Like the textile industry in the 1930s, aerospace manufacturing in the Southeast is a booming industry, having grown primarily because of private equity. And prospects for the future are rosy, given the availability of private capital to invest in what some feel is a sure thing. Since…
After years of troubling news about performance and cost overruns, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 program has received a vote of approval from the United States Air Force. On August 2, the Air Force declared the F-35A “combat ready.” With a rating of IOC (Initial Operations Capability), the Air…
Named in honor of a South Carolina native and Challenger astronaut, the Ronald E. McNair Center for Aerospace Innovation was founded in 2011 at the University of South Carolina with donations from Darla Moore, Anita Zucker and Marva Smalls. After just five years of the Center being…
Meeting the air transportation needs of international companies in the Upstate is up to airlines, not GSP, officials said. Despite a growing base of international companies in the Upstate, Greenville Spartanburg International Airport does not provide non-stop access to international locations. But filling that need, if it…
The U.S. Air Force departed Donaldson Air Force Base 53 years ago. Since that time, the aviation industry in this area has seen significant growth as demonstrated by the establishment of Lockheed Martin’s Aircraft and Logistics Center (MRO) facility in 1997. However, never in the history of…
The recent growth of aerospace business in South Carolina is undeniable. Although the aerospace industry is not new to the area, the addition of a Boeing final assembly plant in Charleston has certainly expanded the aerospace discussion to a whole new level. The South Carolina Commerce tag…
Rumors of problems with the F-35, and Congress wanting to resurrect the F-22, will not translate to problems for Lockheed Martin in Greenville. On April 20, a General Accountability Office report indicated significant problems with the F-35’s “brain” or Autonomic Logistics Information System could ground the entire…
Tony Morgan was raised in Annapolis, Maryland where he attended St. Mary’s High School. At St. Mary’s, Anthony was an All Conference football player and a standout on the nationally ranked lacrosse team. In the classroom he was an honor roll student. Upon graduation from St. Mary’s…
While most do not anticipate a significant change to their bottom line, Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport’s desire to open up flights to Canada could be a boon to some area manufacturers. In the wake of an announcement by GSP President Dave Edwards last week that the airport was seeking to…
HEAVY ATTENDANCE BY SENIOR EXECUTIVES Hundreds of senior executives from around the whole worldwide aerospace industry gathered last week in Charleston for the AviationWeek Group/SpeedNews annual Aerospace Manufacturing Conference. SpeedNews said it was record-high attendance, including executives from numerous overseas aerospace firms. Deborah Cameron, Director of Aerospace…