Utah
‘It’s really cool’: Utah selected to lead federal pilot program testing electric aircraft
SALT LAKE CITY — The 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City were, in a way, Utah’s entrance onto the world stage.
While the Beehive State is no longer a secret, the return of the Winter Olympics in 2034 will give the state a chance to showcase what could very well be the future of flight after the Utah Department of Transportation and state partners on Monday were selected to lead a federal pilot program to test advanced electric aircraft and other emerging aviation technologies.
More specifically, the Federal Aviation Administration selected Utah as one of eight projects nationwide for the Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program, a three-year initiative designed to help safely integrate advanced aircraft into the national airspace.
“What this means for Utah and for advanced air mobility is that this enables us to work very closely with the FAA in testing the technology that makes up advanced air mobility,” said Matt Maass, director of UDOT’s Aeronautics Division. “So the vertical takeoff and landing aircraft will be used for moving passengers, these aircraft will be used for moving cargo, medical transport, and it’s all going to be done electrically.”
Specifically, through an initiative called “uFly,” Utah will lead a collaboration between Oregon, Idaho, Arizona and Oklahoma — along with industry partners and research institutions — to test new aviation technology and gather data that will inform the future of electric flight.
Partners in the initiative include BETA Technologies, Ampaire, Joby Aviation, Lockheed Martin, Future Flight Global, Alpine Air, Jump Aero and Utah aerospace and defense company 47G.
Utah has been selected by @SecDuffy and the FAA as one of eight national pilot sites for next-generation electric aircraft. We’re proud to help shape the future of aviation right here in Utah, creating jobs, strengthening mobility, and keeping America at the forefront of… pic.twitter.com/pV2envlxUt
— Governor Cox (@GovCox) March 9, 2026
BETA Technologies might sound familiar to a lot of Utahns, for good reason.
In May 2024, the company launched Project ALTA in conjunction with 47G. Technically known as the Air Logistics Transportation Alliance, the project’s goal is to establish an “advanced air mobility system” for the state.
According to 47G, advanced air mobility is a novel mode of transportation that uses electric aircraft to move people and packages throughout the state. BETA Technologies in March 2025 returned to the state to conduct six days of demonstration flights, showcasing its electric ALIA aircraft.
The federal project, although it doesn’t have any funding attached, brings together over 30 public and private partners to conduct real-world flight operations.
“It will focus on parcels and packages, but then eventually people,” said Aaron Starks, president and CEO of 47G. “This designation now allows us to, through a phased approach, begin implementing all of this right away.”
Utah’s diverse landscapes are another reason the FAA chose the state to lead one of eight projects, Maass explained, saying the electric aircraft can be tested at high-altitude, snowy settings, desert environments and more.
Starks added he’s excited by the prospect of Utah leading the way when it comes to building a functional air mobility system.
“I grew up in northern Utah and rural Utah, and I remember as a kid, coming down to Salt Lake was like a big deal. That was the big city, right? You can be in an air taxi in Provo and into Moab in 36 minutes,” Starks said. “(If) I’m a Utah Jazz fan, or I want to go catch an MLB game, I can get in an air taxi and my family and I can be in Salt Lake, and we can be part of what’s happening here in the state, and live further away from the metropolitan areas that exist on the Wasatch Front. It’s awesome. It’s really cool.”
Starks added that in addition to moving people and packages, the project is also looking into how electric aircraft can be used for avalanche detection and mitigation, organ transplant delivery, wildfire monitoring and other exciting applications.
“This is going to happen in a phased approach, and our goal is to democratize this form of transportation so all families can take advantage,” Starks said.
The pilot program, like the inaugural ventures into electric flight from players like 47G, UDOT and BETA Technologies, has strong legislative backing.
Utah Senate President Stuart Adams said that nearly a decade ago, he told the Legislature that someday, electric air taxis would be flying in Utah and that he wanted the state to lead that effort.
