Wisconsin contains a significant number of aerospace organizations and industries that Wisconsin Aerospace Partners is working to connect and grow. This cooperation is propelling the state into a major aerospace hub.
Wisconsin Aerospace Partners assists organizations—like yours—that wish to connect and innovate with other aerospace companies in Wisconsin including airports, manufacturing corporations and unique aerospace assets.
Wisconsin features one of the largest concentrations of regional and international airports in the country. It also contains multiple private airports, three air force bases and several Fixed-Base Operators (FBO).
Along Interstate 41, Wisconsin has a high volume of cargo traffic, with a major FedEx® hub located in Appleton. In Oshkosh, the Experimental Aircraft Association hosts the busiest runway in the country during one of the most well-attended, fly-ins in the world, AirVenture®.
Between commercial, private and cargo flights, an enormous number of flights touch down and take off from Wisconsin runways every day giving Wisconsin-based businesses the support and connectivity they need to grow.
With Wisconsin’s central geographic location and density of service, it is strongly positioned to become a Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) hub.
Wisconsin has major aircraft maintenance facilities in Milwaukee, at Gulfstream in Appleton and Air Wisconsin maintenance in Green Bay, which plans to expand to a new location in Appleton.
There are more than 300 companies involved in the Wisconsin aerospace industry. Over the past five years, many major corporations in the Wisconsin aerospace industry have invested more than $185 million to increase their footprint and job growth.
Besides these investments, companies including Astronautics, Derco®, DeltaHawk Engine, Menet Aero and UTC®, have locations in the Milwaukee area.
In addition to Wisconsin’s airports, repair opportunities and manufacturing arenas, the state contains a number of unique aerospace resources.
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh draws more than 500,000 aviation enthusiasts from 80 countries to Oshkosh annually. It serves as a major force for the advocacy of research and innovation within the industry.
Orbitec-SNC has a test facility near Baraboo that includes two cells for ground testing of hybrid and liquid rocket engines with up to 50,000 pounds of thrust. The engines tested include Orbitec’s Vortex liquid engine, an innovative engine used to power portions of rocket test flights while aiming to reduce price and mass of current rocket engines.
Originally restricted for testing and flying B-52s during World War II, R-6903 is still restricted airspace and continues to be used for military flight exercises. In 2000, the Wisconsin DOT approved Spaceport Sheboygan, a project that pursued goals for STEM education, including suborbital rocket launches.
The Wisconsin Aerospace Authority (WAA) was created in 2006 through legislation and iterated into Wisconsin law in Chapter 114.60 (recently updated in 2016) with the mission to facilitate aerospace-related education and economic opportunities. The WAA has the power of eminent domain and bonding authority. Though not currently active, WAA is an organizational resource with unique authority in the state.
Want to know what else Wisconsin brings to the aerospace industry? Contact Wisconsin Aerospace Partners today to talk about unique opportunities for innovation and collaboration.