The B-52G was a designed to reduce the overall aircraft weight in an effort to improve performance.

The Battle of Kansas (aka "Battle of Wichita") was the nickname given to a project to build, modify and deliver large quantities of the world's most advanced bomber to the front-lines in the Pacific. The battle began as the first B-29 Superfortresses rolled off the production lines of the massive new Boeing factory on the prairies near Wichita, Kansas

Sept. 2, 2011 was the 100th Anniversary of Kansas Aviation.

The Cessna AT-17 Bobcat was a twin-engined advanced trainer aircraft designed and made in the United States, and used during World War II to bridge the gap between single-engine trainers and twin-engine combat aircraft.

Magnificent men in flying machines built air capital

The Cessna 350 Corvalis is a composite construction, single-engine, normally-aspirated, fixed-gear, low-wing general aviation aircraft built by Cessna Aircraft until the end of 2010.

The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II is a single-engined turboprop aircraft built by the Raytheon Aircraft Company (now Hawker Beechcraft).

Wichita, aviation reach out to each other

At the Lockheed Corp.'s headquarters in Burbank, Calif., they still remember the story about the middle-aged man who walked in one day in June 1955 to apply for work.

Stearman Aircraft Corporation was an aircraft manufacturer in Wichita, Kansas.

The Travel Air Manufacturing Company was an aircraft manufacturer established in Wichita, Kansas in the United States in January 1925 by Clyde Cessna, Walter Beech, and Lloyd Stearman.

In 1929, Wichita was the self-appointed air capital.

The Cessna CitationJet/CJ series (Model 525) are American turbofan-powered light corporate jets built by the Cessna Aircraft Company in Wichita, Kansas.

For those of you curious about the grand history of Kansas aviation, in the Air Capital and statewide, Richard Harris can give you a new perspective on Kansas’ 2nd biggest industry (after agriculture).

The Boeing KC-46 is a military aerial refueling and strategic transport aircraft developed from the Boeing 767.

The Swallow Airplane Swallow is an American-built general purpose biplane of the mid to late 1920's.

The Kansas Aviation Museum is planning a cross-country aviation heritage bus tour that will serve as a benefit fundraiser for the museum.

Clyde Vernon Cessna (5 December 1879 - 20 November 1954) was an American aircraft designer, aviator, and founder of the Cessna Aircraft Corporation.

The Funk Model B was a 1930s American two-seat cabin monoplane designed by Howard and Joe Funk.

William (Bill) Powell Lear (June 26, 1902 – May 14, 1978) was an American inventor and businessman.

Each November, the Kansas Aviation Museum hosts the Kansas Aviation Museum Gala, at which one individual is inducted into the Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame and the Kansas Governor’s Aviation Honor Award is bestowed upon two individuals.

Spirit AeroSystems, Inc., based in Wichita, Kansas, is the world's largest first-tier aerostructures manufacturer.

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) is an aerospace manufacturing company that builds the Beechcraft and Hawker business jet lines of aircraft.

Robert L. Kanaga is a native Kansan, born in Winfield in 1925. He grew up in a family of three brothers and two sisters in Derby, Kansas, graduating from Derby High School in 1941. Being raised in the shadow of Wichita Aircraft Companies, he would often watch the flights of the BI-winged Stearman and Beech Model 17 Staggerwing, and wished he could be a pilot, too.

Milburn G. "Mel" Apt (April 9, 1924 – September 27, 1956) was a US test pilot. He was killed in the destruction of the Bell X-2 during a test flight.

The Hawker 4000, originally known as the Hawker Horizon, is a super-midsize business jet developed by the Raytheon Aircraft Company.

Cessna Aircraft Company, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, is a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft, from small two-seat, single-engine aircraft to business jets.

Learjet is a manufacturer of business jets for civilian and military use. It was founded in the late 1950s by William Powell Lear Jr. as Swiss American Aviation Corporation. Learjet is now a subsidiary of Bombardier and marketed as the "Bombardier Learjet Family".

The Cessna Citation X is a long-range medium business jet aircraft. The X is the fastest operative civilian jet, with a top speed of Mach 0.92 (527 ktas, 607 mph, 977 km/h at 41,000ft ASL (12,700meters ASL).

The Kansas Air National Guard is a component of the United States Air Force and the United States National Guard.

The Travel Air Manufacturing Company was an aircraft manufacturer established in Wichita, Kansas in the United States in January 1925 by Clyde Cessna, Walter Beech, and Lloyd Stearman.

Now in its 77th year, the Cessna Aircraft Company has delivered over 185,000 aircraft, including 24,000 twin-engine airplanes, 2,000 military jets and over 4,000 Citations - the largest fleet of business jet aircraft in the world.

The Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center is a museum and educational facility in Hutchinson, Kansas that is best known for the display and restoration of space artifacts and educational camps.

The Cessna Citation X (X as in the Roman numeral for 10, not the letter) is a medium-sized business jet aircraft and it is the fastest business jet and fastest currently flying civilian airplane in the world, traveling up to Mach 0.92 (703 mph).

The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II is a single-engined turboprop aircraft built by the Raytheon Aircraft Company (now Hawker Beechcraft).

Since its creation in 1967, the American Bonanza Society (ABS) has had over 44,000 members. After 37+ years, nearly a quarter still belong, and the average length of membership is 10 years.

"Wings Over Kansas" has grown steadily and as of 2009 draws over a quarter of a million visitors yearly from over 125 countries.

The Learjet 45 (LJ45) aircraft is a mid-sized business jet aircraft produced by Bombardier Aerospace.

The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is a four-seat, single-engine, high-wing airplane. It is likely the most popular flight training aircraft in the world.

Herbert Rawdon (30 December 1904 - December 1975 in Wichita, Kansas) was an American aviation pioneer. He was known throughout his life as Herb Rawdon.

Wichita, known as the center of aviation by the late 1920s, missed its chance to be part of the most publicized flight in history.

In 1940-41 the Beech Aircraft Company designed an advanced multi-engine trainer for ease and speed of manufacture on a large scale and named it the "Wichita."

The Cessna 400 Corvalis TT (Twin Turbocharged) is a single-engine, fixed-gear, low-wing general aviation aircraft built from composite materials by Cessna Aircraft.

A tired, frustrated crew stalked into the conference room next to the Boeing flight test hangar, its mission a failure.

The Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center is a museum and educational facility in Hutchinson, Kansas that is best known for the display and restoration of space artifacts and educational camps.

The Beechcraft Premier is the name given to a series of light jet aircraft made by the Beechcraft division of Hawker Beechcraft.

The Learjet 85 is the latest Learjet program by aircraft manufacturer Bombardier Aerospace.

During World War II, Kansas was a major United States Army Air Force (USAAF) training center for pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers.

The Kaydet, the two-seater biplane introduced by Stearman Aircraft Division of Boeing in Wichita, Kansas, in 1934, became an unexpected success during World War II.

Men like Lloyd Stearman, