Senators challenge FAA airport cuts

A group of U.S. senators is backing legislation that would block the Federal Aviation Administration from eliminating funding for 189 air traffic control towers and make available $50 million to limit some of FAA’s portion of $85 billion in federal sequestration spending reductions. The lawmakers’ measure also subjects FAA to apply only a 5 percent budget cut instead of the agency seeking a 75 percent slice to the tower program. FAA has stated in it is offering sponsors of affected airports to provide reasonings why the sites should not be closed based on national interests. The FAA will delay until Friday its final decision. Source: Washington Post, March 18, 2013.
[Gulf Coast note: Eight airports on the list in Mississippi include Stennis International Airport at Kiln, Tupelo Regional, Golden Triangle in Columbus, Mid-Delta in Greenville, Hawkins Field at Jackson, Key Field in Meridian and Olive Branch Regional.]

Contract: Eaton, $9.3M

Eaton Aerospace, Jackson, Miss., was awarded a $9,336,811 firm-fixed-price, incrementally-funded contract. This increment is worth $394,680. The award will provide for the procurement of axial pistons that support the CH-47. Work will be performed in Jackson, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 8, 2014. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/12/13)

GTRA only regional airport in Mississippi to see passenger increases

The Golden Triangle Regional Airport (GTRA) at Columbus, Miss., was at one of its lowest points in 2006, the current executive director says, when the commercial air carrier Northwest Airlines pulled its three flights a day. It was a common tale of diminishing profits. But, today, GTRA is the only regional airport in the Magnolia State to see an increase in passengers in 2012. Source: The Associated Press, March 10, 2013.

MSU on leading cusp of UAV industry

Mississippi State University has been on the research and engineering cusp of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle industry that may be on the verge of exploding within the Magnolia State. MSU is on the U.S. government’s list of entities with UAV licenses; and over the past few years, the Starkville campus has provided research and engineering for the 26 UAV industries in Mississippi – including Stark Aerospace and Aurora Flight Sciences, both located at Columbus, and GE Aviation with plants in Ellisville and Batesville. Jackson Clarion-Ledger, March 8, 2013.

Jackson’s Blue Angels air show canceled

The U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels air show scheduled for May 11-12 in Jackson, Miss., was canceled March 6 by officials of the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority through a media release. JMAA stated that uncertainty related to impacts of the federal budget sequestration requirements, support from the various local participants, and other funding, were the reasons for JMAA’s action to cancel the show. The Navy had canceled four Blue Angels shows for the month of April. Source, Pensacola News Journal, March 7, 2013.

Clay moves forward on Powersite project

Clay County (Miss.) Board of Supervisors have begun the process of authorizing up to $10 million in bonds for the purpose of developing upgrades and an economic development – and job-producing -- project at the Prairie Belt Powersite in the northern part of the county. The upgrade project was requested in a February meeting by the Golden Triangle Development LINK that suggested the board get ready to issue bonds in the event a mega-industry decided to locate in the county. No bonds have been issued; and the board’s action gives LINK authority to begin paperwork in preparation of an industry opportunity. If bond are issued, they would be used for infrastructure upgrades. Source: Daily Times Leader, West Point, Miss., March 4, 2013.

Miss. firm agrees with contract violation

The U.S. Labor Department has awarded L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace workers at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Ga., with nearly $262,000 in back wages compensation stemming from a federal government contract violation by the Madison, Miss.-based aerospace services firm. L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace agreed with the decision without consent. Source: Valiant.com, Feb. 27, 2013.

Contract: L-3 Vertex, $8M

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., is being awarded an $8,076.281 contract modification for aircraft flightline maintenance for the F-16 aircraft in support of Taiwan's F-16 program. The location of performance is Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. Work is expected to be completed by Feb. 28, 2014. Type of appropriation is international funding. The contracting activity is AETC CONS/LGCI, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. Contract involves Foreign Military Sales. (Source: DoD, 03/01/13)

Army contracts for Mississippians

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace of Madison, Miss., was awarded a $48,212,171 contract for Army aviation maintenance services on Feb. 26 that are to be performed at Savannah, Ga.; Fort Bragg, N.C.; and Fort Campbell, Ky., according to the Defense Department’s contract website. The estimated completion date is July 28, 2013.

EADS–North America of Herndon, Va., was awarded a $15,355,212 Army contract Feb. 27 to provide for the modification of an existing award to procure Contractor Logistics Support in Columbus, Miss., according to the DoD contract website. The completion date on the contract is Dec. 31, 2013. The Army’s Redstone Arsenal, Ala., was the contracting activity for both awards. Source: Defense Department, Feb. 26-27, 2013.

Atlanta air hub may affect Southeast flights

Atlanta and Chicago, the nation’s busiest pair of airports, may have to close runways and limit arriving flights if automatic budget cuts place air-traffic controllers on furlough beginning March 1, Federal Aviation Administrator Michael Huerta told the House aviation subcommittee Feb. 27. Huerta forecasted that, along with the Houston airport, runways would likely have to be limited thereby reducing hourly flight arrivals by 37 percent. Republicans said the FAA could find other ways to move funds in its budget. Earlier this month, the FAA said it may have to close more than 200 FAA towers. Among the 200 sites mentioned, the FAA listed at least seven Mississippi airports - Golden Triangle Regional Airport at Columbus, Jackson’s Hawkins Field, Meridian’s Key Field, Tupelo Regional and the Olive Branch Airport. Source: Bloomberg News Service, Feb. 27, 2012.

