Sovereign Aerospace expands operations to Elizabethtown airport

ELIZABETHTOWN — Curtis L. Brown, Jr. Airport and the Elizabethtown Airport and Economic Development Commission are excited to announce that Sovereign Aerospace LLC. will be expanding operations to Elizabethtown to offer flight instruction, general aviation maintenance, and will assume duties as the Fixed Base Operator (FBO) for Curtis L. Brown, Jr. Airport. This has been a joint venture involving the Town of Elizabethtown, Bladen County, Bladen’s Bloomin’ AgriIndustrial, Inc, and Bladen Community College.

Elizabethtown Mayor Sylvia Campbell expresses, “This is a very exciting venture for Elizabethtown and will have a tremendous impact on our economic development here in Elizabethtown and Bladen County. This is the result of a 6-month joint venture economic initiative led by our incredible staff. It is our hope that it will provide a catalyst for growth in the aviation industry.”

Hometown Hero Astronaut Col (Ret) Curtis L. Brown, Jr. states, “I was thrilled to learn about this development during my most recent visit in March and honored to spend some time with Sovereign Aerospace CEO LtCol (Ret) Slim Thompson and his team. Inspired by flight lessons at Fisher Airfield leading to a lifelong journey in the U.S. Air Force and NASA, I am ecstatic that flight training will once again be offered at the airport growing our next generation of pilots.”

Bladen County Commissioner and Airport Board member Charles Ray Peterson conveys, “The Airport was identified in the Bladen County Strategic Plan 2022-2032 as an asset to help leverage future growth in the county and we believe Sovereign Aerospace and their leadership are the exact company to help us move in that direction.” “We are thrilled to welcome Sovereign Aerospace to our tremendous community here in Elizabethtown,” said Town Manager Dane Rideout. “We believe this is the perfect home for this aerospace industry and will add life back into our airport. The fact that this successful company has chosen to expand operations in Elizabethtown is a great credit to our community. Bladen’s Bloomin’ Executive Director, Chuck Heustess, and the team have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to bring this deal to fruition.”

“We are excited to have been a part of this project to recruit aerospace industry jobs to our region,” BCC President Dr. Amanda Lee said. “This announcement, to me, is about so many things. It’s about the possibilities that exist when we work together, whenever we have a common strategic plan, and we each do our part to make our region better. The college is working closely with Sovereign Aerospace to provide more educational opportunities to students in the industry. We are grateful for all our partners and their support for this project,” Lee said.