AeroX Granted $5 Million for Advanced Air Mobility Development

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby

AeroX, a nonprofit organization focused on promoting the safe and efficient commercialization of UAS technologies in Forsyth County, has been awarded a $5 million dollar grant from the North Carolina General Assembly for the design and development of an urban advanced air mobility system in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, North Carolina.

The grant funds will be passed on to AeroX through the North Carolina Department of Transportation Division of Aviation, the body responsible for the administration of state and federal aviation grant funding for North Carolina. The department has been a national leader in demonstrating and enabling both government and commercial drone use.

“Once again, North Carolina policymakers have taken the bold move to invest in aviation’s next frontier,” said Michael Baughan, AeroX board member and chair of the AeroX Advisory Committee. “These funds will help us begin building the infrastructure required to usher in this new era of aviation, supporting existing industries and opening up whole new areas of the economy.”

AeroX seeks to make the most of North Carolina’s position as a leader in UAS innovation by building a national model ecosystem for advanced air mobility (AAM), a testbed for trailblazing companies looking to make use of these emerging technologies to grow their companies.

Forsyth County is well positioned to achieve this goal, as routine commercial drone deliveries in the county are currently underway by UPS Flight Forward, which oversees the delivery of medical supplies across the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center campus. Novant Health, which carries out AAM operations in North Carolina, offers guidance as a member of the AeroX board. Smith Reynolds Airport, a Federal Aviation Administration-designated national airport, is the ideal testing ground for AAM solutions. Local business support organizations are available to offer technical assistance to help companies in the sector startup and grow.

The North Carolina General Assembly grant will enable AeroX to take a major step forward in the creation of an air traffic management system that will allow unmanned and manned aircraft to fly safely in the low-altitude air space (below 400 feet) in which UAS operate.

Read more about drone delivery in North Carolina, medical drone delivery in North Carolina, and urban air mobility.

Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer.