Aviation, air mobility, and aerospace call Ohio home.

And that’s not hyperbole. From the Wright Brothers to John Glenn and Neil Armstrong to the ongoing innovation making strides across our state at places like Wright Patterson Air Force Base, aerospace and aviation take flight in Ohio.

It’s only fitting that Ohio – as the “Birthplace of Aviation” – has the right mix of government and private partners, robust infrastructure, and commitment to investment that continues to advance the future of aviation innovation and air mobility.

As a burgeoning industry that is bursting with opportunity, advanced air mobility (AAM) is changing the way we travel, commute, and ship cargo in ways that were once only in our imagination. E-commerce companies are already using drones to deliver packages in select areas, and a not-so-far-off future exists when eVOTLs (electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft) will routinely taxi people across the skies of urban areas.

JobsOhio had the pleasure and privilege of recently participating in the Ohio Air Mobility Symposium at The Ohio State University alongside dozens of dreamer-doers to define how Ohio can continue to lead the AAM industry into the future. This student-run cohort offered some exciting discussions on research, testing, manufacturing, policymaking, and infrastructure planning to integrate air mobility into Ohio communities in safe, equitable, and successful ways.

Personally, this event was an eye-opening experience that celebrated the legacy of aviation success in Ohio and explored opportunities to advance AAM and our state’s reputation in the aviation and aerospace industry.

While JobsOhio creates opportunity by supporting our military and federal sectors, air service restoration and aerospace investment, we’re also at the forefront of positioning our state as the home of the AAM revolution.

Consider the opportunities we have before us: AAM technologies could be the catalyst for $1.9 trillion in global economic impact by 2045, and Ohio is estimated to gain $13 billion in economic impact and 15,000 new jobs by 2045.

The opportunities are clear, and Ohio is already out in front as a leader in AAM, aerospace, and aviation:

• Ohio is the only state with a state-wide strategy on how to advance the AAM industry.
• Ohio is the #1 state supplier to companies like Boeing and Airbus, and our aviation and aerospace supply chain consists of over 550 companies.
• The state is the headquarters for the U.S. Air Force Agility Prime partnership. The program brings together the Air Force and the electric vertical takeoff and land (eVTOL) commercial industry to propel the third revolution in aerospace and start to field a new class of air mobility systems.
• Ohio is home to the National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence in Springfield. The center will open this summer to support industry collaboration, eVTOL airworthiness testing, and UAS center operations when it opens later this year. This state-of-the-art facility is a statewide asset designed to bring stakeholders together from academia, industry, and government across Ohio.
• In 2022, JobsOhio launched AccelerateOhio to attract companies and organizations involved in scaling advanced mobility solutions in Ohio.
• As part of AccerateOhio, FlyOhio is a collaboration of state and local partner organizations dedicated to AAM development across the state.

While Ohio has made a tremendous amount of progress to help build the AAM industry, we’re only accelerating. We’re committed to aggressive investment in capital, infrastructure, planning, and good ol’ sweat equity. That’s what Ohioans do best.