VisionAire Corporation drew local celebrities and many Ames residents to its ribbon-cutting ceremony and an airplane fly-by for its new production facility on Tuesday.

More than 500 people, including Governor Terry Branstad, Iowa State President Martin Jischke, Ames Mayor Ted Tedesco, James Rice, Jr., chairman and CEO of VisionAire and Jack Olcott, president of the national business aircraft association, were on hand at the production facility, 1101 Aviation Way.

VisionAire manufactures the world’s first single-engine, composite business jet aircraft, called Vantage. The plane carries six people, requires only one pilot and flies in excess of 300 mph, according to a press release. Sales of the aircraft are expected to reach more than $200 million.

Governor Branstad welcomed VisionAire to Iowa and called the event an “exciting new adventure” for the state.

“We are confident that the investment will pay off for Iowa,” Branstad said. “VisionAire Corporation will have tremendous impact on Ames and Iowa from both an economic and image standpoint.”

Rice said employment at VisionAire should reach 30 people by the end of the year and nearly 150 people in 1999.

“VisionAire receives great reviews from around the country and throughout the world,” Branstad said.

Tedesco called the event “a dream come true” for Iowans.

“This is certainly a blue ribbon day,” Tedesco said.

Rice said VisionAire received great support from central Iowa, Ames and ISU.

“We are continually asked what the factors were in the selection of Ames as the site of our first North American Production facility,” Rice said. “Without hesitation, we remark about the outstanding land grant university that exists in Ames … Iowa State University.”

Branstad said VisionAire and ISU have developed a partnership to give students the opportunity to work on design projects and VisionAire the opportunity to sample the talent available at ISU.

“ISU is proud of the role it has played in building a stronger, more diversified economy in Iowa,” Jischke said.

Jischke said ISU already has two teams of students involved with VisionAire.

“We are developing the human resource by educating the students who will be leaders,” Jischke said. “We try to give them a real-world education.”

Jischke compared the day’s excitement to the launching of the Mercury space capsule.

“We again have lift-off here in Ames,” he said.

Olcott also extended his congratulations to those present at the ceremony.

“I want to congratulate each of you … you made a wise decision, and I wish you all great success,” Olcott said.

Among the attendees were governor candidates Jim Ross Lightfoot and David Oman, as well as representatives for Senators Harkin and Boswell.

Rice also recognized several state legislators, including Representative Cecelia Burnett, House Speaker Ron Corbett and Senator John Hammond for their support of the VisionAire program.

Among the many people and organizations Rice thanked for making the day possible were the Iowa Department of Economic Development, the Ames City Council, Steve Schainker and the city staff, the Story County Board of Supervisors, the Ames Chamber of Commerce, the Ames Economic Development Commission and the Iowa Department of Transportation.

Rice said he was grateful to the consumers.

“Unless someone buys something, you don’t have anything,” he said.

He added that the company already has sold more than 120 airplanes.

Rice said the company should be assembling aircraft by this September. Production will begin with the FAA test planes V1 and VT2.

Following the ceremony, the guests were invited to tour the 101,000 square-foot assembly facility. In addition, the Vantage prototype taxied out of the building and conducted a fly-by.