“That one day, that one day is here today. We are now leading the effort with other states to bring air mobility to Utah and I couldn’t be more excited,” Adams said. “Our goal, our vision, is, we hope to have this functioning to be able to show off air taxis delivering to our Olympic venues.”
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
A Utah man told police he repeatedly stabbed a Muslim man because of the man’s faith and intended to kill him, according to court records filed Monday.
The Muslim man survived the attack Monday afternoon at a mall southeast of Salt Lake City. But he’s expected to face a long recovery after suffering more than 15 stab wounds, according to a GoFundMe page set up to help with medical expenses.
Bystanders were able to get the knife out of the suspect’s hand before police arrived at the scene at Valley Fair Mall, court records show.
The suspect, Peter Michael Larsen, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and carrying a prohibited dangerous weapon. He told police he targeted the employee over his religious beliefs, according to the court records, which didn’t list an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
The Associated Press was unable to locate any of Larsen’s immediate family in public records.
The Valley Fair Mall did not immediately respond to email and voicemail requests for comment.
Larsen, 48, was on parole for a previous violent felony, court records show. He is being held without bail.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, whose office is determining whether to pursue charges, declined to comment.
“We don’t want to say anything else until we receive the results of the investigation,” Gill said in a statement.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim advocacy group, called on elected officials to reject anti-Muslim rhetoric.
“Our nation’s political and community leaders have a moral responsibility to reject anti-Muslim hate in all its forms before more innocent people are harmed,” Nihad Awad, the organization’s national executive director, said in a statement.
In May, two teenagers killed three people and then themselves at an Islamic Center in San Diego in an attack that has left the community reeling. The AP obtained writings of both teenagers, including hateful rhetoric toward Jewish people, Muslims and Islam, as well as the LGBTQ+ community, Black people, women, and both the political left and right.
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — There have been hundreds of human-caused wildfires this year in Utah, but the legal outcomes are hard to track.
At least two people have been charged recently for starting fires: one for the Memory Grove Fire in Salt Lake and one for the Mountain Road Fire in Ogden.
This year alone, 327 wildfires have been started by people in Utah — an act that should carry consequences, according to some.
“Certainly, if it’s intentional, it’s against the law,” resident David Mastroianni said. “If it’s not intentional, then they weren’t being as careful as they should be with something they should be careful with.”
But, before anyone gets to that point, there’s a lot of work that goes into figuring out what started the fire, let alone who.
“The fire investigator will show up on scene and will look at the scene, collect evidence, and then turn it over to the proper authorities,” said Kelly Wickens with Forestry, Fire, and State Lands.
Tracking which fires end with criminal charges or civil suits is difficult.
Wickens said that once the fire is out and the investigator turns the evidence over, their work is done, and it’s up to the proper authorities to press charges.
“Arson does require — this is what makes it difficult — is that you have to establish someone intentionally started a fire,” said former prosecutor Nathan Evershed.
Evershed said there are more charges than just arson, such as reckless burning.
“So, if it’s not intentional and it’s more accidental, it can still be viewed as being reckless,” Evershed said.
That could mean if a firework accidentally causes a fire.
Evershed said that there’s also a difference between causing a structure fire and a grass fire. A structure fire could result in aggravated arson charges.
But what happens if a fire is completely accidental?
“It’s more difficult to find a criminal sanction on that … still could be a civil sanction on that, where somebody would have to pay restitution,” Evershed said.
So, while there’s no concrete number for how many human-caused fires have led to charges or civil suits, there are a lot of avenues if someone does get caught.
Evershed said you can even be charged if you just abandon a campfire that causes a fire.
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Four lifts, 174 acres, night skiing and a concert venue near Logan are up for grabs.
(Photo courtesy of Dylan White |@blanco_photovideo/Cherry Peak Resort)
The entire front side of Cherry Peak Resort, located about half an hour north of Logan, is illuminated for night skiing.
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