It has been announced that the US Department of Transportation (DOT) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have broken ground on a new research facility in Oklahoma City, designed to support the development and integration of advanced air mobility aircraft.
The facility, known as the Vertical Take-Off and Landing Procedures and Analysis Range, or V-PAR, will be located at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center. Construction is budgeted at approximately $8.3 million.
What the facility will do
The FAA said that V-PAR will serve as a dedicated testing environment for vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, including electric and hybrid designs. The FAA and its partners will use the site to conduct research, train personnel, and analyze operations related to emerging aviation technologies.
Research areas will include wake separation, downwash and outwash effects, radiofrequency interference, and vertiport operations. The facility will include a vertiport, a covered hangar, and a small control-center building.
Preparing for new aircraft types
Steven Bradbury, Deputy Secretary of Transportation, declared the facility to be an important step in understanding how to bring advanced air mobility aircraft into the national airspace.
“This facility will strengthen our ability to conduct research, train people, and support the future of aviation,” Bradbury said.
FAA Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau stressed that the agency needs to ensure new aircraft types meet existing safety standards.
“The V-PAR will help us gather the data and operational insights needed to support their safe integration into the nation’s airspace,” Rocheleau said.
A growing sector
The facility comes as the aviation industry continues to develop electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, often referred to as eVTOLs, for use in urban air mobility and other applications. Several companies are working toward certification and commercial operations, making research into integration and safety increasingly relevant.
