FAA Launches Oklahoma V-PAR Range for VTOL Integration Research

FAA and Department of Transportation have launched a project on creation of advanced air mobility research range in Oklahoma City. The objective of the project is to create a research range that will help FAA explore the possibilities of integration of VTOL aircraft into the National Airspace System. The research range, called the Vertical Takeoff and Landing Procedures and Analysis Range, or V-PAR, will be located at Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, and its primary functions will be research, training and operational analysis.

This is very important. For the audience from the U.S. aerospace and unmanned systems community, V-PAR represents less marketing stunt under the guise of air-taxi terminology and more a research range of the government aiming at providing answers to the questions of practical integration.

According to FAA, V-PAR will be used in researching vertiport operations; routes of arrival and departure; wake effects; downwash; outwash; radiofrequency interference; emergency management plans and procedures; and airspace operations. These are exactly the questions that need to be addressed for the new aircraft category to evolve from prototype operations to repeatable and certifiable operations.

The project will cost approximately $8.3 million and will include a touchdown and takeoff area; taxiway; verticraft apron; shelter; operations and observation building; electric aircraft charging and associated infrastructure systems. The completion of the construction is expected in summer 2027.

V-PAR is represented by the officials as both research and training facility. “The V-PAR is a critical step in helping the FAA better understand how to integrate advanced air mobility aircraft safely into the National Airspace System,” states Deputy Secretary of Transportation Steven Bradbury. Furthermore, V-PAR “will strengthen our ability to conduct research, train people, and support the future of aviation.”

From the point of view of the system, this list of research topics speaks volumes. Wake effects, downwash and outwash are not some marginal issues concerning VTOL aircraft. These issues impact the design of pads, obstacle clearance, safety of the ground, aircraft spacing and vertiport operations alongside with other aviation operations. Radiofrequency interference is another issue important for these aircraft types, covering such aspects as communication and navigation systems, charging infrastructure and digital control systems.

Moreover, V-PAR is part of a growing trend of performance-based guidance for this aircraft category implemented by FAA. The current vertiport guidance of FAA shows that the regulator takes interest in verification of the data on operations of VTOL aircraft and moves away from assumptions concerning the infrastructure of helicopters. It creates a great challenge for certification and design of electric or hybrid vertical-lift aircraft that are different from traditional helicopters due to their propulsion design, landing procedures and ground effect.

Besides, the guidance covers a number of research needs that can be met using V-PAR, including downwash and outwash; landing accuracy and precision; electromagnetic effects; charging infrastructure; and operational procedures. In addition, it states that the FAA offices consider the ways of VTOL aircraft landing accuracy demonstration for certification purposes. Therefore, V-PAR is not merely a construction project – it is one of many technical bases created by the regulator for future certification, guidance and operational assistance.

There is another important aspect, which is that of workforce. FAA declares that V-PAR will be used for research as well as training. Training for an emerging aircraft category is not limited to pilots only and also includes controllers, procedure designers, inspectors, airport planners and technical personnel, whose task is to evaluate aircraft interaction with airspace and ground infrastructure. Development of this kind of expertise in the aeronautical center of the government differs from manufacturer testing.

Still, what V-PAR does not do, at least according to the currently available information, is to develop a larger commercial timeline for advanced air mobility. V-PAR is a research range, not a certification and integration announcement. The key idea behind V-PAR is the construction of a controlled test facility, from which operational data will be gathered and can be used later for standard and training development for this emerging aircraft category.

For the U.S. market, the idea behind V-PAR is the following. Adoption of VTOL aircraft requires not only certification of the aircraft, but also regulatory validation of procedures, infrastructure, interference limitations and interfaces. V-PAR is a relatively inexpensive facility, but it solves exactly those integration problems that determine whether advanced air mobility is an engineering transportation solution or just a test flight.

Stephen Wallace – Editor for AMI’s aerospace integration and unmanned mobility coverage, focused on drone manufacturing, VTOL systems, autonomous networks, and air-ground mobility interfaces.