Page 1 - Aerotech News and Review 12-18-15
P. 1
‘Permission Granted’ at the Mojave Air & Spaceport
CZ-JOEB,$3FZOPMET
staff writer
About to hang up his CEO hat, Stuart O. Witt Photograph by Linda KC Reynolds
claims it was luck that landed him the position
DVFKLHIH[HFXWLYHRI¿FHUDQGPDQDJHURI0RMDYH Stuart Witt will be hanging up his management hat at the Mojave Air and Space Port soon, but will continue to promote civilian aerospace.
Air and Spaceport nearly 14 years ago.
7KHDLUSRUWZDVLQDVWDWHRISK\VLFDOGLVUHSDLU the 20th century in the 1980s, and there was a ing up at a local bank. “It’s ironic when I look at
“I don’t really like the word retirement, it ZLWKOLWWOHPRQH\WRJHWWKLQJV¿[HG³'DQ6DER- good run until the 1990s, but revenues declined.” it; we pretty much built everything we imagined
sounds so — legal,” says Witt, as he sits in his YLWFKFUHDWHGSDVVLRQDQGEURXJKW0RMDYHLQWR — and then some.”
RI¿FHWKDWKDVDGHFRURIDQ$ODVNDQFDELQDQG Without any clear ideas sitting on the horizon,
RYHUORRNVWKHÀLJKWOLQHDQG7HKDFKDSL0RXQ- Photograph by Linda KC Reynolds Witt told the airport board that he needed 60 days 1RPLQDWHGIRUWKH1DYLJDWLQJ&KDQJH$ZDUG
tains. WR¿JXUHRXWZKDWWKHFXUUHQWEXVLQHVVVLWXDWLRQ E\WKH$QWHORSH9DOOH\%RDUGRI7UDGHIRU
ZDVDQGZKDWLWFRXOGEH³,IWKH\OLNHGP\¿QG- KLVDFFRPSOLVKPHQWVLQ0RMDYH:LWWWROGDQDX-
Perhaps he will spend a little more time salmon ings they could keep me; if they didn’t, at least dience of more than 500 people that California
¿VKLQJZLWKKLVVRQV7LP6SHQVHUDQG-RUGDQ they had a study they didn’t have before.” had started down the path of risk adversity at all
and doing a bit more traveling with his wife of cost and created policy that invited aerospace
25 years, Susie. 7U\LQJ WR JUDVS WKH FXUUHQW VWDWH RI UHDOLW\ companies to leave the state. Asking those in the
and what was possible, he interviewed tenants, audience from Sacramento that supported the
“I’m pretty passionate about this little industry employees and people around the community airport to stand up, he paused while everyone
we’ve helped create and I want to continue to be a who had strong and emotional desires to grow UHPDLQHGVHDWHG*RYHUQRU-HUU\%URZQQHYHU
champion for its global success. How? I have no exponentially and asked them what they expected YLVLWHG0RMDYH\HWJRYHUQRUVIURPRWKHUVWDWHV
idea, but that is what I would like to do.” from their new landlord. did, and still do — quite frequently.
With the encouragement of friends, family and “It is hard to predict what a company can do Adopting the premise that at all times, there are
a few politicians, Witt said he threw in his appli- LQ\HDUVVRZHRQO\ORRNHG¿YH\HDUVGRZQ attracting functions and repelling functions, Witt
cation and was chosen out of 96 other applicants. the road. We had an industrial park — sort of. We said words become policy and, over time, go un-
³7KDWLVEDVLFDOO\RQHRXWRIDKXQGUHG²,FDOO had a rail yard — not quite.” checked, the concept of risk adversity, unbridled
that luck,” he says. workman’s compensation, and declaring certain
1HHGLQJ VRPHWKLQJ FRQFUHWH :LWW UHFDOOV businesses as unsafe, California politicians set the
7KRVHZKRNQRZWKH1DY\¿JKWHUSLORWVD\ ZDONLQJLQWR'DYH5XVVHO¶VRI¿FHDQGVD\LQJ³, tone — we don’t want you anymore.
:LWWZDVVLPSO\WKHPDQIRUWKHMRE need a picture.”
³%RHLQJ0F'RQDOG'RXJODV/RFNKHHG²
“I couldn’t think of a more passionate person 7KH\SXOOHGWRJHWKHUDQDHULDOPDSDQGGLYLGHG they all got the message and left — in large
to lead the charge for the advancement of Space- WKHDLUSRUWLQWRVHJPHQWV¿QGLQJQDWXUDOSODFHV numbers to other states who created attracting
ÀLJKWDQGÀLJKWLQJHQHUDO´VD\V&RQJUHVVPDQ where things could be built. Old taxiways and IRUFHV$V%LOO5LFKDUGVRQIRUPHUJRYHUQRURI
Steve Knight, who has worked with Witt to pass railroad tracks were extended and new ones were 1HZ0H[LFR*RYHUQRUVDLGµ&DOLIRUQLDPDGH
several bills promoting civilian aerospace. constructed, along with numerous hangers. “Who
knew there were so many types of wheels on a See WITT, Page 3
After all the testing he had done in the High train?” chuckles Witt.
Desert, Witt claims he didn’t know much about
0RMDYHRWKHUWKDQZKHQKHPDGHDQHPHUJHQ- 7RGD\WKHSLFWXUH³9LVLRQ3ODQ´LVKDQJ-
cy landing from an engine failure in 1973, and
VWRSSHGGXULQJDVRORFURVVFRXQWU\ÀLJKWZKLOH
in college. “I knew there was a business tucked
away with a Hollywood niche and the bone yard,
but there was a huge gap in my knowledge.”
%FDFNCFS
r7PMVNF
*TTVF Serving the aerospace industry since 1986 Use your smartphone to connect to
www.facebook.com/aerotechnews our Website.
www.aerotechnews.com
