Leonardo helicopter facility now open at Whiting Aviation Park
By Sandra Averhart
September 19, 2025 at 5:00 AM CDT
Local, state, and military partners took part in Thursday’s grand opening of the Leonardo Helicopters U.S. Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facility at Whiting Aviation Park in Santa Rosa County. The new Florida Support Center is expected to bring in dozens of high-wage jobs and provide a boost to the local economy.
Support Local Stories. Support Public Media.
With hundreds of people in attendance, the grand opening ceremony took place inside Leonardo’s expansive new 73,000-square-foot facility.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis shared the ribbon-cutting duties with Clyde Woltman, CEO of Leonardo Helicopters U.S., after remarks from several state and local partners.
Touting the state as a leader in aerospace and defense innovation, DeSantis said Leonardo, and its plan to create 150 jobs, was a good fit for Northwest Florida.
RELATED: New data underscores Northwest Florida’s military‑to‑civilian talent pipeline
“You have the best military community across these bases with the active duty,” began DeSantis. “But then the veterans that stay here, of any place in the United States of America as far as I’m concerned. So, that provides opportunities to really advance the ball in industries like the defense sector.”
A grand opening ceremony was held Thursday for the new Leonardo Helicopters US advanced service center located at Whiting Aviation Park in Santa Rosa County. (4000x3000, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
The governor talked about traveling to Italy to build trade relations with Leonardo and detailed some of the state’s contributions to the project.
“We were happy to have done, a couple years ago, a $4.2 million grant to Santa Rosa County through our job growth grant fund and that supported the connection of Naval Air Station Whiting Field to Whiting Aviation Park,” he said. “That’s been a big positive and we were happy to have done it.”
Through its Defense Industrial Grant program, DeSantis said the state also helped engineer another half-million dollars to the county for the aviation park and the double-entry gate system that connects it to the base.
NAS Whiting Field Commanding Officer, Capt. Ted Elkins said Leonardo’s compatible development in the Whiting Aviation Park presents a win-win, both for the Navy and county.
“Having a world-class company in our backyard will be a huge boost for the local economy, while also advancing the aviation support capabilities for our mission of producing naval aviators at NAS Whiting Field,” said Elkins.
Whiting Field is a big part of the equation, as the Navy’s aging TH-57 Sea Ranger used for years for helicopter pilot training is being replaced by Leonardo’s TH-73A.
Clyde Woltman is CEO of Leonardo Helicopters, US, which held a grand opening ceremony Thursday, Sept. 18, to launch their new Florida Service Center at Whiting Aviation Park in Santa Rosa County. (4000x3000, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
Leonardo is a world leader in aerospace, defense and security.
Leonardo’s CEO Woltman said after securing the Navy’s helicopter contract, his team’s desire to eliminate the challenges of distance — when it came to delivering their support services — really meshed with Santa Rosa County’s vision of establishing an aviation park adjacent to the naval air station.
“That was really the genesis,” said Woltman. “Then as we looked at it, we were initially thinking maybe a warehouse, spare parts. Then we thought, well, the aircrafts can get slightly damaged during training, so we want to be able to provide a higher level of maintenance and repair for the frames and the bodies. Then we thought, well, what about the gearbox, what about all the dynamic machinery, which is really high-tech. That’s why we have the test bench here.”
Further, Woltman said the location in Santa Rosa County was a great choice due to the good number of commercial customers in the Southeast United States.
“We’re the largest operator of helicopters on the oil platforms in the Gulf of America. And, we’re pushing probably 1,200 helicopters in this region and in Central and South America. So, this is the site. When you need to have a repair and overhaul, you come here.”
Santa Rosa County Commissioner Colten Wright speaks during the grand opening ceremony for the Leonardo Helicopters advanced service center at Whiting Aviation Park. (4000x3000, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
Already the Florida Support Center has created 36 jobs, with a phased approach to hire more employees, as needed, at competitive salaries.
A current job posting for a Completions Mechanical Technician, locally, shows a salary range of $55,000 to $95,000 per year. The pay for a Mechanical Flight Line Technician advertised for $80,000 annually.
Santa County Commission Chairman Kerry Smith says in this region’s hotbed of military veterans, the aviation company should have no trouble finding a qualified workforce.
“A lot of these people that are coming out of the military after 20 some-odd-plus years of experience and training and working in the military,” Smith stated. “The work ethics that they carry forward and coming into a company like this, this is the talent that they’re looking for. It’s no wonder that they’ve concentrated in this part of the state.”
