By Tom Blakey
The Norman Transcript
 

The aerospace industry is as much a part of Oklahoma’s legacy as is the oil and gas business, said Victor Bird, director of the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission.

And though he seemed to preach to the choir as guest speaker at Tuesday’s monthly meeting of the Norman Chamber of Commerce Aviation Committee at Max Westheimer Airport, Bird was persuasive and sincere in his promotion of the state’s aerospace industry.

“I’d suggest aviation is an old friend,” Bird said, listing the many famous Oklahomans whose “rich legacy has given us such an incredible industry.”

Bird talked about Wylie Post’s “persevering spirit” that allowed Post to overcome a felony conviction and prison sentence in his youth, and go on to become one of the most celebrated pilots in aviation history. He set two trans-global speed records during the 1930s, one with a co-pilot, and one by himself.

“It was Wylie Post who invented the predecessor to the space suit,” Bird said, allowing other Oklahomans, such as Gordon Cooper, Thomas Stafford and Owen K. Garriott, to explore outer space.

Bird said aviation is Oklahoma’s largest industry, comprised of more than 400 companies employing more than 143,000 people across the state, with a payroll of $4.7 billion and an industrial output of $11.7 billion. One in 10 Oklahomans derive their incomes from the aviation industry, he said.

“Business comes calling in an aircraft,” he said. Currently there are 40,000 U.S. businesses using 70,000 aircraft, Bird said.

Bird called regional business airports “gateways to communities,” and emphasized their importance in helping generate economic activity around the state.

“The businesses that fly in and out of our communities cite convenient access to a general aviation airport as one of the key reasons for either relocating or expanding to a particular community. And those are the same businesses that create jobs and invest in our communities,” he said.

Bird discussed the progress of several aviation- and aerospace-related bills currently making their way through the Oklahoma Legislature, including House Bill 2082, also known as the Airport Modernization Bill. If approved, the bill would make Oklahoma’s 49 regional business airports, including Max Westheimer, eligible for grants that can be applied to specific airport improvement projects, including the costs to construct or renovate terminals and hangars primarily used for general aviation.

HB 2082 easily passed the House March 6 and is set to be heard in the state Senate in the coming days or weeks, he said.

“It is critical that our state invest in these airport upgrades so that our communities can successfully compete for those businesses that create jobs for their citizens and are vital to Oklahoma’s economic future,” he said.

Bird also encouraged the passage of HB 2085, saying Oklahoma’s aerospace sector is facing a critical shortage of engineering and technical talent.

Presently Oklahoma is manufacturing numerous airplanes due to growth in companies like Boeing and those that build business jets, Bird said. Also, the U.S. military is building several next-generation aircraft, generating jobs in the state. Other need is being created in the aircraft maintenance and repair operation sector, the heart of the state’s aerospace industry.

“This bill will keep a precious resource here,” he said.

Bird said HB 2085 will provide:

• Tuition reimbursements for Oklahoma engineering graduates remaining in the state and actively working in aerospace. The reimbursements are offered on a graduated basis over a five-year period, he said.
• Tax credits to companies that participate in a formal internship program with participating Oklahoma higher education institutions.
• Tax credits to aerospace companies that hire engineers. A larger tax credit is offered for graduates of Oklahoma institutions, he said.
• Tax credits to people who move to Oklahoma to work in aerospace engineering.
“The expected result from this legislation will be an enhanced ability to grow Oklahoma’s intellectual capital base, job creation, sustainable economic development, protection of our largest industrial sector and positive national and international attention from the aerospace community,” Bird said.