Dec. 28—Editor's note: No. 6 of the top 10 stories of 2022.
GUILFORD COUNTY — The announcement this past January that a startup company had picked Piedmont Triad International Airport for its first aircraft manufacturing operation rocketed the region into the aviation industry spotlight.
Gov. Roy Cooper and other state and regional dignitaries came to the airport for Colorado-based Boom Supersonic to unveil its plans for a new generation of supersonic passenger jets. Boom Supersonic has pledged to create 1,760 jobs and invest $500 million in the project by the end of the decade.
Grading on the site for the manufacturing facility has begun and is visible to travelers on Interstate 73.
A memorandum of agreement this past summer between the airport and the company indicates that Boom Supersonic has the option to double the size of its property from 61 to 122 acres if it needs to expand.
If the project succeeds it not only could boost the Piedmont Triad economy but put the region at the cutting edge for commercial air travel for decades to come.
"We are launching the future of flight," Cooper said during the ceremony this past January.
Boom Supersonic is trying to achieve a feat that has eluded other aviation companies — develop a jet, which Boom Supersonic dubs Overture, that doesn't cause deafening sonic booms and can be affordable in the commercial travel industry. The project could have a $32 billion economic impact over a 20-year period, state officials have said.
The project already has experienced growing pains. In September, Rolls-Royce announced it was ending its partnership with Boom, and other major engine manufacturers soon declined to pursue the project.
Earlier this month, Boom Supersonic founder and CEO Blake Scholl came back to the airport to announce that the company would develop its own jet engine, called Symphony, with the assistance of three businesses — Florida Turbine Technologies for engine design, GE Additive for additive technology design consulting and StandardAero for maintenance operations.
Boom Supersonic has set an ambitious schedule. The company plans to start construction next year on the manufacturing complex at PTIA, with production of aircraft beginning in 2024, rollout of the first completed jets in 2026 and Federal Aviation Administration certification to launch commercial flights in 2029.
This past summer, the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority and the N.C. Department of Commerce completed a five-page agreement focused on state economic incentives for the project totaling $106.7 million. Payment of much of the incentives will be based on Boom Supersonic reaching investment and workforce benchmarks.
The largest amount of the incentives — $56.7 million — will go toward reimbursing Boom Supersonic for design and construction costs. Another $35 million will pay for the road leading to the project site, while $15 million will go toward site work.
[email protected] — 336-888-3528 — @HPEpaul
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