Briner takes reins of Columbus AFB's 43rd

Lt. Col. Richard Briner has become the new command of the the 43rd Flying Training Squadron at Columbus (Miss.) Air Force base following a change of command Feb. 15. Prior to taking the squadron’s top spot, Briner was previously the 43^rd’s operations officer. The squadron executes the Air Education and Training Command/Air Force Reserve Command Associate Instructor Pilot (IP) Program; and provides Active and Traditional Guard Reserve IPs to augment the cadre of active duty pilots conducting training. Source: Columbus AFB, Feb. 22, 2013.

AE’s new helo to make Las Vegas premier

American Eurocopter’s new oil-and-gas industry transport helicopter (EC175) arrived last week at the firm’s Grand Prairie, Texas, headquarters straight from the production line in Columbus, Miss. The EC175 will be show cased March 5-7 at the Heli-Expo helicopter industry convention in Las Vegas. AE is he American affiliate of Eurocopter, the largest helicopter manufacturer in the world, and a subsidiary of EADS North America. Source: American Eurocopter, Feb. 22, 2013.

Fed budget cuts may shut Miss. control towers

Automatic federal budget cuts could shut down control towers at seven Mississippi airports including the Golden Triangle Regional Airport at Columbus which also could possibly affect Columbus Air Force Base’s training aircraft missions based there, according to the airport’s executive director. Among some of the other North Central Mississippi airports that could be affected as soon as March 1 are Jackson’s Hawkins Field, Meridian’s Key Field, Tupelo Regional and the Olive Branch Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Source: The AP, Feb. 22, 2013.

Free STEM conference in Jackson

Science, Technology and Math (STEM) awareness and education will be the theme of a free networking and collaboration event March 22 at the Jackson, Miss., Convention Center. The 5th annual ‘Lockheed Martin Information Technology Day’ is a day-long event designed to encourage IT education and awareness among industry, academia and the community. The event is open to the public. Information available at http://www.itdaymississippi.org/. Source: Mississippi Business Journal, Feb. 15, 2013.

Contract: L-3, $57.1M

L-3 Communications Corp., Madison, Miss., was awarded a $57,141,401 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the Life-Cycle Contractor Support maintenance for the Army's fleet of C-12, RC-12 and UC-35 fixed-wing aircraft. Work will be performed in Madison, Miss., with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2014. The Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 02/08/13)

Golden Triangle students impress NASA engineers

A pair of experienced NASA engineers, both of whom are leaders of the current Curiosity rover mission to Mars, were impressed Tuesday at Mississippi State University with a showcase of robotic creations of Golden Triangle students at the Mississippi Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology (BEST) program. Source: WTVA-TV [Tupelo-Columbus, Miss.] Jan. 29, 2013.

Columbus’ Aurora opens new aerospace facility

Aurora Flight Services of Columbus, Miss., officially opened its new 30,000 square foot commercial aerospace composites manufacturing operations Jan. 7 at the Golden Triangle Regional Airport. The new facility will allow AFS to increase operations and represents an investment of $17 million and 250 new jobs. The Mississippi Development Authority provided a loan to Lowndes County for the construction. Source: Mississippi Governor’s Office, Jan. 7, 2012.

Link on the move for Golden Triangle

Mississippi’s Golden Triangle Development Link members met Wednesday at East Mississippi Community College to organize and tout the quickly-moving benefits of the regional partnership and spread its thinking globally, according to Link CEO Joe Higgins. Former Mississippi State University President Dr. Mac Portera told attendees that technology would be the new currency in the future and that the aerospace and automotive industries – which he expects the current 70-30 percent mechanical-technology base be reversed in five years -- are ripe for growth in the state. Source: Columbus [Miss.] Dispatch, Dec. 20, 2012.

Governor reaffirms support for aviation industry

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, speaking at a General Electric Aviation Suppliers Symposium on Tuesday at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, reaffirmed the state’s commitment to the aerospace industry and continuing efforts to educate its citizenry as a work-force supplier. GE Aviation has two aerospace industry plants in Mississippi, the second of which is at Ellisville and is projected to open in 2013. The new facility will join GEA’s Batesville factory, which opened in 2008 and manufactures advanced composite components for aircraft engines and systems. GE Aviation expects to invest $150 million in the two locations by the end of the decade. Source: University of Mississippi, Dec. 4, 2012.

MSU aerospace team to compete in NASA launch initiative

A team of Mississippi State University students will join organizers of the 7th annual NASA University Student Launch Initiative (USLI) – along with Vanderbilt and other American universities’ aerospace inventions – to soar over the Marshall Space Flight Center in northern Alabama on April 21. In all, 36 teams will compete for the $5,000 first-place prize to be awarded by ATK Aerospace Group of Salt Lake City. Teams will design and build high-powered rockets with working payloads capable of flying to a altitude of one mile. NASA created the rocketry challenge to encourage young people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related fields. Source: Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, Nov. 30, 2012.