While the 2022 Ohio Air Mobility Symposium -- organized by Ohio State University (OSU) students -- looked at future opportunities in advanced air mobility (AAM), speakers including Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, JobsOhio Managing Director for Aerospace Glenn Richardson and DeWine administration Senior Advisor Joe Zeis also paid homage to the state’s formidable history of air and space achievements.

In opening the symposium’s Friday, April 8 session, program coordinator Zoe Karabinus said the event explored how Ohio can position itself as a hub for AAM research, testing and manufacturing; prepare policy and infrastructure for implementation of the new technology; and work to address communities’ concerns.

These efforts will require robust partnerships among academia, government and industry stakeholders. Karabinus said challenges include airspace integration, supply chains, certification and local acceptance.

Husted praised the student organizers and attendees as being part of “the next generation, the future of aviation,” and discussed how aircraft development can change quickly through innovation fueled by public and private investment. He noted that Ohio is engaged in research for both AAM and hypersonics, a topic discussed further by Zeis.

Zeis, who advises the DeWine administration on aerospace and defense and is a retired U.S. Air Force (USAF) colonel, discussed in detail how the state is “playing heavily” in hypersonics research through its NASA facilities. AAM development in Springfield represents a much slower but “truly transformational” ability to fly short distances in a new way, he continued.

The DeWine administration’s aviation and defense strategy relies on partnerships and “four pillars,” Zeis said further -- preserving existing installations; utilizing Ohio’s laboratories; partnering with JobsOhio to bring more business to the state; and growing the workforce to meet future needs.

In regard to AAM, he said Ohio can work to generate specific use cases for the new technology such as transporting health care professionals to underserved areas and providing NASA with AAM aircraft that could replicate landing on the moon or Mars as was done during the Apollo program. Ohio could also become a center for establishing airworthiness and fulfilling sustainment and repair needs for AAM, with Zeis saying the goal is that businesses will “come to test [and] stay to build.”

“The technology that you see today has the ability to really fundamentally transform our lives … and it will alter the world we live in, that’s truly the stakes of what you deal with. I think we're on the cusp of a new revolution in aerospace technology,” Zeis said in his closing remarks.

Richardson, who spoke at a Thursday evening forum, said JobsOhio had been looking at AAM for over five years and developed a statewide strategy with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT).

“We are leaning in with infrastructure as a means of attracting the leading aircraft companies to our state to fly in unrestricted airspace and develop use cases for the deployment of this technology,” he said.

This infrastructure includes the USAF’s AFWERX Agility Prime Program and SkyVision radar and flight corridors. Use case development is initially focused on package and hospital cargo delivery, with six Ohio hospitals and a leading grocery store company engaged and leading in those efforts. Additionally, there is work underway to help local communities understand the issues and concerns regarding AAM.

JobsOhio is also assisting efforts to make Ohio a premier site for manufacturing eVTOL aircraft, given its existing role as the number one supplier state for Airbus and Boeing.

Richardson said the state further benefits from its “renowned network of educational institutions” that includes OSU, University of Cincinnati, University of Dayton, Case Western Reserve University and Sinclair Community College’s National UAS Training and Certification Center. Over 15,000 engineers and technicians graduate from college each year in Ohio, and the state is a net exporter of talent though they are working to keep more of those students.

It is also centrally located in the middle of the Eastern half of the U.S. and has access to a robust supply chain, customers and workforce. Richardson closed by noting that OSU will be the site of the Terrestrial Analog Facility, an Earth-based “physical twin” of a laboratory on the forthcoming Starlab Space Station.

AFWERX Deputy Director James Bieryla followed Richardson Thursday, detailing the state’s “rich history” of aviation including well-known pioneers such as the Wright Brothers, John Glenn and Neil Armstrong, along with Frank Lahm of Mansfield, the first U.S. military aviator and a leader in developing military flight training; and Eddie Rickenbacker of Columbus, the U.S. “ace of aces” during World War I.

Asking what will be seen in the rest of the 21st century, Bieryla said he hoped that will include automated electric aerial shuttles that are safe, low cost, environmentally friendly and effective. He added that in March, Hank Griffiths -- an Ohioan -- became one of the first pilots to fly an electric vehicle under USAF airworthiness certification.

AFWERX is working to develop technology for both military and commercial applications that can lead to more revenue, growth and jobs, Bieryla continued, and this is done through partnerships with industry and universities.

Noting that both he and Griffiths have children at Ohio colleges studying aviation now, Bieryla discussed the importance of preparing future generations and keeping Ohio “the enduring, living place of aviation.”

The symposium also included site visits, panel discussions on the four AAM challenge areas Karabinus had identified, an opening address by OSU President Kristina Johnson and keynote remarks by Robert Pearce, associate administrator of NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate.

Pearce stressed the importance of partnerships in his speech, saying no one organization can succeed alone. NASA’s vision for the future includes environmental sustainability through hydro-electric propulsion efforts, improved air dynamics and alternative fuel sources, and he called this an “exciting time” as such technology has been in the works for decades. The Biden administration has a goal of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions related to aviation by 2050.

NASA is also exploring AAM, the future of airspace and a potential revival of supersonic commercial flight, which has not been performed since the Concorde airliner was retired. Working with communities on “low boom” noise constraints is critical for supersonic flight over land, and Pearce explained how new aircraft technology can make that possible.

He also discussed how future airspace will need to be controlled and the opportunities AAM can provide, including urban transport, cargo delivery, air taxi and ambulance services and wildfire suppression. Offering a greater quality of life through AAM will help drive public acceptance, Pearce told attendees.

Johnson’s comments focused on leveraging “Ohio’s limitless potential in this vital industry” and included a description of OSU’s role in training pilots during World War I. She also noted the achievements of Glenn and Geraldine Mock, the first woman to fly around the world alone. Today, Johnson said, OSU students are “devising more ways to ensure that this industry has a vibrant home here.”