Tom Cole
From staff and wire reports
Oklahoma “has long been a hub for aerospace and aviation industry development” and is “the leader in the nation for training air traffic controllers,” Congressman Tom Cole (R-Moore) said last week.
“This unique position means Congress is charged with fostering this vital sector through funding for research, training and operations to keep the aviation industry strong and safe for our state and the entire country,” he said.
Recently the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3935, the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act. This legislation reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration and federal aviation programs for five years.
“In recent years, our aviation system has faced several challenges including increased global competition, shortages in trained professionals and rapid changes in technology,” Cole said. H.R. 3935 would reauthorize research, innovation and critical updates “to bring our aviation systems and programs into the 21st century and long-term certainty for the many facets of this industry.”
The bill also is important to Oklahoma’s Fourth Congressional District and to the state, Cole said. In addition to having critical airports in municipalities like Lawton, Norman, Ardmore and Oklahoma City, central Oklahoma also is home to the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, he noted.
The Monroney Center is not only a key administrative, research and safety hub for the FAA, but it also is home to the FAA Academy, the only training center in the country for FAA-certified air traffic controllers. “It is no exaggeration to say that our national aviation industry cannot exist without a well-trained and stable air traffic control workforce, and that workforce would not exist without the Monroney Center,” Cole said.
While the FAA reauthorization is critical to extend these programs for five more years, he said, “real funding must also be realized to relieve a strained and delayed air traffic control system.”
Last month the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, of which Cole is chairman, passed its fiscal year 2024 funding bill out of the full House Appropriations Committee.
“While this legislation provides crucial funding for real infrastructure projects across the country, it also is of particular importance to Oklahoma,” Cole said. If signed into law, this legislation prioritizes resources to the FAA to modernize the air traffic control system and train 1,800 new controllers and update and modernize facilities and equipment, he explained.
“Investments from Congress have allowed Oklahoma’s aviation industry to thrive, and in turn, Oklahoma has provided a well-trained air traffic workforce and needed updates in technology and operations,” Cole said. The FAA reauthorization and full funding of critical aviation programs through appropriations “will set up Oklahoma and the United States to continue to be a leader in aviation safety, innovation and reliability.”
More than 1,100 aerospace entities – including manufacturers, research and development, military, plus maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities – are located in this state, the Oklahoma Department of Commerce reports.
Oklahoma is home to the largest Department of Defense air depot (Tinker AFB) and largest commercial airline MRO facility (American Airlines, in Tulsa) in the world, Commerce noted.
More than 120,000 Oklahomans are employed in Oklahoma’s aerospace and defense industries.
Oklahoma has five military installations (Fort Sill Army post, Altus AFB, Vance AFB, Tinker AFB, and McAlester’s Army Ammunition Plant), two air National Guard operations, and several aerospace assets, including the air and space port at Burns Flat.
Nine Oklahoma colleges and universities offer aerospace degrees and certifications.
In addition, the Mercatus Center at George Mason University ranks Oklahoma No. 1 in preparedness for the drone industry.