'Engine of Change': Aviation History and Technology Center Celebrates 80 years of Aviation in Cobb

Mar. 28—MARIETTA — In 1942, Marietta was selected to become one of many sites across the United States contributing to the "Arsenal of Democracy," the weaponry and equipment needed to defeat Nazi Germany and its allies.

"On March 30, 1942, ground was broken for Bell Aircraft Corporation's bomber manufacturing facility here at the new Air Force Plant 6," Brad Hawkins, director of the Aviation History and Technology Center, said Saturday, the tent he stood under snapping in the wind. " Marietta and Cobb County started a new chapter in our long history."

On the asphalt of the aviation center, surrounded by decommissioned aircraft, county leaders, aviation buffs and even Andrew Young, the former Atlanta mayor, U.S. ambassador and longtime champion of the facility, gathered Saturday to celebrate that new chapter, which turns 80 years old Wednesday.

The Bell Bomber plant closed when the war ended. But Lockheed Martin — then known as the Lockheed Corporation — moved into the facility in 1951, and has served as the economic engine and anchor of the county ever since.

"Aviation has been an engine of change, and is propelling our community forward at the speed of flight," Hawkins said. "The social, economic, cultural and physical landscapes throughout the metropolitan area, and outward into the reaches of North Georgia, are a product of aviation's influence."

Forced under the tent by wind that occasionally hit 35 miles per hour, Cobb commissioners proclaimed March 30, 2022 Aviation Heritage Day and Young was honored for his role in supporting Lockheed during his years of public service.

"For 80 years, aviation and the presence of a related military base have propelled the Cobb community forward," north Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell said, reading from the proclamation naming March 30 Aviation Heritage Day. "It has modernized a rural, agricultural community into a technological leader for the 21st century."

After receiving a plaque engraved with his name and the words "engine of change," Young spoke of his advocacy on behalf of Lockheed after he was elected to Congress in 1972.

"It was a time when everybody was cutting back military spending and we had about 33,000 workers here at Lockheed," he said. "We had to find a way to make sure that they didn't dismantle the peaceful part of our air force. And so I used to get up on the floor of Congress and mobilize people and say, 'Wait a minute, we have to get food to the hungry all over the world. Whenever there's an earthquake, you're looking for some big plane that can land almost anywhere and come to the aid of people who are in need.'"

"I said," he continued, "'We make those in Georgia.'"

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