The future of advanced air mobility is being shaped right here in Central Florida.

Imagine this. You’re running late to catch a flight at the airport and I-4 is slowed to a crawl. As you sit in gridlock and each passing second ticks by, your angst begins to rise. If only you could hop in a small aircraft and take to the skies, bypassing the traffic below en route to your destination.

While that wishful thinking may seem like something out of The Jetsons or some futuristic sci-fi flick, it could become a reality sooner than one may think thanks to key research into advanced air mobility (AAM) being conducted right here in Central Florida.

The integration of AAM technologies has advanced in recent years, and thanks to efforts by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA), researchers at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and other strategic partners, Florida is helping lead the way. With the I-4 corridor identified as a key launch region, the Orange County Government recently joined the Advanced Air Mobility Association (AAMA) to become part of a national network working to integrate AAM technologies.

“Advanced air mobility supports Orange County’s commitment to innovation, collaboration and inclusion for the benefit of Orange County’s 1.5 million residents,” said Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings in a press release. “Our membership in AAMA connects us with national leaders and positions Orange County as a leader in shaping the future of advanced air mobility in Central Florida.”

“AAM, which includes electric vehicle takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, is sometimes referred to as ‘Jetsons’ cars or flying cars because it seems like a fantasy, but it’s not. The next revolution in transportation and aviation will likely be in this area,” affirms Angela Starke, GOAA’s vice president of public affairs.

In anticipation of this, GOAA has invested funds to plan for and accommodate AAM integration at Orlando International Airport (MCO) and to support emerging aerospace technologies on its 11,000-plus-acre campus. It’s also evaluating information from potential developers and operators that can assist the authority in developing and operating a vertiport terminal at MCO.

“GOAA’s goal is to ensure that future eVTOL operations can be safely integrated into a large-hub airport environment, with standardized procedures to minimize air traffic controller workload and impacts to the legacy aviation operation at MCO,” says Starke.

Once the aircrafts take to the sky, FDOT is estimating as many as 18 million annual passenger trips by 2050. But there’s still a lot to be determined before that time comes, according to Dr. Robert Thomas, associate professor of aeronautical science at Embry-Riddle.

“There are some companies flying some of these aircraft now, but the FAA is really the one that says what would make these aircraft legal to fly, and also what would make the pilots legal to fly them,” Thomas says. “We can sort of guess what it could be, but we don’t really know for sure. And so [it becomes a question of], how do you develop an aircraft and how do you train pilots with rules that don’t exist?

“I think you could say in operational terms that it’s more likely that these aircraft will be flying soon. But as a regular scheduled aircraft service, that probably won’t happen for a little while yet,” Thomas adds.

Starke echoes that sentiment, citing infrastructure as a major hurdle as future electrification demands are planned. “This is often a two-to-three year lead item as utility infrastructure can be scarce and costly,” she says.

Part of Embry-Riddle’s collaborative research efforts with GOAA has included studying what types of skills pilots and maintenance crews would need with regard to eVTOL, as many don’t have experience working on electric aircrafts. But the partnership has also focused on demonstrating how AAM aircraft could successfully operate at MCO without disrupting existing commercial air traffic. The research, published last year, was one of the first evaluations of AAM integration at a major U.S. airport.

“We were trying to see how you could add more aircraft to an already saturated area in a way that wouldn’t affect the larger airplanes coming in and out. We picked a busy day of air travel and modeled how these smaller aircraft could sort of go underneath and around to get a rough idea of how it could be safely integrated,” Thomas says.

GOAA is developing its vision to complete an on-airport vertiport, approved by the FAA and supported by FDOT, by 2030. Its more immediate goal is to conduct a demonstration flight by the end of this year.

“Things may develop rapidly from there, and it may be that Central Florida has some early AAM flights within the next five years,” Starke says.

With these advancements in the aeronautical industry, Thomas expects plenty of new jobs in addition to pilots, maintenance crews and ground personnel being created to help support a growing sector.

“Imagine if you go to an airline, you have ticket counters, baggage handlers, ramp operators … you would pretty much set up the same way but on a smaller scale. Not to mention the logistics of charging or refueling these airplanes, that’s all part of it,” he says.

While helping reduce roadway congestion may be the most intriguing aspect of AAM, these aircraft could likely serve in other capacities as well, helping to deliver cargo or for emergency medical evacuations, for instance.

As research and development continues, Thomas is eager to learn more about what the future may hold

“I think it’s always exciting to be on the cutting edge of something new. There’s a lot of questions about what this could do for the future and how it can open up another avenue for air travel. … Something new like this is always interesting, but you still have to take a cautiously optimistic outlook because there are still a lot of unknowns.”

As with any new technology becoming more prevalent in our daily lives, Starke says it will require significant community support in order for AAM to become a successful part of our transportation network.

“Community engagement and education will need to be an ongoing effort. GOAA will continue working with our partners and informing the public about AAM’s possibilities and benefits,” she says. “Florida wants to be a leader in this coming revolution.”