The N.C. Department of Transportation Division of Aviation announced the second round of funding recipients through the department’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Planning Program. The following four Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) and Regional Planning Organizations (RPO) have been awarded a total of $801,000 in funding to educate and help develop long-term AAM transportation planning efforts in North Carolina communities:
- French Broad River MPO
- Northwest Piedmont RPO
- Southwestern RPO (in partnership with Foothills RPO and Land of Sky RPO)
- Wilmington Urban Area MPO
AAM is an emerging sector within the aviation industry, improving multimodal connections, expanding mobility options and enhancing the movement of people and goods. Examples of potential AAM usage include transporting medical supplies during disaster response, inspecting infrastructure, delivering cargo, future air taxis and much more.
“It is important that we are able to support our local communities as we continue advancing in our eLIFT-NC program,” said NCDOT Division of Aviation Director Nick Short. “The funding allows planning organizations to lay the groundwork for implementing this technology and maximize the potential benefits for North Carolina.”
On the statewide level, NCDOT’s Electric Logistics & Integrated Flight Testing, or eLIFT-NC, recently completed the first series of flights for the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) AAM program. The program aims to safely accelerate the integration of AAM while exploring how next-generation aircraft can help connect rural communities to healthcare.
