The Trump administration has begun work on a new Oklahoma testing centre designed to accelerate the development of flying taxis, electric aircraft and other advanced air mobility technologies.
The Trump administration has broken ground on a new aviation testing facility in Oklahoma that will support the development of flying cars, electric air taxis and other next-generation aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expanding its 1,100-acre Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City with an $8.3 million testing site known as the Vertical Take-Off and Landing Procedures and Analysis Range, or V-PAR.
The new facility is designed to evaluate larger electric and hybrid aircraft capable of vertical take-off and landing, commonly known as eVTOL aircraft.
According to the FAA, the site will feature a dedicated touchdown and liftoff area, taxiway, electric aircraft charging infrastructure, and an observation and operations building. It will be located near Will Rogers World Airport alongside existing aviation research facilities.
Deputy Transportation Secretary Steven Bradbury said the investment would help prepare the United States for the next era of aviation.
Bradbury said: “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.
“This facility will strengthen our ability to conduct research, train people and support the future of aviation.”
Construction is expected to be completed by the summer of 2027, although the FAA said future expansion could include additional landing sites, increased charging capacity, a second vertipad and a short take-off and landing runway.
The project follows the Department of Transportation’s launch of its Advanced Air Mobility National Strategy in December, which outlines plans to accelerate commercial deployment of new aircraft technologies.
The roadmap targets demonstration flights and initial operations by next year, broader urban and rural services by 2030, and fully autonomous advanced air mobility operations by 2035.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy previously said advanced air mobility would transform multiple industries.
He said: “Advanced air mobility vehicles will benefit the American people, transforming how the flying public travels, how first responders jump into action and communities access healthcare, how businesses deliver goods and how we defend our nation.”
The initiative also builds on President Donald Trump’s 2025 executive order promoting what the administration called “American Drone Dominance”.
NASA is also supporting the emerging sector through research into air taxis and autonomous aircraft, including studies examining how communities respond to aircraft noise.
Meanwhile, eight eVTOL pilot programmes have already been approved across the United States, with trials taking place in states including Texas, Florida, New York and North Carolina as companies race to bring commercial flying taxis into service.
Trump administration building Oklahoma facility to test flying cars
