The University of California, Santa Cruz is helping launch an initiative to develop a first-of-its-kind test ecosystem for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) aircraft along the Central Coast, as part of California’s Jobs First initiative to support innovation and create quality jobs.
By connecting the regional airports of Watsonville, Marina, Salinas, and Hollister, the California Advanced Air Mobility Corridors Initiative (CAAMCI) will support the state’s first FAA-compliant ecosystem for clean-energy-powered drones and advanced aerospace vehicles.
These efforts are supported by a $7,450,000 grant to the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) on behalf of the Monterey Bay Tech Hub, the latter of which was co-founded by UC Santa Cruz. MBEP, a regional economic development organization focused upon the Tri-County region of Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito Counties, served as the Tri-County’s regional convener in the state’s Jobs First Initiative, helping UC Santa Cruz to secure funding for both CAAMCI and the Drones Uplifting California Communities (DUCC) grant aimed at FAA 107-licensed drone piloting training.
Combining elements of the DUCC and CAAMCI grants, UC Santa Cruz will provide additional support through the campus’s branch of CITRIS and the Banatao Institute, providing training for piloting drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the region. This will facilitate the testing, certification, and commercialization of clean-energy aircraft applications in industries such as fire prevention, agriculture, logistics, emergency services, marine science, and defense.
The initiative aims to bring inclusive economic growth and new opportunities for rural communities in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito counties. The funds will develop both the advanced infrastructure needed to support safe innovation in air mobility, as well as support the creation of high-quality jobs in electric/hydrogen propulsion, flight systems engineering, ground operations, aviation tech support, and remote piloting.
These efforts will build upon the region’s leadership in the advanced air mobility and drone technology sectors, as the area is home to the nation’s highest concentration of companies in the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) sector including Joby Aviation, Wisk, Archer, and Parallel Flight. Connecting rural airports will provide the infrastructure needed to further scale the region’s competitiveness and will provide California’s first test ecosystem for these next generation aircraft.
“Recognition of the extraordinary ecosystem of AAM research and development that has emerged within the Tri-County region is long overdue,” said Larry Samuels, special adviser to Chancellor Cynthia Larive. “The unique coalition of industry, government, and education that has coalesced in the Monterey Bay Tech Hub presents an opportunity to collaborate in creating both economic opportunity and technological advancement in a region that has long been primarily reliant upon agriculture and tourism.”
Ricardo Sanfelice, director of the CITRIS Aviation initiative and a professor of electrical and computer engineering at UC Santa Cruz’s Baskin School of Engineering, emphasized the research and technology development potential of this initiative.
“This project represents a unique opportunity to advance aviation, safely and efficiently, through a joint effort involving industry, government, and academia,” Sanfelice said. “Through the CITRIS Aviation initiative, we are developing an integrated testbed, called the California Airlink, that will enable the deployment of emerging vehicle technology, with capabilities such as beyond visual line of sight, GPS-independent positioning, real-time route planning, and environmental impact analysis. By bringing together drones, eVTOLs, and traditional aircraft into a unified ecosystem, this project will enable us to safely perform tests in realistic conditions. These efforts not only advance the science and technology of air mobility but also ensure California leads the way in creating a reliable and safe aviation ecosystem of the future.”
Additionally, the initiative will expand on the CITRIS’ proven curriculum in UAV training, adapting existing materials and creating new training models to support the development and use of the new corridor.
“The establishment of California’s first FAA-compliant test ecosystem on the Central Coast is a huge opportunity to accelerate the development of both manned and unmanned aviation,” said Michael Matkin, Executive Director of CITRIS and the Banatao Institute at UC Santa Cruz. “At CITRIS UCSC, we’re providing UAV training that ensures this corridor is used to its fullest potential — advancing research, testing, and innovation in a safe and regulated environment that helps our region advance its leadership in pioneering new aviation technology.”
Leaders believe this initiative can impact a wide range of critical tasks in the region, such as delivering medical supplies to rural areas, monitoring wildfire conditions in real time, improving crop production, and inspecting bridges and power lines without risking human life.