Aerospace Sector Boosts Economy
Published Oct 29, 2009
As far back as World War II and before, the area in and around McGregor has been home to airplanes, airports and flight-testing ventures of all kinds. The more things change, the more they remain the same.
These days, aerospace companies are moving in and setting up expansive operations as they prepare the next wave of military and commercial spacecraft. Everything from engines to rocket boosters are being studied and worked on here, making the Heart of Texas the place to be for those companies that look to the skies.
Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, is one such firm. The 7-year-old company has completed a portion of the testing for its Falcon 9 launch vehicle at its 300-acre structural and propulsion testing facility in McGregor. The facility here was built out from existing structures, and that, coupled with plenty of land for expansion, has made for a good testing home, says Lauren Dreyer, director of business development.
“We do all of the engine and structural testing on our rockets here, and we’re contracted for about 25 missions over the next five years,” Dreyer says. “All of the engines required for those missions will come through McGregor.”
For the company’s NASA contract, that means about 400 engines – everything from large rocket engines to smaller thrusters – for 12 flights, Dreyer says.
Equally busy on the ground is L-3 Integrated Systems, which is building cargo planes for the U.S. Army and Air Force at its facility adjacent to the Waco Regional Airport. The company has begun operations in a new, $10 million hangar and is hard at work growing its share of the military and commercial refurbishment and modernization market, says Lance Martin of L-3.
“The new hangar provides four additional bays to house medium-size aircraft, up to the C-130 in size,” Martin says.
As part of a $2 million funding package through the Waco-McLennan County Economic Development Corp., the company pledged to hire 100 new employees and is well on its way to doing so, Martin says.
All the private development is augmented by efforts in the public sector as well. Texas State Technical College-Waco has received $1.5 million in seed capital to help create a $13 million aerospace center of excellence, and work is well under way to meet a scheduled fall 2011 opening, says Jeff Beene, director of TSTC’s aviation programs.
TSTC’s rapid movement on this project “has commitment written all over it,” Beene says.
“We’re taking the assets we have and building on what we’ve got. We’re showing the companies that we want to be involved and letting them know we’re here both for them and for new aerospace businesses that come to the region.”
Story by Joe Morris
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