ORLANDO, Fla. — Flying cars might seem like something from a cartoon, but Orlando International Airport is getting ready for advanced air mobility, a futuristic way of travel that could become part of daily life in Central Florida.
For nearly 25 years, Brad Friel has played a key role in developing Orlando’s airport. Now, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority Senior Vice President is focusing on what could be the next major step in transportation.
“Advanced Air Mobility, or as a lot of people in the community know them as the flying cars or the Jetsons,” Friel said.
The technology focuses on eVTOLs, which stand for electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. These aircraft work like air taxis, taking off like helicopters and transporting passengers over short distances.
“If you have a love of flying, and you don’t have an aversion to being in the air, and you want to try to get from point A to point B without being on I-4, this may be your opportunity,” Friel said.
The Federal Aviation Administration is still certifying the aircraft and finalizing safety standards. If all goes as planned, the first vehicles could be cleared for takeoff as early as next year.
Airport leaders say they are already preparing. Air traffic control crews from MCO recently returned from FAA training in New Jersey. “Using the digital twin of our airport, they actually processed commercial aircraft in and out, as well as how to integrate in advanced air mobility,” Friel said.
When asked about safety concerns due to the ongoing air traffic control shortages across the country, Friel responded directly.
“We’ve seen, obviously, air traffic control shortages across the country, close calls. Is it safe to introduce another vehicle in that airspace?” reporter Alexa Lorenzo asked.
“Yeah, it is, and that’s really the whole exercise they’re going through,” Friel said.
Now, the airport is working on locations where electric air taxis could take off and land. Two potential sites have already been identified: one near the Brightline train station and another at East Airfield by Narcoossee Road and State Road 528.
Over time, Friel said, Central Florida leaders will need to build a larger network of “vertiports.”
“Just because they could take off from the land of the airport, they have to go somewhere. And so we see use cases with everything from Port Canaveral to our theme parks and to other communities,” Friel said.
It might still be a few years before passengers begin boarding these futuristic vehicles. However, if the FAA approves, Orlando could become one of the first airports in the country to introduce advanced air mobility.
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