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Second to None Campaign Gains National Traction

The sputtering U.S. economy faces many threats, and Americans following the news are used to the daily litany of concerns about the European debt crisis, stagnant jobs growth and continuing weakness in the housing sector. Now, thanks in large measure to AIA’s Second to None campaign, the message that sequestration poses a clear and present danger to our economy is becoming a major part of the national conversation.

Second To None

Sequestration Clock Ticking Down to 2.14 Million American Jobs Lost

AIA's President and CEO, Marion C. Blakey, joined by New Hampshire’s U.S. Senators Kelly Ayotte and Jeanne Shaheen, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton and San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, released a new study July 17 demonstrating the significant impacts sequestration will have on American workers and the economy. The report, by economist Dr. Stephen Fuller of George Mason University, updated previous projections of defense-dependent job losses and provides a comprehensive analysis of anticipated job losses in defense and other non-defense sectors of the economy.

Civil aviation community decries potential sequestration impacts to FAA operations

AIA President and CEO Marion C. Blakey was joined by former Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta and members of the civil aviation community on August 13 to launch a report revealing the negative consequences sequestration will have on the operations of the Federal Aviation Administration. The report, conducted by Econsult Corporation, gave a bleak outlook for the future of air transportation and highlighted the impact sequestration would have on civil aviation jobs, FAA operations and on the Next Generation Air Transportation System.

National Aerospace Week: AIA’s Call to Action

This year’s National Aerospace Week, September 16 – 22, 2012, serves as a rallying point for the organization’s Second to None campaign. AIA is urging its members and industry stakeholders to take action to end sequestration now.

Rallies Spread Stop Sequestration Message Across the Country

To draw the attention of Congress and the White House to the pressing need for a deal to repeal sequestration before we fall over a fiscal cliff on January 2, companies and workers are continuing to make their voice heard in rallies and events across the nation. Since the beginning of the year stop sequestration rallies have been held in Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia. These events, which have drawn widespread attention, are helping AIA’s Second to None campaign hammer home the message that the 2.14 million workers whose jobs are at stake need Congress and the White House to develop an alternative to sequestration now.

AIA On The Hill

Pratt & Whitney President and AIA Chairman, David P. Hess, joined AIA President and CEO Marion C. Blakey in speaking at a House Aerospace Caucus Luncheon on July 19. Both were introduced by caucus co-chairman, Representative Pete Olson (R-TX). Hess applauded the aerospace industry’s significant accomplishments and offered cautionary words to lawmakers about the impending across-the-board budget cuts.

Top News

Supplier Management Council Gears Up for Fall Meetings, Hill March to End Sequestration

Nearly 240 Aerospace Industries Association member companies participated in the Summer Supplier Management Council Meeting in Hartford, Connecticut from August 14-16. The meeting, hosted by David Hess, Chairman of AIA’s Board of Governors and President of Pratt & Whitney, United Technologies Corporation, had a broad focus on the commercial side of the aerospace sector.

AIA Statement on X-514 Hypersonics Test

Despite the unsuccessful outcome of the August 14 X-51A test, our nation’s hypersonics efforts are still critical to achieving global and high-speed strike capability, new methods for access to space and future aviation technology breakthroughs.

Team America Rocketry Challenge Winners Compete at Farnborough

Just days before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games the Farnborough International Air Show hosted a competition of its own - the International Rocketry Challenge. Reigning national champions from the Team America Rocketry Challenge, Madison West High School in Madison Wisconsin, competed with the national champion teams from the United Kingdom and France, placing second behind the French team from Lycee Louis Beriot.

AIA Space Council Hosts VIP Luncheon at Farnborough Air Show

The AIA Space Council hosted its third annual Space VIP Luncheon at the Farnborough Air Show. The event brought together high-level government space leaders and AIA member company senior executives at the air show. As U.S. space programs make greater use of international partnerships, AIA continues to host a number of events at air shows to cultivate dialogue on partnerships that are complimentary to the U.S. space industrial base.

Aerospace Leads Broad-Based STEM Initiatives across the Country

AIA and member companies played major roles at the first national STEM Solutions Summit held in Dallas, Texas, June 27-29. Organized by U.S. News & World Report, with AIA co-chairing the summit, the gathering drew more than 1,500 STEM activists from across the country.