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Making it in Connecticut’s Aerospace Scene

Where Careers Take Flight

Connecticut sits at the epicenter of the aerospace industry, home to thousands of advanced manufacturers whose precision-made components and systems power aircraft around the globe. With billions in exports and deep ties to major defense and commercial aviation programs, the state has become a driving force in aerospace innovation and production.

Contribute to Tomorrow’s Game Changers Today

Long a hub of aerospace innovation, Connecticut continues to be at the forefront of harnessing new technologies. For example, East Hartford-based Pratt & Whitney has pioneered a geared Turbofan™ engine that can fly farther, quieter and greener on much less fuel. 

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Sikorsky is advancing the use of helicopters in intercity travel, promising to make air mobility a realistic solution to auto traffic congestion in cities across the country. Barnes Group continues to develop new high-performance plastics that are used in manufacturing all types of aerospace components. 

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Connecticut’s aerospace manufacturers are also playing an important role as the U.S. prepares for the first manned trip to the moon in 50 years. For the next moon landing, set to take place by 2024, Skyre Inc. of East Hartford is developing a system to make propellant from water found on the moon’s poles. And Infinity Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Inc. of Windsor is collaborating with NASA to develop a flexible power and energy product that may be used for lunar rovers, surface equipment and habitats.

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Join a Historic Lineup of Innovators

These are just a few examples of the latest additions to Connecticut’s historic timeline of aerospace invention.

  • As early as 1910, the “crazy man of the air,” Charles Hamilton, was flying an airplane in Connecticut.
  • In 1925, Frederick Rentschler founded Pratt & Whitney in Connecticut — now one of the world’s “big three” aero-engine manufacturers.
  • In 1939, Igor Sikorsky piloted the world’s first practical helicopter here — and propelled his company to international leadership in helicopter design.
  • In the 1950s and ’60s, Connecticut companies played a huge role in America’s space race. The fuel cells that powered NASA’s first manned space flights, the space suits that kept the astronauts alive, and the parachutes that slowed their space capsules before splashdown…all were invented and built here.
  • In the 1990s, the revolutionary optics lens for the Hubble Telescope was engineered in Connecticut.

Where Ideas Take Flight

Today, Connecticut remains at the forefront of aerospace innovation. For talented young aerospace professionals, this hub of invention and production offers an incredible opportunity.

From large OEMs to manufacturers of precision components, many of today’s aerospace leaders are based in Connecticut — and are actively seeking skilled workers to fill their talent pipelines. For example, Electric Boat plans to hire 18,000 employees in the next decade, and Pratt & Whitney expects to double production by 2027, hiring 8,000 workers.

Check out Connecticut’s leading aerospace and defense employers and find out why the sky’s the limit for your career in Connecticut.

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