‘We’ve got to get it started’: State, local officials tour future site of Battle Creek drone park
Greyson Steele
Battle Creek Enquirer, August 22, 2023
Visitors tour the future site of the drone park at Battle Creek Executive Airport on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023.
BATTLE CREEK — Standing in a grassy field on the western portion of Battle Creek Executive Airport (BTL) Monday morning, Joe Sobieralski offered state and local officials a firsthand look at the size and magnitude of what’s possible in the Cereal City.
In the distance, guests could see a glimpse of Duncan Aviation’s ongoing $40 million expansion project. The roughly 200 acres they were standing on, meanwhile, will be the future home of an advanced air mobility park dubbed “MICH-AIR.”
“This is not just a Battle Creek initiative, I will wholeheartedly say,” Sobieralski, president/CEO of Battle Creek Unlimited, explained to the group. “We think Battle Creek is the best place to start this but it’s really for the state, to get this thing going so that we’re on par with some other states, and really the state of Michigan has a lot to offer in this industry. We’ve got to get it started and we’ve got to be aggressive and we think we can do that here in Battle Creek.”
Battle Creek Mayor Mark Behnke tours the future drone park site at Battle Creek Executive Airport on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023.
Battle Creek Unlimited secured a $7 million appropriation in the 2023-24 state budget to support the development of the advanced air mobility park at BTL. The park has been in the works since 2019 when BCU received a $150,000 grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation through the Michigan Defense Center to determine if Battle Creek would be an attractive location for drone companies looking to establish operations.
The advanced air mobility sector includes autonomous and remotely piloted aircraft (often referred to as drones) as well as electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. MICH-AIR will be the “first facility of its kind” in Michigan and serve as a hub for the advanced air mobility sector, according to Sobieralski.
State Rep. Jim Haadsma tours a student flight simulator at Western Michigan University College of Aviation in Battle Creek on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023.
State Rep. Jim Haadsma (D-Battle Creek) was among those to visit the airport Monday morning as guests briefly toured a portion of Western Michigan University’s College of Aviation, Duncan Aviation and the 200-acre site on the west side of the airport planned for MICH-AIR.
“I’m excited about the opportunity that exists for our city, but in addition our region,” Haadsma said while touring the site Monday. “We have an opportunity to be cutting edge in relation to unmanned aerial systems or drones for all these different roles.
“I am really excited that BCU is emphasizing the Battle Creek Executive Airport as an asset that we can capitalize on in our region and grow infrastructure, grow economic opportunity, build Battle Creek.”
Duncan Aviation Chief Operating Officer Andy Richards shows visitors aircraft maintenance facilities at Battle Creek Executive Airport on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023.
BCU plans to market its facility as a site for drone manufacture, operations, maintenance and repair and drone training, as well as for urban air mobility. The $7 million will be used to upgrade the airspace surveillance system at BTL, in preparation for increased traffic from autonomous and remotely piloted aircraft. BCU has already invested roughly $3 million in the MICH-AIR project, which includes site preparation, land acquisition for a new entrance, engineering plans and environmental analysis.
“When you think about the future (of the airport), it’s definitely on that west side and focusing on eVTOLs and drone aircraft,” Nate Darlington, vice president of aircraft modifications at Duncan Aviation, said Monday. “A lot of the components and systems that make up those aircraft are the same that we work on here at Duncan Aviation, they’re going to require maintenance just like these aircraft do, so I think it’s fitting to what we’ve got going on in Battle Creek in our ability to be able to attract and maintain expertise here. It makes sense for us and we’re excited for the west side.”
Visitors tour the future site of the drone park at Battle Creek Executive Airport on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023.
The global commercial drone market is projected to grow from $2.3 billion in 2021 to $11.2 billion by 2028, according to Fortune Business Insights. The state of Michigan is currently working to grow its aerospace industry, particularly in the emerging unmanned aerial systems sector, where the average wage is currently about $120,000 per year.
“What the state did (with the budget appropriation) took it from knowing what’s possible to actually … it’s going to be possible,” Sobieralski said. “We’re through the roof excited.”
Contact reporter Greyson Steele at gsteele@battlecreekenquirer.com
