Vertiports for drones proposed for Arnold Palmer Regional, Johnstown airports
Airport officials in Westmoreland and Cambria counties envision creating a facility for a special drone that could deliver cargo, fly passengers or transport a patient to a hospital in an electric-powered aircraft that can take off and land vertically, just like a helicopter.
"The possibilities are endless. We have all the infrastructure needed for a vertiport, and we have the space," as well as the utilities, roadways and charging stations, said Gabe Monzo, executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority, which operates the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity.
The creation of a vertiport on airport property for electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing aircraft would combine the resources of the two regional airports, Monzo said.
"What part are we going to play in this big realm of aviation?" Monzo said Wednesday during a presentation to about 110 students from area schools who will participate in a contest to design a vertiport at a site at both airports.
The aircraft can be powered by hybrid electric systems, batteries or even hydrogen fuel cells, They are part of what is referred to as advanced air mobility — a new sector of the aerospace industry.
Monzo envisions a package delivery company such as Amazon getting an order in the morning, then using one of the aircraft to pick up the package from a warehouse such as the one in New Stanton for delivery to a customer's driveway that day.
For people with a medical emergency, an air ambulance could be controlled from a distance to pick up a patient who received first aid treatment on the ground before being placed in a pod that would be picked up by a cable attached to a drone, then flown to a nearby medical facility for treatment, said Larry Nulton, a Johnstown psychologist who operates Aerium, a nonprofit that seeks to create a pipeline between students, educational institutions and the aviation industry.
While a vertiport can be placed in other locales because it does not need the long runways and taxiways required of airports, Monzo contended that the best site would be at an airport.
"We have all the infrastructure needed for a vertiport and we have the space," Monzo said. The utilities and roadways already exist at an airport, as well as hangars to store aircraft.
Multi-purpose
The primary purposes of the vertiport at Arnold Palmer Regional would be to deliver cargo and transport passengers, possibly for medical purposes as needed, Monzo said.
A vertiport at the John Murtha-Johnstown-Cambria County Airport near Johnstown would be for maintenance, delivering packages and training personnel to operate the vertiport, said Cory Cree, manager of the John Murtha-Johnstown airport.
The Arnold Palmer and John Murtha airports could become test sites in Pennsylvania for vertiports, said Nulton, who operates Nulton Aviation Services at the Murtha airport.
The goal is to build a safe system and manage it, Nulton said. The use of manned aircraft drones could be something that might be available this year, but the use of fully unmanned craft might not occur until 2035 because of the regulations, he said.
None of Pennsylvania's 120 aviation facilities have vertiports, said David Heath, a consultant for the Aviation Council of Pennsylvania, a statewide aviation trade association.
"Vertiports essentially are the next phase of advanced aviation. Airports have unique aspects to support the AAM (Advanced Air Mobility)," Heath said.
Design contest
The proposal for creating a vertiport at both Arnold Palmer Regional and John Murtha-Johnstown airports is the focus of a design a contest among about 110 middle school and high school students in the gifted program from the Mt. Pleasant Area, Yough, Greensburg Salem, Penn-Trafford, Franklin Regional and Southmoreland school districts.
Students were given the parameters of the project Wednesday, the type of building needed to house the facility and workers, the requirements to make it accessible other parts of the airport such as the terminal and such basics as connecting to utilities and parking for workers and any passengers.
Once a concept and design is created, Monzo said that it could be presented state and federal aviation officials for possible funding.
The kind of project that the students will be designing very much emphasizes the STEM subjects — Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, said Maureen Grace, gifted program teacher for Mt. Pleasant Area's junior and senior high school, who helped develop the student project.
"I like to see the expansion of available jobs so that families can stay in the area," Grace said.
Last year, the students worked on a design of the expansion of the terminal for the Arnold Palmer airport, which will occur through a $22 million project given the greenlight by the Westmoreland County Airport Authority, which operates the airport.
"I think it is one of the interesting things that we have in Westmoreland County," Grace said of the airport.
Among the students who will be working on the design over the next five months will Rhiannon Bowman, an 11th grade student at Mt. Pleasant Area.
"It's interesting that in 10 years, it will be something we will be using all the time," Bowman said.
Lucas Poole, a 10th grader at Mt. Pleasant Area, said he the focus on the vertical takeoff and landing aircraft may spark an interest in aviation.
"We might inspire the next generation of pilots. This is our future," Poole said.
