A Master Electrician and Engineer’s Expert Guide to:

Powering the Next Generation of Advanced Air Mobility and Vertiport Infrastructure

Vertiports will demand 1-2 MW of reliable, high-quality power per pad—enough to run 700-2,000 homes.
• U.S. vertiport design remains “interim” under FAA Engineering Brief 105A; a full Advisory Circular is due in 2026.
• Megawatt-class DC fast-charging (SAE J3271/MCS) and micro-grids are emerging as the standard.
• Downwash, cybersecurity, and data-rich airfield control systems create new electrical safety imperatives.
• Eau Gallie Electric’s Airfield Systems team blends 75 years of critical-power know-how with BIM/VDC design to de-risk every step—from concept charrette to ribbon-cutting.

Why Vertiports Are Different:

Traditional heliports sip power; eVTOLs gulp it. A typical urban site serving 100 flights/day needs 40-60 MWh and peak demand above 1.5 MW—levels that force utilities, airports, and municipalities into multi-year upgrade negotiations.

Yet infrastructure guidance is still fluid. The FAA’s Engineering Brief 105A (Dec 2024) is “supplemental” to heliport AC 150/5390-2D and will evolve into its own Advisory Circular. faa.govtheaircurrent.com

Pain Points Airport Planners Face:

Pain Point Why It Matters Typical Oversight Risk
Grid Capacity & Upgrade Lead-Times 1–2 MW/stand × multiple stands can exceed local feeders. Missing the 24- to 36-month utility-approval window.
Fast-Charging Standards in Flux SAE J3271 “Megawatt Charging System” is still finalizing connector geometry & cooling. (sae.org) Installing undersized or proprietary chargers that become stranded assets.
Power Quality & Redundancy Battery packs require tight voltage/current windows; momentary sags trip BMS. Relying on conventional ATS/generator schemes without harmonic filtration or dynamic voltage-restoration.
Downwash / Outwash Mitigation Rotor wash can scatter FOD into high-voltage gear or rooftop PV arrays. (airporttech.tc.faa.gov) Placing switchgear too close to TLOF/FATO, leading to accelerated corrosion & conductive debris risks.
Evolving Geometry & Markings Touch-down zones, obstacle-free volumes, and signage will change as aircraft footprints grow. (nbaa.org) Civil works re-do’s, fixture relocation, and costly night closures.
Cyber-Secure Control & Billing ISO 15118-20 “Plug & Charge” and V2G settlement require encrypted comms. (theverge.com) Exposing critical lighting & charger networks to ransomware or revenue leakage.

 

How Eau Gallie Electric Airfield Systems Solves Them:

  • Design-Assist & BIM Integration

    • We model vertiport pads, conduit raceways, and charging cabinets in a clash-free 3-D BIM environment, then run load-flow and harmonic studies to size feeders, CCRs, and UPS clusters before concrete is poured.

  • Megawatt-Class Power Architecture

    • Medium-voltage service with pad-mounted transformers, MCS-ready DC chargers, and on-site solar + BESS micro-grids keep aircraft turnaround <15 min—even during grid curtailments.

  • Resilient Redundancy

    • Parallel-rated diesel-gen or gas-turbine sets with fast-ramping inverters meet FAA critical-facility rules; our in-house generator division handles install, load-banking, and remote monitoring.

  • Smart Lighting & Obstruction Control

    • LED FATO perimeter bars, elevated OB lights, and stop-bars tie into ALCMS or Pilot-Activated systems the moment standards finalize—no re-trenching required.

  • Cyber-Secure OT Networks

    • Segmented fiber backbone, IEC 62443-compliant firewalls, and ISO 15118-ready PKI gateways protect both flight ops and revenue metering.

  • Regulatory & Utility Liaison

    • From FAA Form 7460-1 filings to utility interconnection applications, we manage the paperwork, accelerating approvals and unlocking federal AAM grant funding.

 

Emerging Tech You Should Track:

Trend EGE R&D Focus
Liquid-Cooled Megawatt Chargers Field pilots on 1 MW / 1,250 V cabinets to validate ≤20 °C connector temps.
DC Micro-Grids with V2G Bidirectional converters for peak-shaving and islanded ops.
Dynamic Stand Allocation Systems Integrating charger status, SOC, and flight queue into ALCMS dashboards.
Modular, Pre-Cast Power Vaults 40 % faster install and easier future expansion.
Digital-Twin Predictive Maintenance Sensor fusion (thermal, vibration, PQ) feeding AI models to cut unscheduled downtime by 30 %.

 

airportHelpful Resources:

  • FAA Engineering Brief 105A – Vertiport Design (faa.gov) faa.gov

  • NREL “Electric Aircraft Will Need Powerful Ports” nrel.gov

  • SAE J3271 Megawatt Charging System Overview (sae.org) sae.org

  • MDPI Paper: Vertiports as the Infrastructure Backbone of AAM mdpi.com

 

Call 321-259-2885 Ext.107 or email aguajardo@eg-electric.com to schedule a 30-minute discovery session with our Airfield Systems team.

Eau Gallie Electric Airfield Systems—turning visionary air-mobility concepts into a safe, electrified reality.

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