The two-story, 30,000-square-foot office building will support the expanding work of manufacturers and operators of electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles, known as eVTOL.
The $6 million government infrastructure grant the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport got for the National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence is expected to propel it into the future.
On Tuesday, lawmakers, the Air Force, and the State of Ohio will break ground on the building which will support the expanding work of eVTOL researchers, manufacturers and operators. Electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (eVTOL) is a type of aircraft that uses electric power to hover, take off and land vertically.
The 30,000 square foot building will house administrative, laboratory, and meeting and collaboration rooms with 25,000 square feet of hangar space.
This project is a partnership between Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Agility Prime, the Dayton Development Coalition, the City of Springfield, JobsOhio and eVTOL companies.
The groundbreaking will take place on the second day of the National Advanced Air Mobility Industry Forum, featuring Hoxworth on Blood Delivery Use, Rural Healthcare with Genesis Health Systems, Urban Hospital Use with the Cleveland Clinic and Medical Package Delivery with Workhorse Group, based in Loveland.
The last time WVXU traveled to the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport in August, 2021, three eVTOL businesses were ramping up and building their own test hubs. Now more companies are on board.