Building the Future of Flight: Utah’s AAM Infrastructure & FAA Safety Study Initiative

Building the Future of Flight: Utah’s AAM Infrastructure & FAA Safety Study Initiative Hosted by Beehive Energy Alliance | Utah Hard Tech Week Utah is emerging as one of the nation’s leading proving grounds for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). As one of the states participating in the FAA’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), Utah offers a unique operating environment—including high-altitude airports, mountainous terrain, extreme temperature variations, rapidly growing communities, and preparations for the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Join the Beehive Energy Alliance for a discussion on the work underway to help build the safety, infrastructure, energy, and operational framework needed to bring AAM from demonstration to real-world deployment. ROW Energy Group and MTI, led by General Doug Cherry, are working with Federal transportation and aviation leaders, airports, universities, utilities, aircraft manufacturers, and other industry partners to develop a proposed multi-phase FAA AAM Safety Study initiative. The first phases are designed to examine critical areas including: AAM safety and operational readiness across Utah’s diverse airport environments High-altitude and cold-weather operations and their impact on aircraft, batteries, charging, and ground infrastructure Airport electrical infrastructure, charging, energy resilience, and grid requirements Vertiport and ground operations, including safe aircraft turnaround and interoperability between multiple aircraft manufacturers Multimodal transportation integration and the role AAM could play in moving passengers during the 2034 Winter Olympic Games Development of an initial statewide AAM network supporting passenger transportation, cargo, emergency response, and medical missions Creation of an open-architecture AAM ecosystem capable of supporting multiple aircraft manufacturers rather than a single proprietary platform The discussion will also explore how data and lessons learned in Utah can support the FAA as it develops safety standards, operating procedures, infrastructure requirements, and regulatory frameworks for AAM deployment nationally. Utah has an opportunity to do more than participate in the next generation of aviation—it can help define how that aviation system is safely built and deployed across the United States. Join leaders from aviation, energy, government, infrastructure, academia, and industry for a look at the work already underway and what comes next as Utah prepares for the future of flight.