Ohio has a strong history in the aerospace and aviation industry. The engineering and creative energy of the Wright Brothers working in Dayton made Ohio the "Birthplace of Aviation".
Today Ohio is leading the way for the advancement of new aerospace technologies in a wide variety of applications in aviation, space, near space, lighter-than-air, hypersonics, propulsion, sensors, instrumentation, communications, advanced materials, human effectiveness and others. In Ohio, federal, civilian and non-profit entities span the civilian and military and industrial product development spectrum in the aerospace and aviation industry.
Ohio-based Ohio Airships claims its Dynalifter will be the first new category of aircraft to fly in Ohio since the Wright Flyer more than 100 years ago. Designed to carry heavy loads over long distances, the Dynalifter isn't in production yet – but the sky’s the limit. Check out this video to find out more about the Dynalifter.
The Ohio Third Frontier is providing Ohio workers, businesses and organizations with funding and development tools needed to create the 21st century jobs that will launch Ohio’s economy into the next generation. Since its inception, the Ohio Third Frontier has created or commercialized more-than 500 companies and has attracted $3.5 billion in private investment to Ohio, a 9:1 return on investment.
This commitment is the reason one Ohio worker was able to transition into a new high-tech job after being laid off from an automotive manufacturing facility.
Shannon Swift retooled his career at Renegade Materials with help from the Ohio Third Frontier.
After Shannon Swift, a father of five from Moraine, Ohio, lost his job at the General Motors DMAX plant, he wasn’t sure how he would transition his manufacturing skills into a new line of work. At the same time, Ohio Third Frontier was helping Dayton-area Renegade Materials Corporation complete construction of a $5 million facility to bring the next generation of advanced materials for the aerospace and defense industries to market.
Ohio Third Frontier provided the bridge needed to bring Renegade Materials and Shannon Swift together. Working through a State of Ohio Workforce Development Specialist, Renegade tapped into the pool of displaced workers from the DMAX plant, including Shannon Swift. Ohio Third Frontier has been with Renegade at each step: from support for its initial research and development, to help from the Innovation Ohio Loan Fund to build this state-of-the-art facility, as well as business advice from the Dayton Development Coalition’s Entrepreneurial Signature Program, which is also funded in part by Ohio Third Frontier. Shannon Swift received on-the-job training and is now working for Renegade’s high temperature polymer business.
To read more about Shannon Swift’s story, click here.
This weekend kicks of celebrations for the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Apollo missions crew members are reuniting tonight in Dayton at the National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) for the 2009 Milton Caniff "Spirit of Flight" Award Ceremony. Legendary Apollo 11 crew members Neil Armstrong and "Buzz" Aldrin are among the award recipients.
Tonight is the first time in years these American heroes have been assembled together, but there's more going on in Dayton celebrating aviation history this weekend. The National Aviation Hall of Fame, on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, is enshrining the late film star Jimmy Stewart, a WWII bomber pilot and airpower advocate. NAHF will also enshrine Eileen Collins, U.S. Air Force test pilot and first female Shuttle commander; Russell Meyer, Jr., former Chairman and CEO of Cessna Aircraft Company; and the late Edward H. White II, Gemini and Apollo missions astronaut who lost his life in the Apollo 1 launch pad fire in 1967.
Dayton has always played an important part in the development of American aviation technology, from the birth of flight as home of the Wright Brothers to the latest aeropropulsion military advances today. It's no wonder the Dayton Air Show, also taking place this weekend on Saturday and Sunday, is one of the most popular events of its kind in the country.
By: Marlon Cheatham, Brand Manager, Ohio Business Development Coalition
It all started with the engineering and creative energy of the Wright Brothers in Dayton, Ohio. From the birthplace of aviation, Ohio is now a national leader in aerospace. No state can match Ohio’s capabilities in aerospace propulsion and power – from basic and advanced research, to technology development, to systems development, to sourcing of component suppliers, and final product testing – all critical phases of aerospace propulsion and power development take place in Ohio. The industry has at least a $4.5 billion economic impact on the state of Ohio.
Ohio's aerospace economy is leading the way for the advancement of new aerospace technologies in a wide variety of applications in aviation, space, near-space, lighter-than-air, hypersonics, propulsion, sensors, instrumentation, communications, advanced materials, human effectiveness and others.
Only Ohio boasts two federal laboratories, ten leading universities with dedicated doctoral level research and education programs in aerospace-related disciplines, more than 450 aerospace manufacturers and suppliers, and the Ohio Aerospace Institute all working in collaboration to develop innovative solutions for the nation’s aerospace needs.
These entities, along with Ohio’s internationally renowned federal aerospace research centers, attract the industry’s top talent to provide limitless opportunities in aeropropulsion and power research and development, manufacturing innovation and commercialization of aerospace components and products.
Statewide, Ohio has more than 100,000 employees at nearly 1,200 companies in the aerospace and defense industry. That’s more than double the national average!
What state?
Has the 2nd largest FAA control center workforce in nation, plus 172 airports spread across the state, and over 80 flight schools?
Is the home of Wright Patterson Air Force Base and the Air Force Research Laboratory, a national leader in development of new aerospace technology?
Is the home of the NASA Glenn Research Center, a national leader in aerospace technology and the only NASA Center in the Northern U.S.?
Has an extensive integrated aerospace supply chain, with major suppliers such as GE Aviation, Goodrich Corporation, Parker Hannifin, Aircraft Braking Systems Corporation, The Boeing Company, Delphi Automotive Systems, GrafTech International Ltd., Honeywell International Inc., Orbital Research, Inc, The Timken Company, and over 600 others?
Offers ten university PhD degrees in aerospace-related engineering and research?
Ohio. This all adds up to an unbeatable location for companies within the aerospace industry to call home. And, it just so happens that Ohio is an unbeatable place to live as well.
Over the next three posts you’re going to hear from two members of the Ohio Business Development team about the aerospace, bioscience and polymers industries in Ohio – Marlon Cheatham and Kristi Tanner.
A Cincinnati native, Marlon has held brand management positions at Abbott Nutrition in Columbus, Ohio, and Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati. As brand manager for the Ohio Business Development Coalition, Marlon works with the advanced energy, aerospace, automotive, financial & insurance services, logistics and professional services.
Raised in Portsmouth, Ohio, Kristi was the assistant deputy director of the Economic Development Division within the Ohio Department of Development prior to joining the Ohio Business Development Coalition. She works with the agribusiness, bioscience, manufacturing and polymers industries.
Their posts will explore what Ohio has to offer in the aerospace, bioscience and polymers industries. And how, in Ohio, industry leaders are not only reaping professional success, but also experiencing the one-of-a-kind work:life balance that only Ohio can provide.
Shannon Swift retooled his career at Renegade Materials with help from the Ohio Third Frontier.