400+ Jobs Coming To Chester County With Aircraft Facility Purchase

COATESVILLE, PA —About 400 new jobs are expected to come to Chester County with the opening of a new Heliplex facility in Coatesville, officials said.

Piasecki Aircraft Corporation, a family-owned aircraft design firm in Tinicum, Delaware County, purchased the Chester County plant from Lockheed Martin/ Sikorsky.

The plant has been closed since March 2022.

John Piasecki, the CEO, said production at the facility will begin later this year and he anticipates there will be 400 new employees by 2028. The plant is 219,000 square feet.

U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, a Democrat who represents the Sixth District which includes Chester County, said the county is home to some of the most talented manufacturing and tech workforces in the country.

“It’s incredibly exciting to see a company like Piasecki, a long-time aviation industry innovator, continue their commitment to developing new technologies like the PA-890 hydrogen fuel cell-powered helicopter right here in PA’s sixth district,” said Houlahan, who participated in a ribbon-cutting at the plant on Wednesday.

Houlahan said the advancement will help eliminate carbon emissions.

“I am proud to support their vision and will continue to support innovations such as hydrogen fuel cell development through my work in Congress,” she said.

Piasecki said the company selected Chester County because of its deep roots within the helicopter industry, its highly-talented workforce, and its robust supplier network.