Test pilots with A-3J Vigilante

Photograph of two test pilots with Rockwell International's A-3J Vigilante. The Columbus Aircraft Division of Rockwell International began operations in November of 1950, when North American Aviation, the then-parent company of Rockwell International, bought out the facilities and operations of the Curtiss-Wright Plant located near Port Columbus Airport on the city’s east side. The Rockwell plant was operational on December 4, 1950. Initially, the division handled contracts left over from the Curtiss-Wright operation and manufactured spare parts for a variety of “non-current” aircraft, such as the F-51 Mustang and the B-25 Mitchell bomber. Eventually, the division expanded into an operation capable of designing, building, and testing its own aircraft and weapons systems, including the F-86 Sabre, the primary jet fighter of the United Nations' forces during the Korean War. The division also participated in various defense research projects. During the 1980s, the Columbus plant helped to produce the B-1B strategic bomber. In May of 1988, Rockwell announced that it was discontinuing operations at Columbus