Four projects will receive $6.25 million in funding to help bring advanced air mobility infrastructure to Michigan, including two projects in Traverse City. A $689,500 grant will allow Traverse Connect – in partnership with Munson Healthcare, Northwestern Michigan College, the Freshwater Research & Innovation Center, and more – to test using drones to deliver medical supplies, conduct water sampling and bathymetric mapping, and support emergency response around Lake Michigan. Meanwhile, a $2.6 million grant will allow BETA Technologies to install multimodal chargers for electric aircraft and ground vehicles at four Michigan airports, including Cherry Capital Airport.

Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist announced the grant funding Wednesday, which will help support pilot projects to gather data on the commercial potential of advanced air mobility (AAM) in Michigan. AAM is a cutting-edge sector in the aerospace industry focused on new kinds of aircraft, often highly automated, that can range from “small cargo-carrying drones to passenger-carrying air taxis,” according to NASA. The goal is to move cargo and people more efficiently between locations, especially in challenging environments like dense urban centers or hard-to-reach rural areas.

According to NASA market studies, by 2030 there could be as many as 500 million flights a year for package delivery services and 750 million flights a year for air metro services. “AAM will help ensure this new airspace is properly managed,” according to NASA. In 2022, The Ticker  reported that Traverse City was one of three areas in the state being studied as a drone corridor, with the Michigan Department of Transportation looking at hazards, risks, and infrastructure needs for creating skyways where drones (or unmanned/unscrewed aerial systems, known as UAS) are cleared to fly for commercial purposes.

This new round of AAM funding will further explore drone uses in Traverse City and beyond. Traverse Connect is the regional implementation partner – essentially the project lead – for a $689,500 grant that will also include Munson Healthcare, DroneUp, blueflite, Northwestern Michigan College, Central Michigan University’s Rural Health Equity Institute, and the Freshwater Research & Innovation Center. The grant funds will cover three main projects, according to Traverse Connect Director of Ecosystem Development Camille Hoisington.

“One of the biggest ones is with Munson Healthcare,” she says. That project will test using drones for “critical medical supply, lab sample, and equipment deliveries,” according to Munson Healthcare VP of Supply Chain Tracy Cleveland, with the goal of mitigating “inefficiencies in Munson's current road-based transportation system.” Cleveland says the hospital system is “looking to address key logistical issues within rural healthcare, specifically access and health inequities because of the nature of our rural, geographically dispersed system.”

Testing will occur in two phases, the first of which could start as soon as August or September, according to Hoisington. Phase one will evaluate the “operational viability” for visual line of sight (VLOS) drones moving between Munson Medical Center and five locations within a 3.5-mile radius of the hospital. Hoisington estimates the phase will include four weeks of in-air testing. Phase two this fall will involve drones going beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) to locations up to 20 miles away from Munson Medical Center.

“The pilot will include secure, contactless deliveries between hospital-to-hospital and hospital-to-facilities,” says Cleveland. “By improving access to healthcare for rural and underrepresented populations, the project addresses equity and access, ensuring timely, efficient, and affordable medical care.” Hoisington says testing won’t involve delivering medications directly to patient homes – but it could prove the viability of doing just that in the future. Central Michigan University’s Rural Health Equity Institute will assist with data analysis, reporting, and evaluating the “community impact and benefits of using this technology,” says Hoisington.

A second project will help to establish an AAM command center at the Traverse City Freshwater Research & Innovation Center. That command center would provide a launch pad or home base for drones flying out over the water. Those drones could do everything from going out and taking water samples and bringing them back to shore to analyzing chemical levels in the lake to completing bathymetric mapping. Hoisington says Traverse Connect also hopes to work with the U.S. Coast Guard on testing drones as an emergency response aid on Lake Michigan, such as dropping life flotation devices in situations when drones can reach an emergency site before Coast Guard personnel.

The grant funding will also support a demonstration day on August 5 at Elk Rapids Marina from 9:30am to 11:30am for drones and e-boats. Attendees will have the opportunity to ride on e-boats such as the X-Shore 1, Arc One, Hercules eDrive pontoon, and LilyPad solar-powered boat. Live demonstrations will also take place of drones conducting water-sample testing and overwater mapping capabilities through NMC’s Great Lakes Water Studies Institute and Uncrewed Aerial Systems programs.

“This grant is another great example of leveraging our regional strengths,” says NMC Vice President of Strategic Initiatives Jason Slade. “For NMC, it means bringing our expertise in UAS and marine technology together with our training resources. These are critical elements that will benefit our local business partners and give our students real-world experiences.”

Another $2.6 million in state AAM grant funding was awarded to BETA Technologies to install multimodal chargers at Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City, Capital Region International Airport in Lansing, West Michigan Regional Airport in Holland, and Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti. The technology, capable of charging electric aircraft and ground-based EVs, will help “create a foundational intrastate charging network to support operations of next generation aircrafts and drive down costs for regional transportation operators,” according to the state.

While electric aircraft aren’t prevalent at Cherry Capital Airport yet, CEO Kevin Klein says having the charging technology available will ensure TVC is ready as they increase in popularity. “We want to be the runway for it to take off,” he says. Airport leaders are planning “every day now” for the realities of AAM coming to Michigan, Klein says, whether it’s evaluating infrastructure needs (such as being able to support electric vertical takeoff and landing – eVTOL – aircraft) or operational models for new types of cargo shipments and passenger transport options. “There are a lot of areas that we can benefit from in northern Michigan, so it’s a great opportunity,” Klein says.

Photo credit: BETA Technologies