Latest news with #PiedmontTriadInternationalAirport
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
JetZero names Greensboro among 3 finalists in factory site search for proposed ‘all-wing' plane
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — Greensboro is one of three finalists is considering for a factory to produce 'the world's first all-wing design airplane,' according to the company. On Monday, JetZero confirmed that the California-based aviation startup has narrowed its search to three locations, . The company said it would not reveal the other two finalists 'in order to preserve the integrity of the process.' NASA captures photo of Boom's landmark 'boomless' supersonic flight JetZero's vision is to create the Z4, a plane concept that would be up to 50% more fuel efficient than commercial jets. The factory would create 10,000 jobs, according to JetZero. The plane's unique design would be wider than a traditional commercial jet with a shorter body. It would include six seating bays with dedicated overhead bag bins for each seat. JetZero aims to complete its first full-scale flight in 2027, according to the company website. JetZero is expected to narrow down its choices for the proposed factory, evaluate economic incentives and make a final decision as soon as June. According to John Boyd, an expert in corporate site selection, the Triad is a no-brainer when it comes to aerospace, given the space at the Piedmont Triad International Airport and Guilford Technical Community College's Aviation Academy. PTI's expansive property is already home to several aviation-related businesses, including HondaJet and Boom Supersonic, Haaco and Marshall Industries. The Triad has also shown it is invested in developing housing, which is an essential tool in recruiting qualified workers. Greensboro is committed to building 10,000 more housing units in the next five years in a plan called Road to 10,000. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Guests of honor - High Point veterans join flight to see war memorials
HIGH POINT — When the veterans aboard the Triad Honor Flight returned from Washington, D.C., on Wednesday evening, they were greeted with thunder and lightning. First came the lightning, a spring storm that temporarily delayed the celebration awaiting them inside Greensboro's Piedmont Triad International Airport. After about an hour's delay, the vets finally were able to get off the plane and enter the concourse ... and then came the thunder. 'It was unbelievable,' Randall May, a 78-year-old U.S. Army veteran from High Point, said of the thunderous welcome he and his fellow veterans were given by a thousand or more cheering, flag-waving supporters who came out to show their appreciation for the veterans. 'It was kind of a surreal experience, like a dream was coming true. It was chilling.' Bennie Taylor, an 86-year-old Air Force veteran from High Point, agreed. 'Oh my gosh, it was overwhelming,' said Taylor, who served in the Air Force from 1957 to 1961. 'We thought everybody would be gone home by the time the lightning ended, but that airport was lined up with hundreds and hundreds of people.' The crowd ranged from friends and family members to complete strangers, from Highland bagpipers to uniformed Boy Scouts. As the veterans paraded along the concourse, the crowd serenaded them with chants of 'USA! USA!' and 'Freedom Isn't Free!' May, who served in the Army during the Vietnam War era, contrasted the welcome to the disrespectful treatment he witnessed as he walked through airports in his service uniform more than 50 years ago. 'When I and many others were discharged back in the '70s, there was no celebration,' May recalls. 'When you went through an airport, people would call you baby-killers, and some of them would even spit on you, but we were just trying to serve our country.' May and Taylor were among more than a hundred veterans — both men and women — who participated in Wednesday's Triad Honor Flight. They were flown free of charge to Washington, D.C., to visit the nation's memorials honoring the service and sacrifice of America's veterans. Stops included the World War II Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial — including The Wall and the 'Three Servicemen' sculpture — the Air Force Memorial and the Marine Corps War Memorial, featuring a sculpture of the iconic flag-raising at Iwo Jima. The veterans also visited Arlington National Cemetery and witnessed the impressive 'Changing of the Guard' ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. 'We were all just in awe of the 'Changing of the Guard,' but then to see all those tombstones at Arlington — what our ancestors had done to bring us the freedom of liberty that we have — had an impact on me, too,' said May. When May visited the 'Three Servicemen' sculpture at the Vietnam Memorial, he couldn't help but think about the soldiers he'd seen as an operating room specialist at Brooke Army Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, a burn treatment center for napalm patients flown directly there from southeast Asia. 'Seeing those three guys in the sculpture, and then knowing what happened to those guys I saw at Brooke, that really hit me,' he said. For Taylor, a special part of the day was having his son, Michael, fly in from his home in Las Vegas, Nevada, to serve as his dad's guardian. Each Triad Honor Flight veteran is assigned a guardian, a volunteer who stays with the veteran throughout the day and takes care of anything he or she needs. 'The whole day, that was one of the most emotional things I've ever been involved in, especially having my son there with me,' Taylor said. 'It was all just overwhelming and emotional — it was a great day.' Triad Honor Flight officials say there will be another flight later this year. For more information, visit Jtomlin@ | 336-888-3579
