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Long Island aerospace company reopens old F-14 facility

Published  June 16, 2017 7:09pm EDT
Long Island
FOX 5 New York

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - A Long Island aerospace company has reopened an old building where Navy fighters used to be built.

Since Luminati's flight demo last year, the Calverton-based company has already set up 70,000 square feet of production line inside Hangar 6 where Grumman once built F-14 Tomcats and other jets for the U.S. Navy. 

Luminati creates ultralight composite material and builds solar-powered aircraft. There has been a lot of speculation about who the company is partnering with. The Town of Riverhead revealed it had been Facebook, but the companies are no longer working together.

Luminati CEO Daniel Preston said he is already flying solo. While Preston said he isn't going to bring the 20,000 jobs there once were back to Long Island he plans to employ at least 2,000 people as part of his five-year plan.

Luminati received a contract from the Town of Riverhead to buy the remaining 2,300 acres at Enterprise Park. The company hopes to close as soon as possible.