OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma’s rise as an aerospace and defense industry powerhouse started with, some might say, providential investments made and relationships formed not just in recent years or decades but in days before statehood and even before mankind took flight.
At a ceremony held, appropriately, at the Oklahoma History Center on Tuesday marking the release of a report pegging the annual economic impact of the state’s aerospace and defense industry at $52.5 billion, Tulsa Innovation Labs Interim Director Kian Kamas traced the rise of aerospace in Tulsa to 1945 and the end of World War II. She said local leaders at that time made fortuitous decisions not to tear down four massive hangars previously used by the military but instead to acquire them and make some smart investments. That led to American Airlines moving its maintenance base to Tulsa from New York. In 1957, the city formed a public trust, Kamas said, that resulted in multiple expansions over the years of American Airlines operations in the city.
“Eighty years later, those four original hangars are still in use housing the world’s largest commercial aircraft maintenance base with nearly 5,000 team members,” Kamas said.
Gov. Kevin Stitt, in his remarks at Tuesday’s ceremony, pointed to the contributions of Oklahomans who were early-day pioneers of aviation, like Wiley Post, the first aviator to fly solo around the world, who inspired leaders who would follow to always look for opportunities beyond the horizon.
“Wiley Post proved what was possible in 1933, and more than 90 years later we’re still proving it as a state,” Stitt said. “The American Dream is alive in Oklahoma. The American Dream is alive in aerospace and defense in Oklahoma.”
Tulsa businessman Bobby Healy went back even further in history in brief remarks offered during the ceremony. A native of Ireland, he recalled how people of the Choctaw Nation, who were troubled in 1847 by the plight of the Irish suffering in a famine, raised $170 to send as help. The relationship that subsequently formed, which has been nurtured in more recent years, may have helped to inspire his decision to locate Manna Air Delivery in Tulsa.
“I proudly live in Broken Arrow, United States, now, and we’ve undertaken to hire 1,000 people in Tulsa to put manufacturing of the world’s best drone delivery system, operations, maintenance and everything that comes with (it) in Tulsa,” Healy said.
The Choctaw Nation itself has become a major contributor to the aerospace industry. Designated by the Federal Aviation Administration as a national unmanned aircraft systems testing partner, its 44,000-acre Emerging Aviation Technology Center focuses on drone research, testing and evaluation of systems involved in commercial and medical drone deliveries.
Other major aerospace companies, like Spirit Aerosystems, NORDAM and L3Harris, make Tulsa a leader in aerospace recognized around the globe. Another major industry contributor, Tulsa International Airport, employs more than 24,500 people and has an annual economic impact exceeding $6 billion.
Others who spoke at the History Center ceremony, including Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell, identified aerospace as Oklahoma’s second-largest industry and one of its fastest-growing, responsible for supporting more than 250,000 jobs.
The economic impact report released on Tuesday revealed the wingspan of an aerospace and defense sector supported by five military installations that comprise several of the state’s largest single-site employers, a statewide network of 107 public-use airports that provide essential infrastructure for commercial air travel and aerospace businesses, and numerous aerospace companies that support both military and commercial aviation operations. The report attributed the state’s success in the industry in large part to workforce strength driven by a pipeline of engineers, technicians, pilots and skilled tradespeople supported by higher education, career technology centers and military training programs.
“Companies have choices about where they invest and create jobs, and Oklahoma is proving we can compete with anyone,” Pinnell said.
Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics Executive Director Grayson Ardies said Oklahoma has a reputation in aerospace circles that few states can rival.
“Oklahoma’s aerospace and defense industry is built on assets that very few states can match, such as world-class military installations, a robust air transportation system, an experienced workforce, nationally recognized training and research institutions, and a business environment that allows companies to grow,” he said. “Combined with Oklahoma’s central location, skilled workforce and commitment to innovation, those strengths continue to position Oklahoma as a premier destination for companies seeking an excellent environment to do business.”