MORE IMPACT
Replacement parts for older aircraft fuels growth and success in the aviation sector
Engineers at the Naval Air Depot at Cherry Point, N.C., are constantly under the gun to get military helicopters and transport planes off the ground when the aircraft hit the base for repairs. A lack of companies capable of manufacturing replacement parts has created a shortage of structural, electrical, engine and hydraulic parts and systems.
The Institute for Maintenance Science and Technology (IMST), a partnership between NC State and Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), is providing engineers at Cherry Point and the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station at Elizabeth City with the research support they need while serving as a potential magnet to attract military and commercial aviation suppliers to North Carolina. The state ranks third nationally in active U.S. military personnel. Six major military bases contribute nearly $18 billion to the North Carolina economy each year.
The partnership grew out of a working relationship in which NC State faculty and graduate students quickly addressed technical problems for Cherry Point, like predicting the fatigue life on rotors and other components. The IMST’s advanced manufacturing techniques are creating skilled jobs in the state that aren’t easily lost to competition from other countries. That’s economic development on a “higher plane.”