Last month, millions of people around the world watched streaming video as Jeff Bezos and Wally Funk spent 11 minutes aboard the New Shepard rocket on a suborbital flight conducted by Blue Origin. Funk became the oldest person in space sixty years after she trained as an astronaut during the Women in Space Program in […]
Oklahoma
Young Named Airports Division Manager for Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission
Nick Young has been named Airports Division Manager for the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission. Young joined the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission in October 2019 as an Aviation Program Manager. As head of the Division, he will be responsible for the agency’s many airport programs including the 5010 airport safety and standards inspection program at Oklahoma’s public-use, […]
Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission Meeting to Consider Record Amount of Grant Funds for AVED
This year, 50 different entities will be considered for Aerospace and Aviation Education Program grants totaling more than $365,000 from the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission. The record amount of funding will be used to bring more students in Oklahoma to STEM careers, particularly those in aerospace and aviation. Grants will be awarded for targeted learning programs […]
General Aviation Associations Welcome GAMI’s Unleaded Aviation Fuel STC
The Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association (AOPA), Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), and General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) congratulate General Aviation Modifications, Inc. (GAMI) for its G100UL unleaded aviation fuel receiving the FAA’s approval of a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the fuel’s use in certain Lycoming O-320, O-360 and IO-360 piston engines. GAMI, an Oklahoma-based […]
Former Oklahoma Commissioners Recognized at July Aeronautics Commission Meeting; Airport Grants Approved
At its meeting on Wednesday, July 14, the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission recognized former District 3 Commissioner Michael Ray and former District 5 Commissioner Dave Amis, III by presenting them with an authentic runway light converted into an award and plaque. Former Commissioner Amis was one of the longest-serving commissioners with 24 years of dedicated service […]
New Runway Opens at Oklahoma’s Ponca City Regional Airport
The Ponca City Regional Airport hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, July 9, in honor of the airport’s newly reconstructed 7,200-foot runway. The project, which began in 2020, was one of the largest single-phase undertakings at a general aviation airport in Oklahoma. The project reconstructed a majority of the runway, replaced the runway lights and […]
FAA Approves Renewal of Oklahoma Spaceport License
After completing a comprehensive review, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the renewal of the spaceport license for the Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority. The license authorizes the Authority to operate a launch site at the Clinton-Sherman Industrial Airpark in Burns Flat, Okla., in support of FAA-licensed or –permitted suborbital missions by reusable launch vehicles. […]
SB 893 Resolves Accreditation Issue with Engineer Tax Credits for Aerospace
A bill that would ensure clarity for those engineers and employers using one of the best aerospace tax incentive programs in the state of Oklahoma was signed by the Governor on May 28. Senate Bill 893 by Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond and Rep. Scott Fetgatter, R-Okmulgee, is the culmination of a multi-year effort by the […]
Oklahoma Legislature Appropriates $2M to Aeronautics Commission
The Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission reported that during the last week of the legislative session, Governor Kevin Stitt signed House Bill 2900 into law. This was the state’s general appropriations bill for the 2021 legislative session and included in it was an appropriation of $2,000,000 to the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission for investment in airport infrastructure. “This […]
Oklahoma Unmanned Aircraft Systems Legislation Signed into Law
Governor Kevin Stitt signed Senate Bill 659 on Wednesday, May 5th which creates the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Development Act of 2021. The Act establishes the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission as the clearinghouse for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the State and designates the Commission as the lead agency to promote, enhance, develop, and ensure safety of […]