New flying car testing facility in Narromine will be the runway to the future

The Australian country town of Narromine will be home to a cutting-edge testing facility to develop one of the world’s very first electric flying cars.

The town in the central west of NSW will become the new headquarters for Australian company AMSL Aero with the help of a $950,000 NSW Government grant from the Regional Investment Attraction Fund.

Deputy Premier John Barilaro and Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders visited the Narromine Aerodrome Industrial Park where AMSL Aero, a sustainable aerospace company, will set up a base to test its electric Vertical TakeOff and Landing (eVTOL) vehicles.

AMSL Aero will begin construction on its facility later this year with testing expected to begin in early 2021.

The aircraft is called Vertiia and is 100 per cent electric so its environmentally clean and quiet.

It will be capable of speeds of up to 300km an hour.

This passenger drone will form the basis of this new mode of transport which Mr Barilaro says has the potential to revolutionise transport across regional NSW.

“The potential benefits this technology can deliver will overcome the tyranny of distance that we face in regional NSW, meaning people can easily travel to jobs, visit friends and family in remote locations and deliver tourists to hard to reach outback havens,” Mr Barilaro said.

“Imagine the convenience of having a flying car land in your suburb when you need to travel to a regional destination that is not service.

“The potential benefits this technology can deliver will overcome the tyranny of distance that we face in regional NSW, meaning people can easily travel to jobs, visit friends and family in remote locations and deliver tourists to hard to reach outback havens,” Mr Barilaro said.

“Imagine the convenience of having a flying car land in your suburb when you need to travel to a regional destination that is not serviced by an airport.

“It sounds like science fiction but the reality is a future where this is possible, practical and affordable is not that far away and I am proud that our investment attraction grant will help the development of this new technology and support jobs in regional NSW.”

AMSL Aero co-founder and CEO Andrew Moore says partnering with the NSW Government has sped up the development process and allow them to establish a base in the state’s Central West.

“We are excited by the opportunity to use this grant to help us prepare for our upcoming launch and build essential testing facilities,” Mr Moore said.

AMSL will be the first company moving into the new Narromine Aerodrome precinct which will be completed by the end of July with the aid of a $750,000 NSW Government Growing Local Economies grant.

“It’s fantastic to see businesses expanding and bringing job opportunities to the electorate of Dubbo, especially given the drought and COVID-19 has forced many locals out of work recently,” Dubbo Member Dugald Saunders said.

“We are a resilient bunch, we have a dynamic workforce here in Dubbo, and here is the perfect location for a company like AMSL Aero to expand and grow.”

The Aviation Industrial Park will play a big role in helping this flying car technology flourish and its location also provides ideal year-round of flying conditions.