Overview
- State leaders announced Monday that electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, known as eVTOLs, are expected to begin testing across Florida's aerospace region by the end of 2026.
- SunTrax in Polk County now has two vertiports that officials describe as the nation's first dedicated advanced air mobility aerial test track for integrated flight and ground trials.
- Federal Aviation Administration certification and airspace-integration approvals remain pending and will determine when tests expand or move toward commercial operations.
- The facility is running parallel trials of autonomous and connected ground vehicles, including Waymo activity and Tesla's planned services, and will test security screening, communications and air-traffic procedures.
- The state has teamed with Embry-Riddle and Polk State College to train pilots, controllers and maintainers, a move officials say could create local jobs and position Florida for passenger, medical and emergency uses if regulators clear wider operations.