Aerospace Industries Association
National Aerospace Day Calls People the Industry’s Greatest Asset
A congratulatory message from President Obama and Senate and House resolutions set the stage for the first-ever National Aerospace Day on Sept. 16.
A number of events in Washington that day provided an opportunity to drive home to the administration and Congress the value of the aerospace and defense industry to America’s economy, technological innovation, national security and workforce.
President Obama wrote in his congratulatory message, “American-led research in applied science and technology landed men on the moon and inspired generations to believe that, if we set out minds to it, we can achieve anything. This inspiration has fueled the aerospace industry’s contributions to our Nation, spurring innovation and the development of cutting-edge technology.”
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| AIA advertisement for National Aerospace Day |
According to AIA’s Research Center, U.S. aerospace sales alone account for 3 to 5 percent of our country’s gross domestic product, and every aerospace dollar yields an extra $1.50 to $3 in further economic activity. The industry is a solid exporter producer, fueling a positive trade balance of $57 billion in 2008.
“Aerospace and Defense: the Strength to Lift America,” was the tagline for the day, reminding officials about the two million-plus high-paying jobs across all 50 states that this industry supports. An advertisement in a number of inside-the-beltway publications highlighted images of workers in the industry and their contribution to securing the nation’s well-being.
AIA’s Supplier Management Council “March to the Hill” included approximately 50 visits with members of Congress, reinforcing the messages of National Aerospace Day and the importance of the supplier community to the industrial base.
AIA members also carried the National Aerospace Day message to their employees. Parker Aerospace employees received an email noting that "Our employees are patriots who take great pride in their work, whether producing world-class systems and components for our nation's warfighter or the world's commercial aircraft and their engines."
At Vought Aircraft Industries, President and CEO Elmer Doty wrote, “…it’s a great day to say ‘job well done’ to all the men and women of the aerospace workforce; and it’s a time to encourage our young men and women to consider a rewarding career in aerospace.”
Speakers cite workforce as industry challenge
A common theme echoed by speakers at AIA-sponsored events on Capitol Hill to commemorate the day was the importance of the aerospace workforce to the industry and the nation.
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| Norman Augustine, chairman of the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee |
Charles Bolden, administrator of NASA, said at an Industrial Base breakfast that the NASA workforce is among our nation’s vital assets. “Every NASA mission of exploration and discovery is linked by one common thread: our people,” said Bolden.
At the Aerospace Innovation luncheon, Norman Augustine, chairman of the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee, lauded National Aerospace Day as an opportunity to recognize the industry’s workforce.
He recounted some of the achievements that the industry can take pride in, including saving countless lives with space-based hurricane warning systems, contributing to the nation’s trade balance, exploring the solar system and preserving the freedom of the nation.
However, Augustine noted that the that the largest challenge underlying the future of the industry, and to a certain extent the nation, did not lie in the day-to-day problems of the civil, defense and space sectors, but in finding the human talent in the years ahead to build the scientific and technological products that have made this industry what it is today.
“This talent shortage isn’t just engineers and scientists, but spans the entire industry from people who work in the factory, technicians and trades people,” said Augustine. “It can be the show stopper for our industry in the years ahead.”
Industrial base concerns
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| Sen. Donald Manzullo (R-IL) |
Senator Donald Manzullo (R-IL) and Dr. Jacques Gansler, former Under Secretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics at the Defense Department and a member of the Defense Science Board, spoke about their concerns on preserving the U.S. industrial base during remarks at the Manufacturing Caucus breakfast.
Senator Manzullo, co-chair of the Manufacturing Caucus, said that the industrial base was a huge problem and that an important element was balancing industrial base concerns with U.S. international trade, which he said appears at times to be diametrically opposed.
“That’s why it’s important to nurture the industries that are important to the defense industrial base,” said Manzullo.
According to Dr. Gansler, the Defense Department has to ensure that there are firms available to do the next-generation technology.
“To stay ahead we need to be doing the research, development, production and support of those advanced technologies,” said Gansler. “You have to look at the structure of the overall industry in all critical technology areas.”
AIA’s report on the defense industrial base, “The Unseen Cost: Industrial Base Consequences of Defense Strategy Choices,” published in July, examines the effects of alternative strategic postures on various industry sectors in each phase of the acquisition lifecycle. The report received attention from the Defense Department and the Congress for laying out an issue that needs attention, especially as the Quadrennial Defense Review is prepared.
David Melcher on NextGen
David Melcher, President of ITT Defense Electronics & Services, spoke at the National Aerospace Day luncheon about the benefits of the Next Generation Air Transportation System and the technical cornerstone underlying the program, Automatic Dependence Surveillance-Broadcast, otherwise know as ADS-B.
Approximately 87,000 flights criss-cross America's skies each day, and the FAA projects that number will rise to more than 128,000 flights per day by 2025.
“Unfortunately, the current ground-based radar air traffic control system that's served America so well for the last 60 years has hit the ceiling of its growth capacity,” said Melcher. “Without a significant system improvement there will be gridlock in the skies, which would cost the United States economy $22 billion annually by 2022, according to FAA estimates.”
The nation’s answer is NextGen, a wide-ranging transformation of America’s national airspace system. ADS-B uses satellite-based global positioning technology to safely allow more aircraft to fly closer together on more direct routes.
“This reduces delays and provides unprecedented benefits for the environment and the economy through the reduction of carbon emissions, fuel consumption and noise,” said Melcher.
ADS-B has been deployed in Florida and by next June, deployment in major metropolitan airspaces like Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Louisville, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. will be complete.
Inouye receives Wings of Liberty Award
Senator Daniel K. Inouye received AIA’s highest and most prestigious award at an evening reception, capping the day’s events.
The AIA Wings of Liberty Award was made by Robert J. Stevens, AIA chairman and chairman, president and chief executive officer of Lockheed Martin Corporation, with AIA President and CEO Marion Blakey.
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| Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI) |
In making the presentation, Stevens noted Inouye’s long and distinguished record of service to our nation. “We applaud his strong and thoughtful leadership on national security issues…and it is certainly fitting that we present the prestigious Wings of Liberty award on this auspicious day ─ now designated National Aerospace Day ─ to someone who has made so many contributions to our nation’s capabilities in aerospace and defense.”
In accepting the award, Inouye said “Without our aerospace industry we would not be the superpower of the world…It is because of your dedication, your talent, the contributions of your work, that this is made possible. As a member of the U.S. Senate and a citizen of this land, I thank all of you for your contributions to our great nation."
The award is presented periodically to members who have made significant contributions to help bolster the aerospace industry ─ an industry spawned by the dreams of Orville and Wilbur Wright.
The award derives its name from a description of aviation’s early years right after World War I, which was described in the 1919 Yearbook of AIA’s predecessor organization, the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce:
“The airplane came at a time when the world urgently needed it. The physical need was great and the mind of man was ready to accept it - so it came with liberty riding upon its wings.”