Eagle Mountain Takes First Steps Toward an Aviation Hub

The City is studying a site where drone and aircraft companies could test, build and hire locally.

Eagle Mountain’s Open Skies Are Drawing the Aviation Industry

Eagle Mountain City is working on plans for an aviation hub, a place where companies that build drones and new kinds of aircraft could test their equipment, set up shop and hire local workers.

The City shared the plans on Wednesday, October 28, at the Zero Gravity Summit, an aerospace and technology conference hosted by 47G at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City. Mayor Jared Gray attended, and City Manager Ben Reeves spoke at the conference.

Drones today, air taxis down the road

The hub would focus on what the industry calls advanced air mobility. In everyday terms, that means drones, plus small aircraft like air taxis that take off and land straight up, the way a helicopter does. The landing spots for those aircraft are called vertiports.

Some of this is already happening. Several drone companies use the open land around Eagle Mountain for research and test flights right now.

Why Eagle Mountain?

Eagle Mountain is outside the controlled airspace of the Salt Lake City and Provo airports, so there’s a lot less air traffic overhead. Combine that with plenty of open land west of Utah Lake, and companies have room to test aircraft safely, including drones that fly beyond the pilot’s line of sight.

The area also has what these companies look for nearby: skilled workers, suppliers, fiber internet, and state and military partners.

“Eagle Mountain has the airspace, the land and the partnerships to support this industry as it matures,” said Mayor Jared Gray. “Our job is to plan for it carefully so the benefits, especially skilled jobs, stay in our community. Residents should be able to build a career in aviation and engineering without leaving Cedar Valley.”

Aviation is nothing new here

Aviation has been part of life in Cedar Valley longer than many residents might realize.

In May 2000, Jake Garn Airport opened about three miles southwest of the city center. It was named for former U.S. Senator Jake Garn, a pilot who flew aboard the Space Shuttle in 1985. The privately owned airport was open to the public and had a single 5,000-foot runway. Plans at the time even pictured a fly-in neighborhood where residents could keep their planes in hangars at home. For years, it was a home base for local pilots.

North of the city, there’s also a small private airstrip, Cedar Valley Airport.

You can see it in local school pride, too. Cedar Valley High School’s mascot is the Aviators, so the next generation of students is already flying the colors.

Today, the skies over Cedar Valley are busy in a new way, with drone companies using the area for research and test flights. The aviation hub would build on that history.

What the hub could include

If the project moves forward, the hub could support:

• Drone development and testing
• Air taxis and other new aircraft
• Aviation research
• Manufacturing
• Job training and education

The goal is to get aviation companies, researchers, public agencies and schools working in one place, and to create high-quality jobs here in Eagle Mountain.

Nothing is being built yet

Right now, the City is in the study phase. A feasibility study is looking at airspace, possible sites, the infrastructure a hub would need, and how it could support testing, research and manufacturing. InterVISTAS Consulting, Damron Consulting and Future Flight Global are working with the City on the study, and the findings will help City leaders decide what comes next.

Who’s involved

Eagle Mountain is part of a statewide effort on this. The City worked with the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) to help build a toolkit that explains how Utah cities can get involved in advanced air mobility.

The City is also working with BYU’s College of Engineering to set up internships and other learning opportunities for students interested in aviation and engineering.

Lehi and Vineyard are partnering with Eagle Mountain to look at how future air service might help residents get to work, school and travel.

UDOT, 47G, EDCUtah and the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development are also partners on the aviation hub.

What’s next

The City will share updates as the study moves along.