Northwest Florida Aerospace
The Sunshine State’s panhandle is home to military installations, numerous aerospace, aviation, and defense companies.
500 Aerospace companies
9 Aircraft manufacturers
4 Aircraft engine, engine parts manufacturers
8 Guided missile, space vehicle manufacturers
6 major aerospace facilities within 400 miles (644km)
6 major military installations
- Naval Air Station Pensacola – Flight, technical, maintenance training
- Eglin Air Force Base – Air-delivered weapons development, testing; F-35 joint international training
- Tyndall Air Force Base – Advanced pilot, air traffic, weapons training
- Hurlburt Field – Air Force Special Operations Command
- Naval Air Station Whiting Field – Multi-service fixed wing training, advanced helicopter pilot training
- Naval Support Activity Panama City – Amphibious warfare research development test & evaluation (RDT&E)
4 Commercial airports
17 General public aviation airports
7 R&D innovation, testing facilities
- Institute for Human & Machine Cognition (IHMC) (part of the Florida University system)
- Doolittle Institute – Tech transfer, collaboration, workforce development
- University of Florida Research & Engineering Education Facility (UF REEF)
- McKinley Climatic Laboratory
- Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate
- Florida Center for Advanced Aero-Propulsion
- Naval Surface Warfare Center
Aerospace & Defense labor force
3,242 employed in aerospace parts manufacturing, maintenance
7,500+ in installation, maintenance, repair occupations
6,000 Active duty military separating each year
36,000+ Manufacturing labor force
$57,904 Manufacturing average annual wage
4 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) Northwest Florida campuses
Post-secondary workforce development
- Certifications: FAA A&P, Part 65, Part 147
- Stackable certifications: Electrical, welding, machining, instrumentation, HVAC, IT, MSSC
- Engineering degrees: Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, Software, Systems, Computer Science, Civil
- Specialized programs: SolidWorks, Catia, Project Mgmt Professional, Six Sigma, AS9100, CAPA, Process Mapping, Certified Lean Practitioner, Data measurement/Analysis tools
Sources: http://www.northwestfloridamade.com/industries/aerospace; https://www.floridasgreatnorthwest.com/industries/aerospace-defense; https://www.floridawesteda.com/core-industries/aviation-manufacturing
Explore the May 2020 Issue
Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read.
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