Executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics (ODAA), Grayson Ardies began his working with the department as an intern. In his tenure with the ODAA, Ardies has led many statewide agency initiatives and managed a two-year project that conducted an Aerospace and Aviation Economic Impact Study. An OU alum, Ardies is also a licensed commercial pilot and certified flight instructor. We caught up with Ardies and got his thoughts on…
… his dedication to the ODAA.
While at the University of Oklahoma participating in their aviation management degree program, I initially wanted to become a commercial airline pilot. Around the time I graduated (2009), the commercial airline industry was just recovering from the Great Recession and pilot jobs were hard to find, so I started a transition to a ground support role.
During my final semester in college, I had an internship with the then Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission. I really enjoyed the internship and everything I learned, and apparently did a good enough job that they hired me on full-time as an airport inspector. The rest is history; I fell in love with helping the aviation and aerospace community of Oklahoma and had the opportunity to jump into various leadership roles along the way. Every single day is exciting and offers up the opportunity to help grow the industry, and we can actually see the positive outcomes we have in the aerospace community. It’s those positive outcomes and impact on the public that keep me coming back every day.
… how important his industry is to the fabric of Oklahoma.
This is something I can’t highlight enough, given this is our state’s second largest industry with $44 billion in annual economic impact. Aerospace and defense, particularly how the industry is situated with Oklahoma being the MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) capital of the world, has been key to Oklahoma’s economy and weathering some of the downturns in the oil/gas industry and the agriculture industry. While aerospace and defense has its own boom/bust cycles, the industry can’t just defer MRO activities on aircraft. A company (airline, flight school, business flight department, etc.) can make an active choice on whether to buy a new aircraft, but they don’t have a choice on whether or not to maintain that aircraft. It must be maintained to the appropriate FAA standards.
… proudest accomplishments.
My proudest accomplishment probably has to go to our work in the aerospace education area and trying to get more young people interested in and engaged with this career field. Oklahoma has held the top spot in the country for the last three years in terms of the number of high schools teaching aviation curriculum in the classroom, with 118 schools currently teaching it this school year. There are so many neat STEM learning opportunities within the aerospace field now; it’s truly amazing. Every time I go speak to a classroom of students I share with them that if they can dream up the career, chances are, they can do that activity right here in Oklahoma within the aerospace and defense industry.
… goals.
The major goal we all have is to ensure that aerospace and defense becomes our state’s No. 1 industry, which we believe will ensure economic success for Oklahoma for decades to come. Starting in 2021, the legislature provided our agency with appropriations for the first time since the ’80s and ’90s. Over the last four years, we’ve embarked on a program to invest in pro-growth aviation infrastructure, not just at airports, but across the spectrum including UAS/AAM infrastructure such as radar and detection systems to enable UAS/AAM testing and aircraft engine test cell infrastructure.
Our long-term goal is to provide the bedrock foundation from which this industry can grow and flourish. There are probably too many short-term goals to mention them all, but we are currently underway with a new economic impact study which should be complete by early 2026, and while I don’t think we will have achieved that No. 1 industry status just yet, I think we have shown great progress from where we were in 2017 when our last study was conducted.
…his many responsibilities.
Every day is different in this role, and that’s a major part of what keeps me coming back. Our agency has four core areas of responsibility: maintaining and strategically expanding the Oklahoma Airport System through calculated investments of federal, state and local funding; supporting the growth and vitality of the aerospace/defense industry by recommending pro-aerospace policy measures to the Legislature; bringing general awareness of this industry to all Oklahomans through events and celebrations; and partnering on the operation of aerospace specific programs such as ACES (Aerospace Commerce Economic Services) – focusing on promoting aerospace education and workforce development to ensure that the next generation of aerospace professionals is ready to take to the skies to support our growing industry, and creating a testbed environment to assist with integrating new technologies such unmanned aircraft systems and advanced air mobility aircraft to showcase that Oklahoma remains on the cutting edge of the aerospace industry.
