Summit: Aerospace taking off

SANDESTIN, Fla. -- Northwest Florida has some work to do if it wants to join the global race for billions of dollars in civilian and military aerospace projects coming down the pike over the next two decades. That’s what an aviation expert told more than 400 area business and political leaders Tuesday at Gulf Power Co.’s 16th annual Economic Summit. Aerospace industries the Panhandle should pursue include aircraft manufacturing, rockets and missiles, search and navigation, Tier 1 and 2 parts and service suppliers and unmanned aerial systems. Among the positive things Northwest Florida has going for it is a lot of former military living here. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 09/26/12) Northwest Florida already has significant aerospace activity, including the training of military aviators and development of aerial weapons systems. The entire Gulf Coast region's aerospace corridor will get a boost when Airbus builds its A320 assembly line in Mobile, Ala.