Earlier this year, Tallahassee proposed an ambitious project at Bobby Bowden Tallahassee International Airport: a new airport hotel and option for a future vertiport for electric air taxis and other advanced aircraft. Although the initial solicitation was ultimately withdrawn, the proposal raised a much bigger question than whether air taxis will arrive soon.
What role does Tallahassee want to play in the future of aviation? That question reminds me of a lesson I learned growing up in nearby Monticello.
My mother began her career as a home economics teacher before later serving as a school administrator. She taught students that a good meal isn’t about one great ingredient. Flour alone doesn’t make bread. Neither does yeast, water, or salt. A delicious meal comes from understanding how the ingredients work together.
Looking at Tallahassee today, I see a community with many of the right ingredients already on the table.
Expanded commercial air service matters, but aviation is changing in ways that extend far beyond airlines. Drones, advanced air mobility, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, and autonomous aircraft are creating entirely new industries and careers. The communities that benefit most won’t necessarily be those with the biggest airports. They’ll be the ones that connect their assets around a shared vision. Tallahassee is well positioned to do exactly that.
We have the international airport. We have Florida State University, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee State College, and the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, state government, an entrepreneurial community, and a highly educated workforce.
During my years helping write aviation policy on the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and later serving as the Federal Aviation Administration’s Assistant Administrator for Policy, International Affairs, and Environment, I saw communities across America compete to become leaders in the next generation of aviation. The ones that succeeded weren’t always the largest. They were the ones that aligned airports, universities, businesses, and public leadership around a common vision.
I also made a point of recruiting students from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering because I knew the quality of talent being developed in Tallahassee. Those graduates could compete with anyone in the country.
Imagine if more of them could build those careers locally instead of leaving North Florida. Imagine Tallahassee becoming known not only as Florida’s capital city, but also as a center for aviation innovation, research, workforce development, and entrepreneurship.
My father, a pilot, first sparked my interest in aviation. My mother taught me that lasting success comes from bringing the right ingredients together.
Looking at Tallahassee today, I think they were teaching the same lesson.
The ingredients are already here. Now it’s time to write the recipe.
Laurence Wildgoose is a partner at Empire Consulting Group in Washington, D.C., where he advises airports, airlines, transportation agencies, aircraft manufacturers, and infrastructure organizations on federal policy and government affairs.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee needs to find the recipe for success in aviation | Opinion
Reporting by Laurence Wildgoose, Your Turn / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Laurence Wildgoose, Your Turn | USA TODAY Network
