100th Anniversary in Aerospace

In 2016, The Austin Company proudly celebrated 100 years of service to the aviation, aerospace and defense industry.

Download our e-book, Building for a Century of Flight. 

In 1916, Austin began design and construction of its first of many aircraft assembly plants – the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company plant in Buffalo, New York. This was just the beginning of a long list of innovative and successfully designed and constructed aircraft facilities – complex facilities often completed on a fast-track basis.

Austin’s many innovations along the way contributed to the success of our clients, enabling them to operate more efficiently, optimize their operations, and meet aggressive schedules. Austin architects, engineers and constructors have devised many innovations for the aviation sector, such as bi-fold hangar doors, fiberglass wall panels for WWII bomber plants, induced airflows to improve ventilation, and rolling work platforms.

It is a proud history. We like to say that Austin has aviation in our DNA. While our founder Samuel Austin established high standards of ethics, values and quality in our work, his son Wilbert was the innovator and visionary for aviation. Tragically, Wilbert died in a plane crash in 1940, but by then, the DNA was well established.

Austin has held a formative role in this dynamic and ever-changing industry, creating assembly facilities, airports, hangars, flight kitchens, cargo facilities, rocket facilities and more in locations around the world. 

In 100 years, manned flight has evolved from single engine bi-planes to supersonic travel, satellites and space tourism. Design and construction has gone from pencils, linen and slide rules to lasers, GPS and integrated software platforms. What remains constant, however; is our passion for this industry, an excitement toward how this market inspires and challenges us to innovate and achieve higher goals, and an appreciation of how this market drives us to technical excellence.

This is where the DNA shows up and it carries into every market and industry we serve.

Our historical timeline infographic and the materials below highlight some of the many aviation and aerospace projects Austin has completed over the past century. It is a proud legacy that we carry on in our daily work.