Handcrafting History Continues In Lunenburg As Aerospace Company Builds Parts For F 35 Jet

But now, instead of fishing boats, they are fighter jets. Located in the seaside town of Lunenburg, Stelia Aerospace has been part of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 supply chain for more than a decade. Stelia’s headquarters in North America are located directly opposite the port from where Bluenose was launched in 1921. “Bluenose was very innovative for its time,” said Matt Reiser, the city’s mayor. “Stelia is part of the last phase of Lunenburg’s history in this respect.” Entrance to Stelia North America headquarters in Lunenburg, about 100 km southwest of Halifax. (Brett Ruskin / CBC)
The company has entered into a contract for the creation of panels and components from composite materials. The various pieces that Stelia makes for the F-35 are spread in molds, using thin paper-like layers, each with precision. “Every leaf has a specific direction,” said Matthew Mossman, Stelia’s quality control inspector. “This way the workers know exactly which direction to go when it is placed in the mold.” The company manufactures many different parts for the aircraft, ranging from panels used as part of the fuselage to washers used to open and close the doors of the weapon case on the underside of the jet. The F-35 fighter jet, built by Lockheed Martin with the help of contractors around the world, including Canada. (Lockheed Martin)
“You might think that building composite materials is like robots everywhere,” said Andre Gagnon, CEO and CEO of Stelia North America. “Is not.” He said the process is both high-tech and practical, with employees carefully shaping each department before going through a detailed inspection process. Matthew Mossman, quality control inspector at Stelia in Lunenburg. (Brett Ruskin / CBC)
Across Canada, there are other factories and companies that are part of the F-35 supply chain, aircraft components that have so far been sold to other countries. But with ongoing negotiations between the Canadian government and Lockheed Martin, components made in Stelia and elsewhere across the country could one day be incorporated into Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft. Born in Lunenburg County, Mossman said he was excited about using Stelia F-35 spare parts on Canadian-owned aircraft. The view on one of the many colorful streets in Lunenburg. (Brett Ruskin / CBC)
“I mean, we’re going to be part of Canadian history soon,” he said. They are handmade spare parts, made by locals in Lunenburg, to help build one of the highest performance vehicles of their generation. It operated a century ago.

title: “Handcrafting History Continues In Lunenburg As Aerospace Company Builds Parts For F 35 Jet " ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-29” author: “Fred Quiroz”

But now, instead of fishing boats, they are fighter jets. Located in the seaside town of Lunenburg, Stelia Aerospace has been part of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 supply chain for more than a decade. Stelia’s headquarters in North America are located directly opposite the port from where Bluenose was launched in 1921. “Bluenose was very innovative for its time,” said Matt Reiser, the city’s mayor. “Stelia is part of the last phase of Lunenburg’s history in this respect.” Entrance to Stelia North America headquarters in Lunenburg, about 100 km southwest of Halifax. (Brett Ruskin / CBC)
The company has entered into a contract for the creation of panels and components from composite materials. The various pieces that Stelia makes for the F-35 are spread in molds, using thin paper-like layers, each with precision. “Every leaf has a specific direction,” said Matthew Mossman, Stelia’s quality control inspector. “This way the workers know exactly which direction to go when it is placed in the mold.” The company manufactures many different parts for the aircraft, ranging from panels used as part of the fuselage to washers used to open and close the doors of the weapon case on the underside of the jet. The F-35 fighter jet, built by Lockheed Martin with the help of contractors around the world, including Canada. (Lockheed Martin)
“You might think that building composite materials is like robots everywhere,” said Andre Gagnon, CEO and CEO of Stelia North America. “Is not.” He said the process is both high-tech and practical, with employees carefully shaping each department before going through a detailed inspection process. Matthew Mossman, quality control inspector at Stelia in Lunenburg. (Brett Ruskin / CBC)
Across Canada, there are other factories and companies that are part of the F-35 supply chain, aircraft components that have so far been sold to other countries. But with ongoing negotiations between the Canadian government and Lockheed Martin, components made in Stelia and elsewhere across the country could one day be incorporated into Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft. Born in Lunenburg County, Mossman said he was excited about using Stelia F-35 spare parts on Canadian-owned aircraft. The view on one of the many colorful streets in Lunenburg. (Brett Ruskin / CBC)
“I mean, we’re going to be part of Canadian history soon,” he said. They are handmade spare parts, made by locals in Lunenburg, to help build one of the highest performance vehicles of their generation. It operated a century ago.