Illinois 200: State's aviation tech found on jets around the world
Many Illinoisans don't realize it, but our state is a center of aerospace and aviation technology.
Illinois' aerospace cluster is centered around the northern and northeastern portion of the state. Including the Chicago area and southeastern Wisconsin, there are more than 200 companies in the aerospace cluster, including giants such as Wood Dale-based AAR Corp.; Northrop Grumman, with sites in Rolling Meadows and Arlington Heights; and Chicago-based Boeing, according to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
Illinois also is home to prime contractors and subcontractors that together supply the U.S. military, NASA, Boeing, Airbus and smaller airplane manufacturers with numerous systems and components.
In fact, it's been estimated that there's no commercial jet in the air today - apart from those made in Russia - that does not have Illinois-made parts and systems on it.
Why northern Illinois? Sagar Patel, president of aircraft turbines at Woodward Inc. in Loves Park, near Rockford, explains.
"We have built the ecosystem here, with companies that planted their roots here long ago and have adapted to the changing technologies successfully," Patel said.
Woodward, founded 147 years ago in Rockford, built a $300 million factory in 2016 to manufacture jet engine fuel systems.
The 440,000-square-foot plant is gearing up to employ more than 1,000 people and is the company's second in Loves Park.
The first, built in 1941, continues to operate.
The northern Illinois aerospace ecosystem is recognized as having "solid research and development, staying ahead of the competition from around the world," Patel said.
Boeing, one of the world's largest corporations, moved its corporate headquarters in 2001 from Seattle to a 36-story building in the West Loop.
Wood Dale-based AAR Corp. is a major maintenance and parts supplier for United, Southwest and Delta airlines, as well as the Navy and Air Force.
Among many other Chicago-area suppliers is Mech-Tronics, based in Melrose Park.
The family-run business - which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year - builds parts ranging from metal frames and bezels that hold flat-screen panels on commercial and private jets to metal parts that are on the International Space Station.
One of its well-known products is the frame and case that holds the aircraft's "black box," the device that contains the plane's voice and data recorders and is used to analyze vital information in the event of a plane crash.
Illinois parts are in outer space, too.
Precision gears made by Roscoe's Forest City Gear are working today on the surface of Mars.
In 2013, NASA's $2.5 billion Mars Curiosity Rover was the first robot to drill into the surface of Mars.
According to Forest City Gear's website, "More than 70 gears produced and manufactured by Forest City Gear helped actuate Curiosity's mobility systems and the robotic arm responsible for all critical drilling operations."
The firm's parts also are on the International Space Station.
In addition to aviation manufacturing, Illinois' airports provide jobs for 337,419 people, either directly or indirectly, according to an Illinois Department of Transportation study. Altogether they earn $12.8 billion.
O'Hare International Airport in 2016 handled 867,635 flights, according to the FAA. Chicago Midway handled 253,046 flights during the same year.
From commercial airlines that serve 11 Illinois airports to the variety of general aviation services found throughout the state, the aviation industry creates more than $40 billion in economic activity, according to IDOT.
• Chuck Sweeny of the Rockford Register Star can be reached at csweeny@rrstar.com. Illinois 200 is a project of the Illinois Press Association and the Illinois Associated Press Media Editors. Find previous stories at dailyherald.com/topics/Illinois-Bicentennial/.
A yearlong birthday celebration for Illinois
Most people know about the Great Chicago Fire, but there's a lot more to Illinois history than that.
Native American settlements thousands of years old, the battle over slavery, the transfer of influence from southern to northern Illinois, wars and riots, the gangsters and politicians and artists and athletes that shaped our state - all are part of a yearlong series of articles to mark Illinois' bicentennial.
The Daily Herald and dozens of publications across the state are joining forces on the series, which will continue until Illinois' 200th birthday on Dec. 3. Find previous stories at <a href="dailyherald.com/topics/Illinois-Bicentennial/">dailyherald.com/topics/Illinois-Bicentennial/</a>.