I just received an email from Cirrus Aircraft announcing the opening of a new Cirrus Customer Experience Center, called the ‘Vision Center.’ The Vision Center will become the flagship location for all Cirrus Aircraft pilot, owner and customer activities including sales, delivery, training, maintenance, support, personalization, fixed base operations and more.

This is going to be opened at the McGee-Tyson airport. Might be worth a trip up there to look at what Cirrus has in mind.....

"Knoxville emerged as the clear choice to host the Vision Center after a detailed site evaluation process that included more than 15 states and 30 on-airport locations."

They don't go on to say why Knoxville won over the other 30 sites. Nothing they said wouldn't apply to any other site they chose.

Knoxville is not particularly easy to get to by airline or by car, nor does it have much family entertainment. Compare, for example, Orlando.

Mike C.

The State of Tennessee is giving them almost $1 million, and Oak Ridge National Labatories is kicking in more grant money. It is very curious why the nuke people are interested in general aviation aircraft. I suspect they are getting a lot more from the state.

Thus far they have given VW $900 million, and 40 years of almost no taxation to locate a plant here in Chattanooga. The governor loves to give away tax money on the mere promise of job creation.

The airport KTYS, has a lot to offer. Two long runways, little traffic, good approaches, and generally good weather.

As for getting there by road, there are two interstate highways going through Knoxville from both north and south, and east and west. Airline service, mostly Delta, stinks.

Less true than many other airports in the area due to being up near the Smoky Mountains. They aren't called Smoky because there's a fire.

FedEx chose KMEM for weather and location, for example.


Uh, not really, especially south. I-40 through the mountains is a chore, I-81 goes nowhere useful, and I-75 zig zags all over the place. Only useful road is I-40 to the west to Nashville.


Nashville would win here again, has SW for example.

Seems like the TN incentives would have applied at BNA which has better roads, airline service, weather, and there's a lot more for families to do in that town, IMO.

I have nothing against Knoxville, just thought the choice was odd given the typical locations other training and service folks choose.

Mike C.

"Hey - Cirrus just cured adenocarcinoma!"

Mike C - "What! Only one form of cancer?!? What morons. If they'd used the PT6 twin genome, they could've cured it all."

Ask what is the purpose of the center?
What is going to happen there?
When you are buying a new plane, do you go the salesman or do they come to you?

From the little I have read, I do not see how airlines and roads play a factor. Instead, it is all about on airport services, local staff, proximity to customers.

e.g. 45 minutes to Atlanta, 2 hours to DC, 1 hour to NC; you get the idea.

Tim

You going to stay in a motel in Knoxville for 2 weeks while your SF50 gets an inspection?

Mike C.

I personally love it when the states compete against each other and try to attract business. In Cal, we simply rely on our great weather. We could lose a few people and it wouldn't bother most of us. We now have over 38 million people, far bigger than any other state and most countries.

I just remember driving through in the early seventies, one of the prettiest college towns I ever saw and gas prices were ridiculously low. Maybe that didn't figure into Cirrus' thinking but I wouldn't consider spending a little time there while I got to know my new airplane a chore.

Mike Ciholas: 'Seems you really like Knoxville.

I look forward to seeing a bunch of little Cirrus jets flying around our neighborhood. I guess they will be able to fly through the smoke in the air.

KTYS is actually located in Alcoa, TN, not Knoxville.

McGhee Tyson airport has a lot of space upon which to build a hangar/office facility. Couple that with our fine roads and airline service and you have a great location.

But that is in general bad for small businesses and very bad for our country.

Tim