Fourth Annual California Aerospace Week A Success Written 15 April 2015

By Steve Sidorek, AIAA Public Policy Director

This year's California Aerospace Week, held 23–24 March in Sacramento, was co-hosted by AIAA and the Aerospace States Association, California Chapter.

Elections in November 2014 brought a new wave of legislators to Sacramento and also triggered the formation of two new select committees on aerospace. These developments created an opportunity for AIAA members and other industry stakeholders to help the decision makers learn more about the importance of the sector to the state’s economy, education system, manufacturing base, and workforce.

The week began when the State Assembly and the State Senate passed a joint resolution recognizing the week of 23–27 March as California Aerospace Week. That Tuesday, AIAA held a “CA Aerospace 101” education forum where senior representatives from Boeing, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo helped staff members learn about and survey the landscape of aerospace activities in California. Afterwards, AIAA hosted an Aerospace Networking Reception where many legislators, staff, and industry representatives had more informal discussions about this vital sector.

After two days of successful meetings and positive dialogue with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, there is a general sense of optimism for California aerospace going forward. AIAA looks forward to hosting an even larger event in 2016, when the select committees will have had more time to become engaged and invested in these important matters.

California Aerospace Week was sponsored by The Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, SpaceX, the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, and Virgin Galactic.

View the 4th Annual California Aerospace Week videos on AIAA's YouTube channel.