Allen C. Perkinson Airport (Blackstone Army Airfield) was built as part of Fort Pickett (now Fort Barfoot)
Source: Nottoway County, GIS Maps & Data
Allen C. Perkinson Airport (Blackstone Army Airfield) was built as part of Fort Pickett (now Fort Barfoot)
Source: Nottoway County, GIS Maps & Data
In 2023, Virginia became home to the first airport authorized to operate as a "vertiport" for electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration granted conditional approval for that activity at Allen C. Perkinson Airport (Blackstone Army Airfield).
The Federal agency was crafting design criteria to meet the demands for new types of aircraft that could carry passengers as well as cargo. For example, tthe airport had to install an electrical charging station.1
Airplane engines rely upon aviation gas or jet fuel for power. Aircraft are difficult to convert from fossil fuels to a renewable energy source that does not increase greenhouse gas emissions, since the energy-to-weight ratio of fossil fuels is so high. Piston-engine aircraft still use leaded gasoline, and according to the Environmental Protection Agency:2
Using a Federal grant, the Virginia Department of Aviation developed the Advanced Air Mobility test site at Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport to test electric-powered air taxis. The Charlottesville airport became a pilot site for creating charging stations for electricity-powered aircraft. Archer Aviation and corporate partners, together with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), announced the America's Consortium for Electric Skyways initiative in 2026. Its goal was to offer charging stations for electric aircraft at the 2028 Olympics and at 250 locations by 2030.
The Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP) at Virginia Tech became one of nine test sites in the United States. That Montgomery County site had been established in 2013 to test unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and determine how to integrate drones into routine airspace operations, particularly detection and avoidance to ensure safety. Aurora Flight Sciences headquartered in Manassas, which ended up being a division of Boeing, became a leader in developing electric-powered aircraft.
the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) supported the development of electric-powered air taxis flying from vertiport facilities
Source: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Implementation Plan
The Federal government took the lead, rather than allow 3,000 counties to each develop rules and zoning regulations for takeoff and landing sites for commercial drone delivery and Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) sites. As described in the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Implementation Plan of the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA):3
Electra, an electric airplane company based in Manassas, decided to build its EL9 Ultra Short hybrid-electric aircraft at an airport in Ohio. The company had its headquarters in Manassas, which lost the opportunity to get 2,000 jobs in a new industry. The Electra was designed to take off and land within just 150 feet, so it had far more options for where to operate an air taxi without the need for a traditional paved runway.
There were 2,200 orders for the fixed-wing hybrid airplanes; Electra anticipated its $850 million investment would allow it to build up to 400 per year. The company calculated that people in the United States took 32 million trips daily that were between 50 miles and 250 miles, mostly by car. There was a clear business opportunity for Vertical Take-Off and Landing airplanes to capture a profitable percentage of that traffic.4
In Virginia, residents living far from an airport with commercial passenger service could benefit from low-cost air transportation using small electricity-powered planes. Small general aviation airports could become feeders into larger hubs:5
38 airports in Virginia had a precision approach supported by vertical guidance in 2016, making them attractive sites for executives flying in business-class airplanes
Source: Virginia Department of Aviation, Virginia Air Transportation System Plan Update (2016), Current Access to Airports with Precision Approach and LPV Guidance (Figure 4-4)
A New Era of Aviation: An Advanced Air Mobility Webinar – Vertiports
Source: Federal Aviation Administration,
Allen C. Perkinson Airport (Blackstone Army Airfield) is located outside the boundaries of the Town of Blackstone
Source: Nottoway County, GIS Maps & Data