And, with the long-dreamed grand opening of Leonardo facility’s at the county’s new aviation park, Smith proudly declared that this is just the beginning.
“This is the launching point right here. This is the kind of stuff that we have to get adjusted to seeing.”
Support Local Stories. Support Public Media.
With hundreds of people in attendance, the grand opening ceremony took place inside Leonardo’s expansive new 73,000-square-foot facility.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis shared the ribbon-cutting duties with Clyde Woltman, CEO of Leonardo Helicopters U.S., after remarks from several state and local partners.
Touting the state as a leader in aerospace and defense innovation, DeSantis said Leonardo, and its plan to create 150 jobs, was a good fit for Northwest Florida.
RELATED: New data underscores Northwest Florida’s military‑to‑civilian talent pipeline
“You have the best military community across these bases with the active duty,” began DeSantis. “But then the veterans that stay here, of any place in the United States of America as far as I’m concerned. So, that provides opportunities to really advance the ball in industries like the defense sector.”
A grand opening ceremony was held Thursday for the new Leonardo Helicopters US advanced service center located at Whiting Aviation Park in Santa Rosa County. (4000x3000, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
The governor talked about traveling to Italy to build trade relations with Leonardo and detailed some of the state’s contributions to the project.
“We were happy to have done, a couple years ago, a $4.2 million grant to Santa Rosa County through our job growth grant fund and that supported the connection of Naval Air Station Whiting Field to Whiting Aviation Park,” he said. “That’s been a big positive and we were happy to have done it.”
Through its Defense Industrial Grant program, DeSantis said the state also helped engineer another half-million dollars to the county for the aviation park and the double-entry gate system that connects it to the base.
NAS Whiting Field Commanding Officer, Capt. Ted Elkins said Leonardo’s compatible development in the Whiting Aviation Park presents a win-win, both for the Navy and county.
“Having a world-class company in our backyard will be a huge boost for the local economy, while also advancing the aviation support capabilities for our mission of producing naval aviators at NAS Whiting Field,” said Elkins.
Whiting Field is a big part of the equation, as the Navy’s aging TH-57 Sea Ranger used for years for helicopter pilot training is being replaced by Leonardo’s TH-73A.
Clyde Woltman is CEO of Leonardo Helicopters, US, which held a grand opening ceremony Thursday, Sept. 18, to launch their new Florida Service Center at Whiting Aviation Park in Santa Rosa County. (4000x3000, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
Leonardo is a world leader in aerospace, defense and security.
Leonardo’s CEO Woltman said after securing the Navy’s helicopter contract, his team’s desire to eliminate the challenges of distance — when it came to delivering their support services — really meshed with Santa Rosa County’s vision of establishing an aviation park adjacent to the naval air station.
“That was really the genesis,” said Woltman. “Then as we looked at it, we were initially thinking maybe a warehouse, spare parts. Then we thought, well, the aircrafts can get slightly damaged during training, so we want to be able to provide a higher level of maintenance and repair for the frames and the bodies. Then we thought, well, what about the gearbox, what about all the dynamic machinery, which is really high-tech. That’s why we have the test bench here.”
Further, Woltman said the location in Santa Rosa County was a great choice due to the good number of commercial customers in the Southeast United States.
“We’re the largest operator of helicopters on the oil platforms in the Gulf of America. And, we’re pushing probably 1,200 helicopters in this region and in Central and South America. So, this is the site. When you need to have a repair and overhaul, you come here.”
Santa Rosa County Commissioner Colten Wright speaks during the grand opening ceremony for the Leonardo Helicopters advanced service center at Whiting Aviation Park. (4000x3000, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
Already the Florida Support Center has created 36 jobs, with a phased approach to hire more employees, as needed, at competitive salaries.
A current job posting for a Completions Mechanical Technician, locally, shows a salary range of $55,000 to $95,000 per year. The pay for a Mechanical Flight Line Technician advertised for $80,000 annually.
Santa County Commission Chairman Kerry Smith says in this region’s hotbed of military veterans, the aviation company should have no trouble finding a qualified workforce.
“A lot of these people that are coming out of the military after 20 some-odd-plus years of experience and training and working in the military,” Smith stated. “The work ethics that they carry forward and coming into a company like this, this is the talent that they’re looking for. It’s no wonder that they’ve concentrated in this part of the state.”
And, with the long-dreamed grand opening of Leonardo facility’s at the county’s new aviation park, Smith proudly declared that this is just the beginning.
“This is the launching point right here. This is the kind of stuff that we have to get adjusted to seeing.”