Aviation View July 2023

43 AVIATION VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2 to 10:00 pm. We have had everything from Air Force One through Airbus Belugas landing. Spirit AeroSystems was even bringing in some equipment from overseas and landed an Antonov,” he elaborated. The runway’s dimensions – it is North Carolina’s longest civilian runway – also means that military aircraft of all shapes and sizes can and do use the airport for touch-and-go as well as maintenance and training. GTP is also the Eastern North Carolina Command Center for the state’s Emergency Management Division – with traffic specifically related to emergency services using the airport as their base. “One of our main contractors on the field is Draken International, which is a DOD- contracted training provider of tactical fighter aircraft for contract air services.” Barkes explains, “This includes airborne adversary support, Joint Terminal Attack Controller, Close Air Support, flight training, threat simulation, electronic warfare support, aerial refueling, research, and testing services. With approximately 150 jets, the company uses the largest fleet of privately owned military tactical jet aircraft in the world.” Another key tenant is Fly Exclusive, now the second-largest on-demand charter aircraft company in the United States. The company runs maintenance operations here, employing some 730 employees. Spirit AeroSystems, a contract manufacturer of aerospace components, operates a huge facility at the park that supplies parts for Airbus 350 widebody aircraft. Crane Forklifts and West Pharmaceuticals are also key players as well as Sanderson Farms, Smithfield Foods, and Master Brands. The variety of industries that call GTP home attests to the park’s ambitious vision. NORTH CAROL INA GLOBAL TRANSPARK