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Michigan awards AM activation grants for drone maritime deliveries, medical drone trials and electric-aircraft charging
Summary
Zach Texan, of MDOT’s Office of Aeronautics, outlined four state‑funded Advanced Air Mobility pilots — ship‑to‑shore drone logistics in the Upper Peninsula, medical and inspection drone trials near Traverse City, a Detroit campus for BVLOS operations and rooftop/ground drone ports, and electric aircraft chargers at four airports — supported by about $4.9 million from the AM activation fund.
Zach Texan, of MDOT’s Office of Aeronautics’ airspace and emerging aviation unit, told a joint meeting of the Michigan Aeronautics Commission and the State Transportation Commission on Jan. 30 that the department and partners are using the AM activation fund to accelerate “advanced air mobility” projects around the state.
“Advanced Air Mobility, in my opinion, is really, I guess, a a major inflection point in aviation that we have going on right now,” Texan said, introducing a set of pilot projects the fund supports.
The projects described by Texan include:
- Skyport/Interlake Steamship test (Upper Peninsula): Skyport, a UK‑based drone operator, partnered with Interlake Steamship Company to test ship‑to‑shore drone deliveries in the Sault Ste. Marie and Detour Village area. Texan said the effort aims to transfer small items between anchored ships and shore operations without a vessel docking; operational flights were planned to begin…
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