{"id":77250,"date":"2026-08-24T23:13:22","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T03:13:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=77250"},"modified":"2026-08-24T23:13:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T03:13:28","slug":"air-establishes-evtol-manufacturing-hub-in-polk-county-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2026\/08\/24\/air-establishes-evtol-manufacturing-hub-in-polk-county-florida\/","title":{"rendered":"Air Establishes eVTOL Manufacturing Hub in Polk County, Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"6b6f7a\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"638\" height=\"480\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 638px) 100vw, 638px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/images-14.webp?fit=638%2C480&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-77253 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #6b6f7a; aspect-ratio:1.3292206523862231;width:479px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/images-14.webp 638w, https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/images-14-300x226.webp 300w\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Israeli electric aircraft startup <strong>Air<\/strong> announced in August 2026 that it is establishing its U.S. headquarters, production facility, and flight testing hub in Polk County, Florida.<sup><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The facility is located at <strong>SunTrax<\/strong>, the Florida Department of Transportation\u2019s (FDOT) 775-acre research and development campus in Auburndale.<sup><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Facility Scope:<\/strong> Air has moved into an initial 20,000-square-foot footprint on the SunTrax campus, utilizing its dedicated airspace, vertiports, and the nation\u2019s first Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) aerial test track.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Aircraft Production:<\/strong> The company plans to manufacture two electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) models:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Air One:<\/strong> A two-seat personal eVTOL\/light sport aircraft aimed at individual consumer flights and regional aerial commuting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cargo Variant:<\/strong> An uncrewed, heavy-lift eVTOL variant designed for logistics and defense operations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Timeline:<\/strong> Operations are ramping up quickly, with flight testing moving from West Palm Beach to Auburndale as the company targets FAA certification and active local assembly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The move is part of a broader push supported by state leaders, including Governor Ron DeSantis, to position Central Florida\u2019s I-4 corridor as a national hub for advanced air mobility and eVTOL operations.<sup><\/sup><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Israeli electric aircraft startup Air announced in August 2026 that it is establishing its U.S. headquarters, production facility, and flight testing hub in Polk County, Florida. 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