Hopefully this will help OKC seal the deal in landing the Piper aircraft plant as well..

OU announces $132 million FAA contract
By - 7/12/2007


The University of Oklahoma Outreach announced today it has received a Federal Aviation Administration Air Traffic Instructional Support contract that provides for a base and four one-year options totaling $132 million.


The largest contract in OU history, it will provide support to the FAA Air Traffic Academy’s initial and specialized training for all current and future air traffic controllers.


“Receiving the largest training grant in OU’s history is a great tribute to the quality of the faculty and staff at the university,” said OU President David L. Boren in a statement. “Vice President for University Outreach Jim Pappas and his entire team have made a great contribution not only to the university but to the economy of Oklahoma as this program will bring thousands of air traffic controllers from all over the country to train in our state.”


Through OU Outreach’s College of Continuing Education, OU has provided support to the FAA since 1981.


“We are excited to have the opportunity to continue our long relationship with the FAA, and we are also very proud of the significant impact this contract has on the local economy in terms of jobs and infrastructure,” Pappas said in a statement.


The contract also provides support for Air Traffic courseware development at the Academy and Air Traffic field facilities throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and Guam as well as international air traffic training and courseware in 22 countries.


The Oklahoma City-based training facility – located at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center – represents the U.S.' second largest concentration of Department of Transportation employees.

This should have little to no influence on the Piper projector. Good job to OU though.

Sure it might. It says something. The FAA doesn't just award huge contracts left and right. Maybe not directly, but indirectly it signals to Piper that we have the workforce they are looking for. Vero Beach isn't big enough to offer the aviation workforce that OKC can offer.

You do realize the FAA contract will likely employ people that aren't from OKC right? :) This deal had everything to do with the existing FAA training center and the upcoming aviation program at OU (not to mention lobbying by Boren).

While we may have a bigger population and therefore more workers skilled for aviation than Vero Beach...we are talking the aviation industry here, common sense doesn't apply. :)

As the article mentions, the Mike Monroney Aero Center (MMAC) has old ties to OU: OU has provided training support for Air Traffic Controller (ATC) training for many years. I'm not sure if the contract has been consistent since '81, but OU has had at least an occasional presence. I believe that most of the OU ATC instructors are retirees, either medical or standard. OU's instructors supplement FAA instructors, who are brought in from the field for extended periods of time to teach (either by choice or due to necessity: if an FAA Controller's eyesight begins to fade, or if they have certain other medical conditions, they can no longer work traffic, so the Academy is an option if they're not ready to retire).

(Some of what I've written above is based on personal experiences from many years ago, so I'm not 100% certain that it's up-to-date, but I think that it probably is)

OU's instructors are probably well paid. Contract Instructors that teach over in the Maintenance side of the house make about $35/hour, and ATC folks always make more than their Maintenance counterparts, so I'd guess they're making something north of that.

Government contract.....that will bring in a lot of money for OU. I'm sure there were a lot of other gov contractors biding on this contract. Good for OU.

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