ERAU Expands Aviation Research

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has received a $1 million federal grant to establish a new aviation and engineering research center in Florida, the school announced this week. The money will help to build the Applied Aviation and Engineering Research Hangar, in Volusia County. The hangar will serve as the new home for ERAU's Eagle Flight Research Center, a hub for engineering research and development, in operation since 1998. "We are pleased and honored to receive this research award to advance innovation, economic development and job growth in Florida," said ERAU President P. Barry Butler.

Students and faculty at the research center will focus on aviation innovation projects, such as alternative propulsion systems, electric and hybrid-electric aircraft, and electric VTOL aircraft, as well as new fuels, according to the director, Richard Anderson. The project is expected to create 387 new jobs and spur $1.6 million in private investment.