It will be for large helicopter sized drones
The image is concept art of a vertiport, an area specifically designed for the takeoff and landing of eVTOLs, or electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, or “large helicopter-sized drones.” Based in Mirabel, Quebec, Vports plans to create the first international advanced air mobility (AAM) electric corridor between Syracuse Hancock International Airport and Quebec. (PHOTO CREDIT: VPORTS)
SYRACUSE – The first international advanced air mobility (AAM) electric corridor between Syracuse Hancock International Airport and Quebec is under development.
VPorts, a Mirabel, Québec-based company, is developing the corridor project. VPorts specializes in the design, construction and operation of advanced AAM infrastructure, according to a Nov. 29 release from Syracuse Airport.
The corridor extends from Syracuse Airport to the VPort Vertiport in Mirabel, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal.
As described in the press release, the corridor will “encourage the establishment of an AAM ecosystem that will provide a platform” for full-scale commercial cargo transport operations using electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, or what the company describes as “large, helicopter-sized drones that can carry commercial cargo and people.
The first eVTOL aircraft test flights are planned for 2023.
A consortium of international organizations including VPorts; NUAIR based in Syracuse; Syracuse-Hancock International Airport; Aero Montréal; Innovitech; the Center of Excellence in Unmanned Aerial Systems (Alma); and Helijet International have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish international electric AAM corridors between Quebec and the United States
NUAIR is short for Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance, Inc. The non-profit organization focuses on unmanned aerial vehicle (UAS) operations, aeronautics research, safety management, and consulting services. A UAS includes a drone and equipment to control its flight. A drone is also referred to in the industry as an unmanned aerial vehicle or UAV.
“The goal of the corridors is to build an AAM ecosystem that provides a platform for full commercial cargo transportation using eVTOLs,” said Fethi Chebil, President and Founder of VPorts. “They will enable consortium members to explore all aspects of AAM, including freight transportation, load readiness, stakeholder management, business cases, safety protocols, social acceptance and urban integration of infrastructure and operations. Many companies and organizations that are rapidly investing in these associated new capabilities now have a presence in Central New York State with good prospects for growth, and others are likely to be attracted to the region.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul recently announced that the state will provide NUAIR with an additional $21 million in funding for the Upstate Revitalization Initiative, Central New York Rising. NUAIR will use the funding to continue its work and focus on the UAS and AAM industrial center in central New York and the Mohawk Valley.
The additional money will enable testing and deployment of the infrastructure to enable advanced industrial applications, government agency adoption of UAS, AAM development and associated workforce development.
Economical advantages
A recent study by Washington, DC-based NEXA Capital Partners, LLC estimates that full expansion of UAS and AAM-related industries into Central New York could create over 8,100 full-time jobs by 2040. Such an expansion could also generate incrementally over $1.3 billion in direct, indirect and induced economic benefits.
These include direct effects of investments in the range of up to $130 million, the indirect effects of workers’ household income, and the induced effects of value-added services and additional industrial income.
This impact on the region “will create jobs for an emerging knowledge-based economy, with a highly skilled workforce sourced in part from existing New York State university institutions,” the announcement reads.
“There are currently over 5,000 underutilized regional airports in the United States,” said Ken Stewart, CEO of NUAIR. “The development of this international AAM corridor between Syracuse… and Montreal will help lay the foundation for regional air mobility operations (RAM) for these underutilized airports, support cargo deliveries, and strengthen United States supply chains. NUAIR will build upon its 50-mile UAS corridor, UAS Traffic Management Systems (UTM) and our work with NASA on Vertiport Automation Systems to integrate this next-generation aircraft into America’s National Airspace System.”
Syracuse Airport officials say the partnership in creating the AAM corridor “will provide underserved communities with a new transportation alternative” that will reconnect those communities and provide additional economic opportunities for its members.
“This venture, which will sustainably connect communities in upstate New York and beyond, aligns with SRAA’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the electrification of transportation-related technology at SYR. SYR is one of the first airports in the US to incorporate UAS/AAM infrastructure planning into its master plan,” said Jason Terreri, Executive Director of SRAA.
Project stakeholders intend to work with Transport Canada, NAV CANADA and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to implement an international framework to test the technology and align regulations and air traffic procedures and management.
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