Yesterday was Aerospace and Aviation Day at the state capital in Frankfurt.

Pilots and professionals from across the Commonwealth gathered to show students and legislators what the industry has to offer.

This is the fun day because you get to go up and look at all the neat stuff that happens in Kentucky around aviation and aerospace.

I mean, it's fun talking aviation.

It's fun talking aerospace.

It's an exciting time.

Aerospace manufacturing has been Kentucky's largest industry and will continue to be.

We don't build airplanes in Kentucky, but they do not fly without us.

We build their parts.

And so we've got to be quite proud of that.

In the past couple of years, we've had a lot of pieces of legislation that we proposed or that we've looked at, and that's in conjunction with ideas that came from each and every one of you in the industry in our state.

And and I see that continuing.

There's definitely a passion and enthusiasm for aviation.

And so hopefully that will continue on.

Aviation and aerospace is such a big part of our Commonwealth that it would behoove us not to continue to move aviation and aerospace and Kentucky forward.

All of it is so critical to the economy of this country.

But to be proud of what you're doing and keep up the good work because it's so vital.

In 2019, Kentucky exported more than $14 billion in aerospace products and parts.

Although the industry collapsed in 2020 and 21.

Robert Riggs says exports have climbed to more than 10 billion in the past year and are increasing.