NIAR adds ability to test electric aircraft at south Oliver facility

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Companies developing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft will be able to test their designs performance at the National Institute for Aviation Research in Wichita.

Wichita State University says the NIAR facility, located at 4174 S. Oliver in Wichita, recently broke ground on a new restrained flight test facility. The lab will allow developers to fully research and test thrust characteristics, aerodynamics, system performance and failure conditions of their designs. They will be able to gather and monitor real-time data via a mission control room.

NIAR already has its first customer lined up to utilize the facility once it is operational. Textron eAviation Inc., a division of Textron, also helped collaborate in the development of the facility.

“We’re thrilled to be collaborating with NIAR on the development of this test facility, as its design will allow us to simulate key aspects of the flight environment for our Nexus eVTOL,” said Kriya Shortt, president and CEO of Textron eAviation in a news release. “With the build of our first full-scale technology demonstrator underway and anticipated first flight for the Nexus in 2025, this hover ramp will support an important program milestone on our path to certification.”

Textron eAviation is currently developing an eVTOL for a range of purposes including air taxi, air ambulance, and cargo shipping. The eVTOL market is projected to be a $1.5 trillion industry by 2050 .

The facility is expected to be completed later this year.

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