Sector diversity

Georgia is home to more than 500 firms that perform all facets of aerospace: original equipment manufacturers (OEM); maintenance, repair and overhaul companies (MRO); and global aircraft fleet operations. Boeing, Cessna, Gulfstream, Lockheed Martin, Maule, Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon, Tiger, Thrush and Vought are just a few of the OEMs with major manufacturing operations in Georgia. TIMCO Aviation Services, StandardAero, and the USAF have major MRO operations in the state. Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International airport is headquarters to the largest carrier in the U.S., Delta Air Lines and a major hub for AirTran Airways.

We know how to fly

Companies looking for a diverse and highly-skilled talent pool will find what they need in Georgia. The state’s technical colleges are a vital resource for aerospace industry training, and offer FAA-certified diplomas and degrees in aviation and aircraft maintenance-specific disciplines. The state’s continual pursuit of excellence in education enables schools like the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering to rank as the nation’s No. 2 graduate-level aerospace engineering program. With its No. 1-ranked Quick Start workforce training service program, the State partners with companies to provide the specialized training world-leading aerospace companies demand, resulting in the world’s most productive aerospace workforce as measured by value-added output per employee.

Since 2007, Georgia enjoys a close technology and industrial base development partnership with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, one of three USAF Air Logistics Centers in the United States. Georgia companies and researchers are responsible for over $5 billion in contract actions to sustain and repair aircraft such as C-130, C-17, C-5, F-15, and the USAF’s sustaining engineering center of excellence for ISR capabilities such as the U-2, Global Hawk, and Predator. They also work in collaboration with USAF engineers on technology insertion programs to support the missions of Robins Air Force Base, the largest single industrial complex in Georgia. Robins AFB employs over 25,000 military, civilian and contractor personnel and is a global magnet for aerospace and defense logistics companies.

On the leading edge

Georgia Tech faculty members in the School of Aerospace Engineering are engaged in a wide variety of research topics, ranging from highly theoretical work to applied projects. Currently, active research programs include diversified and multidisciplinary projects in fluid mechanics, structures, aeroelasticity, controls, combustion & propulsion, design & optimization, air transportation system planning and other “system of systems” design architectures.

Center of Innovation

Georgia’s nationally-recognized Center of Innovation for Aerospace (COI) is the state’s one-stop-shop for aerospace solutions to industry needs. Staffed by experts with more than 65 years of combined industry experience, and supported by the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the COI-Aerospace tackles opportunities large and small, from assisting with federal contracts to prototype manufacturing of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

To learn more about what Georgia can do to help you in the field of Aerospace, please contact Emily Moore at 404-962-4022 or emoore@georgia.org.

Take an indepth look behind Georgia's aviation history and watch Georgia: The State of Aviation - 100 Years, 1907 -2007 (Courtesy: Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame and Broadcast Solutions.)