Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood...  Make big plans; aim high in hope and work.  Daniel Burnham, Chicago architect  1864-1912

Seattle has Boeing.  Wichita has Cessna. 

Why can't we have aircraft manufacturing in Rockford?

We have all of the ingredients.

Chicago Rockford International Airport is underused.

Companies like Acument (aircraft fasteners), Ingenium (aircraft systems testing), Woodward Governor, and Hamilton Sunstrand (which has done significant work on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner) all are here.

The Global Tradepark TIF district and the Rivers Edge Redevelopment Zone -- programs to encourage development near the airport -- are in place.

All sorts of manufacturing capacity is nearby.  For example, the massive Motorola facility in Harvard -- completely unused for five years -- is about 35 miles from the airport. 

Put it all together with the stark new reality of staggeringly high fuel costs, and what do you get?

I see a need for new niche aircraft for both passenger and cargo service.  Aircraft that sacrifice speed for sharply improved fuel economy.

Call it retro if you must -- but I see turboprops in our future. 

Yes.  Propeller planes about the size of a 737.  Short and intermediate range flights.  Capacity of about 150 - 200 passengers.

Are aircraft of this type being built anywhere in the world?  Perhaps I'm mistaken -- but I don't think so.

Why not here, in the 16th Congressional district?

Consider the example of Embraer, the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer.  They developed a niche market for fifty-seat regional jets.  No other company in the world makes commercial craft quite like them.  And the firm is swamped with orders.

To be certain, an aircraft manufacturing startup in Rockford will take an enormous amount of planning.  And money. 

And perhaps it won't be turboprops.  Perhaps it'll be a new generation of low-speed jets that optimize fuel efficiency.

Can we get these aircraft to run on biofuel that is not derived from food crops?  Plan for that, too!

Perhaps none of this will come to pass.

But unlike my opponents -- who seem to work only at the margins -- I "aim high in hope and work".

Don't get me wrong.  I am a firm believer in community based economics.  My "microcapitalism" plan for growing home and local-based businesses sets me apart from my two opponents for Congress.

But as you can see -- I also think macro.

"Make no little plans", friends. 

Build turboprops in Rockford? 

Why not?