Georgia Aero Organizations - Strong & Growing
Posted on May 26, 2010 by R. Steven Justice |
Since taking over as the Director of the Center of Innovation for Aerospace, I have worked to strengthen our local aerospace organizations and the connections between the organizations. Strong professional and business organizations are vital to having a robust aerospace environment in our state to attract new aerospace jobs.
Over the last week I have had the pleasure of attending two excellent meetings of local aerospace organizations. Last Thursday I attended the Atlanta Aero Club to hear the presentation of Jeffrey Skiles, Co-Pilot on the U.S. Airways A-320 that encountered a flock of Canadian Geese after takeoff in NYC in 2009. The presentation was entertaining, funny at times, and educational in revealing the little known details of the ditching of the aircraft in the Hudson River with no loss of life.
Then five days later I attended the meeting of the AIAA Atlanta Section which featured the former Chief Engineer of the Lockheed Martin “Skunk Works”, Dr. Paul Bevilaqua, speaking on the development of the Joint Strike Fighter, now known as the F-35. The presentation was also engaging while discussing the finer points of the engineering development of the aircraft including its unique Short Takeoff & Vertical Landing (STOVL) propulsion system. When the F-35 completes its development program, it promises to be the western world’s leading fighter aircraft for the foreseeable future.
I was particularly pleased to see members of other aerospace organizations at each of the meetings. Many of the AIAA membership attended the Atlanta Aero Club meeting, while the President of the Atlanta Aero Club and the President of the Atlanta Chapter of Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) attended the AIAA meeting. I hope that we can continue to work together to improve the coordination between our aerospace organizations to serve and expand our aerospace family in Georgia!
Please wait…