerospace companies and three of the nation’s premier aerospace centers— NASA Glenn Research Center, NASA Plum Brook Station and Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright Patterson Air Force Base—Ohio is the nation’s largest aerospace industry supplier, with a workforce of more than 38,000 in the aviation and aerospace industry.

“JobsOhio is focused on accelerating Ohio’s economic growth and our partnership with FlyOhio and NASA will help to fulfill this mission,” said J.P. Nauseef, JobsOhio president and CEO. “Ohio’s economy has strong momentum as it emerges from the pandemic, and this powerful industry coalition is more evidence that Ohio is becoming the go-to spot in the Midwest for some of America’s top innovators. This campaign further positions Ohio’s multi-billion-dollar mobility economy to compete in this fast-growing and dynamic industry sector.”

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