51ĀŅĀ×

If you build it, they will come. Thatā€™s the goal of Brent Lane and Laurie McKnight from 51ĀŅĀ×ā€™s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service.

Last July, the school was awarded a grant from the to assess the needs of more than 200 airfields in Appalachia to handle Advanced Air Mobility planes, including manned electric aircraft and drones. The pair visited 37 airports in 15 Appalachian counties to evaluate the technological and business feasibility of using electronic aircraft.

ā€œWe focus not just on these new types of electric aircraft, but first and foremost on aviation itself, as it already serves their communities,ā€ says Lane. ā€œThrough their local airports, the first thing to do was to engage with them about the role aviation is already playing in their community, and some of the benefits occurring through that local airport.ā€

Lane and McKnight met with a wide range of public officials, both elected and administrative, to draw attention to aviation's role in their community.

ā€œWe saw an appreciation for aviation and a good deal of interest in the types of increased activity,ā€ says Lane. ā€œThe need to prepare these airports for different types of electric aircraft will require local government and public support. We need to address the priorities in those communities.ā€

McKnight says that one of the most mentioned services for many communities is using airports to assist in emergencies.

ā€œKentucky has a real need for this, given the number of weather-related disasters theyā€™ve had in the past few years,ā€ she says. ā€œThat terrain is rugged and hard to reach via local roads, especially if those roads have been damaged or blocked.ā€

Most of the airports in Appalachia currently lack the infrastructure to help power electric aircraft, and the need for upgrades is recognized.

Ohio recently created an advanced aviation division housed under the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). A study by ODOTā€™s research division estimated that investing in advanced air programs would generate more than $13 billion in economic impact and create 15,000 new jobs. But there is little time to waste.

ā€œSome of these airports are stuck in the 1990s, much less this century,ā€ says Lane. ā€œThese 37 airports are in counties defined by ARC as distressed or at-risk in 2024. But our lessons apply to the 3,000 general aviation airports nationwide. Once again, what we find in Appalachia has applications well beyond our region.ā€