Business Journals
23-04-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Graham Bennett named new Piedmont Triad Airport Authority chair
The Piedmont Triad Airport Authority board sees a changing of the guard during a period of significant economic growth and development for the airport. Story Highlights Graham Bennett replaces Paul Mengert as Piedmont Triad Airport Authority chairman. PTI's economic impact reaches $9.3 billion, nearly 10% of Triad's economy. Mengert oversaw major aerospace developments during his chairmanship since 2020. The multi-jurisdiction board that oversees Piedmont Triad International Airport is getting new leadership, with Paul Mengert of Greensboro stepping down as chairman and Graham Bennett of Forsyth County becoming board chairman of the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority. It's the second significant appointment this month for Bennett, the former president of Winston-Salem energy and hospitality company Quality Oil. Bennett was appointed earlier this month by Gov. Josh Stein to represent the region on the North Carolina Board of Transportation. He is also a member of the board of the Piedmont Triad Partnership, a regional economic development organization. Bennett joined the PTAA board in 2017. Mengert is ending his role as chairman voluntarily but staying on the board through the end of his term on April 20, 2027. Appointed by the city of Greensboro and chairman since early 2020, Mengert is CEO of Association Management Group. expand Paul Mengert, chairman of the board of the Triad Piedmont Airport Authority. Lloyd Whittington During his tenure as chairman, PTI has greatly expanded its role in aerospace and aviation economic development. In early 2022 it landed Boom Supersonic as the manufacturing site for its next-generation faster-than-sound commercial jetliner, with an expected 2,400 jobs and likely more. It also is the site picked by Britain's Marshall Aerospace for its North American base to service U.S. military aircraft, an expected $50 million investment. In all some 9,000 people work on the PTI campus. A 2023 report by the North Carolina Department of Transportation put PTI's annual economic impact directly and through induced effects at $9.3 billion, nearly 10% of the Triad's economy. Mengert is also credited with initiating a renovation of PTI's 40-year-old terminal. PTI has won acclaim as a very user-friendly airport and has experienced a steady recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic that devastated commercial aviation. He's also championed the annual Run on the Runway event, which has raised more than $1 million for local hunger relief. Board members are appointed by Guilford County Board of Commissioners (three members), Forsyth County Board of Commissioners (one member), Greensboro City Council (one member), High Point City Council (one member), and the Winston Salem City Council (one member).
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Yahoo
Red laser shined at PTI flight crew, FAA says
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — A flight crew at the Piedmont Triad International Airport had a red laser shined at them on Thursday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The crew of Piedmont Airlines Flight 5827 reported being illuminated by a red laser about 12 miles from PTI at 10 p.m. No injuries were reported. The FAA will reportedly investigate the incident. Pilots reported 12,840 laser strikes to the FAA in 2024, which is a 3 percent decrease from 2023. People who shine lasers at aircraft face FAA fines of up to $11,000 per violation and up to $30,800 for multiple laser incidents. They can also face federal criminal penalties of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine as well as state and local penalties. The FAA encourages people to report laser strikes to the FAA and local law enforcement agencies. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New airline at PTI offering direct flights to Orlando
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — A new airline is coming to Piedmont Triad International Airport offering direct flights to a major American city. will arrive at PTI in early June. The airline will offer nonstop flights to Orlando on Mondays and Fridays beginning on June 6. Breeze will also offer a summer seasonal nonstop flight to Hartford, Connecticut on Mondays and Fridays starting on June 9. 'We are thrilled to welcome Breeze Airways to the Piedmont Triad InternationalAirport,' said Kevin Baker, executive director at Piedmont Triad InternationalAirport. 'These new routes will provide our passengers with EASY travel options tothe theme parks in Orlando and the gateway to New England. Breeze is a fairly new airline in the aviation world. The airline began service in May 2021, The airline has been ranked in the top 5 of Travel + Leisure's 'Best Domestic Airlines' for three years running. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
