By Mike Harris Monday, March 2nd, 2026

Waiting for FAA approval, the Area 805 project is expected to launch into the skies over Ventura County later this year.

The enterprise consists of 500 square miles of proposed airspace that would serve as a primary site for advanced air mobility testing for both commercial and defense industry partners.

Encompassing airspace over Camarillo, Oxnard, and the Ventura County coastline, Area 805 would serve uncrewed aircraft for pilots seeking a testing site. 

The advanced air mobility test range is administered by Ventura County’s Department of Airports and would operate from Camarillo and Oxnard airports.

“We’re still in a holding pattern, awaiting approval by the FAA,” Keith Freitas, the department’s director, told the Business Times Feb. 20.

Area 805 was submitted to the FAA in November 2024, he said.

“Typically, it’s a twelve to eighteen-month process,” Freitas said. “We’re about 14 months into that process.” 
Conceptualized during the creation of Area 805 was The Hive Autonomous Innovation Center at Camarillo Airport.

The Hive is an initiative to create an ecosystem that connects private enterprise, defense partners, education and workforce, and the public sector to accelerate the development and testing of dual-use technologies — particularly advanced air mobility and autonomous systems.

Administered by Ventura County’s Economic Vitality Unit, the Hive launched in 2025 with a $550,000 pre-development California Jobs First Catalyst Grant.

“It will serve as a partner in helping to bring businesses to test at the Area 805 range,” Estelle Bussa, Ventura County’s deputy executive officer of economic vitality and service excellence, told the Business Times.

“Simultaneously, it will work as a partner with the test range to tie businesses into resources throughout the county,” she said.

Area 805 will be operated through the Department of Airports’ partnership with the University of Alaska, Fairbanks,aimingto become a leading partner in the development of uncrewed aircraft and ultimately the future of aviation.

The university is one of a small number ofFAA-designatedUAS test ranges in the U.S.

Although an uncrewed aircraft does not have a pilot in the aircraft, a pilot operates the aircraft from the ground, in a chase aircraft, or from a chase boat. 

That’s how the aircraft maintains safe operations from other aircraft and obstructions.

A county overview of Area 805 addresses what uncrewed aircraft mean to the community and whether they pose any safety concerns.

The future of aviation will include more environmentally conscious, electric aircraft that will be quieter and less disruptive to the community, the summary says.

Additionally, there will be more efficient methods of regional travel by air, it notes.

“But we aren’t there yet,” the overview says. 

“That’s where test ranges like Area 805 come in as a vital resource in the final flight safety verification and operation of these aircraft,” it says.

Air traffic for Area 805 will primarily be over the Pacific with some incorporation into onshore air traffic. 

Operations will be in full coordination with the Oxnard and Camarillo towers. 

Up to three operations a day of autonomous aircraft flying are expected, and the impact on current air traffic is anticipated to be minimal.

Operators of the uncrewed aircraft will be required to complete a rigorous process by the FAA, the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and the Department of Airports to be given permission to operate in the area. 

Area 805 is expected to be a catalyst for inclusive economic transformation across Ventura County and the broader Central Coast, says Ventura County Coast, a tourism promoter.

The project is anticipated to generate more than 300 high-wage, high-skill jobs, from AAM technicians to clean tech engineers, according to the nonprofit.

And through partnerships with the Ventura County Community College District and local workforce boards, Area 805 is projected to provide stackable credentials, paid apprenticeships, and multilingual training designed to benefit working families and disinvested communities, Ventura County Coast says.

Freitas said he’s hoping the FAA will approve Area 805 in the second quarter of this year.

“And our target at this point is to be operational by the third quarter,” he said.

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