Is the
Sky the
Limit? The Blue Abyss Training Facility Could Position Us as a Leader in the Commercialization of Space. By Terry Troy
W
e had it. We lost it. Will we ever get it back? Our city has a checkered past when it comes to space and aviation. We’re not referring to the checkered flags that once greeted Jimmy Doolittle as he flew around pylons at breakneck speeds during the Cleveland National Air Races back in the day. At one time, our city was on the cutting edge of aviation and flight technology. Now, more than a century later, there’s a new project coming to Brook Park that could firmly place us on a leadership path once again, at the very precipice of an exciting new age. In terms of its immediate business impact, the new Blue Abyss space and deep-sea training facility in Brook Park looks like just a small step. But it could be a giant leap for the business economy of Northeast Ohio.
18 COMMUNITY LEADER | AUGUST 2023
ISTOCK CREDIT
The year is 1918. The first World War is over, and business is booming. Due to its position on the New York to Chicago rail and highway corridor, and with enthusiastic support from our Chamber of Commerce and local business groups, Cleveland is chosen as the first stop on an airmail network that runs from New York to San Francisco. In 1925, Congress passes the Kelly Act (Air Mail Act) recognizing the role of the postal service in the financial development of commercial aviation. Airlines will receive 80% of the revenue for the mail they carry. If the act wouldn’t have passed, commercial aviation, as we know it today, would not exist.