FAA and DOT Break Ground on V-PAR Advanced Air Mobility Research Facility

FAA and DOT Break Ground on V-PAR Advanced Air Mobility Research Facility

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) held a groundbreaking ceremony on June 25 for the Vertical Take-Off and Landing Procedures and Analysis Range (V-PAR) at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City. The new facility is purpose-built for advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft — including electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles — and will provide a dedicated environment for testing, training, and operational analysis.

$8.3 Million Facility Focused on Safe eVTOL Integration

The approximately $8.3 million project aims to establish a dedicated site where the FAA and industry partners can jointly research vertical take-off and landing operations. Officials emphasized that the facility is critical to ensuring these aircraft can be safely integrated into the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS).

DOT Deputy Secretary Steven Bradbury stated: "V-PAR is a key step in helping the FAA better understand how to safely integrate advanced air mobility aircraft into the national airspace system. This facility will enhance our ability to conduct research, train personnel, and support the future of aviation."

FAA Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau added: "As advanced air mobility technology continues to evolve, the FAA must ensure these technologies meet the same high safety standards as the rest of the national airspace system. V-PAR will help us gather the data and operational insights needed to support their safe integration into the NAS."

Facility Features at a Glance

The initial construction phase includes the following infrastructure and capabilities:

• Touchdown and Liftoff (TLOF) area
• Taxiway
• Vertipad (with two parking positions)
• Covered vertipad shelter
• Observation and operations facilities
• Electric aircraft charging equipment
• Lighting and supporting utility infrastructure

Research activities will focus on: wake turbulence and separation management, downwash and outwash effects, radio frequency interference, vertiport operations, approach and departure routes, airspace procedures, human factors, emergency response planning, and traffic flow simulation.

Project Timeline

The initiative traces back to a preliminary concept study in autumn 2021. The U.S. Congress appropriated $6 million in spring 2024. Design work — led by C.H. Guernsey with vertiport expertise provided by Heliplanners — was completed in October 2025, and the construction contract was awarded to Maguire O'Hara Construction in March 2026. Overall construction is expected to be complete in summer 2027.

Future Expansion Plans

Subsequent expansion phases may include additional landing pads, expanded charging infrastructure, a second vertipad, and a short take-off and landing (STOL) runway. V-PAR is positioned as a central hub for generating critical data to underpin the standards development, procedure establishment, and workforce training required as the eVTOL industry moves toward commercial operations.

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