Whisper Aero breaks ground on its newest Tennessee facility
The new 8,000-square-foot hangar is the second facility in Crossville, joining a 40,000-square-foot manufacturing and ground center there and an engineering campus in Nashville.
Whisper Aero, a company focused on delivering cleaner, quieter, and more efficient propulsion solutions, broke ground earlier this week on its new Flight Test Center that is co-located at Crossville Memorial Airport.
Construction of the new 8,000-square-foot hangar was made possible through a $1.2 million appropriation from the State of Tennessee. Construction is expected to begin later this year with an intended completion in early 2024. When operational, the Flight Test Center will provide additional space for Whisper’s growing team of engineers outside of its 8,000-square foot engineering campus in Nashville and 40,000-square foot manufacturing and ground center in Downtown Crossville.
At a press event on July 24, Ian Villa, the company’s Chief Operating Officer, noted that “Crossville Memorial Airport — it’s not just an airport. This is really where we started a lot of the testing for our technology; it’s where we were actually able to integrate this (technology) in that hanger right there. And so this is a very special spot for us.”
Joining Whisper Aero executives at the groundbreaking event were: (1) Tennessee Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton; (2) Crossville Mayor RJ Crawford; (3) Cumberland County Mayor Allen Foster; (4) Crossville City Manager Greg Wood; and Launch Tennessee’s Lindsey Cox and Monique Villa.
“This is another partnership with the state to help the city and to help Whisper Aero to build something that’s very needed, that’s very unique, that hasn’t been done in Tennessee before,” Sexton said. As part of this project, the airport, the City of Crossville, and Whisper Aero are also collaborating to install high-power charging at the hangar for the next-generation aircraft that will utilize Whisper Aero’s propulsors.
Whisper Aero describes itself as the “next-gen electric propulsion company.” It was co-founded in 2021 by Mark Moore, who serves as Chief Executive Officer, and Villa, who also is the company’s Chief Product Officer. While at NASA in 2009, Moore unveiled Puffin, a personal VTOL air vehicle concept, which provided a glimpse at how electric propulsion might transform everyday flight.
Whisper is currently hiring engineers and technicians looking to build a future that’s as considerate as it is compelling across its Tennessee locations.
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