The Harlem Skyport

What it is

The Harlem Skyport is a proposed vertiport — a small, purpose-built facility where electric aircraft land and take off straight up and down, the way a helicopter does, but quieter and cleaner. It would serve electric air taxis and emergency air services.

Nothing flies until it is fully approved. The Skyport starts small and grows in phases, as approved aircraft actually arrive — not before.

The plan for the land

The Skyport is proposed for the Manhattanville area of Harlem, on land that stays the landowner's. The structure is a long-term ground lease:

• The landowner keeps the land and spends nothing.
• There is no rent during the building phase; rent starts when the Skyport opens.
• The landowner approves the design before anything is built.
• All building and operating money is private.

The facility would carry the Space Racer name, and the founder's share is written into the agreement from the start — not added as an afterthought.

Built for Harlem

This is not just a landing pad with a fence around it. The community piece is built into the project itself:

• First choice — not chance — to Harlem businesses owned by minorities and women, including a food court.
• Room for a grocery store, which the community has asked about.
• Training and educational space — job training, paid internships, and classes in electrical work, aircraft logistics, and aircraft maintenance.
• Hire locals first.
• A Harlem historical exhibit and a community room.
• A flight simulator and a STEM program for kids.
• A ground hub tying it to the street: rideshare, a bus loop, a bike lane, and a pedestrian walkway.

The project's education piece includes the Dollar Discovery Project — a financial-literacy program for grades 1–12, with a Spanish edition in development.

Where it stands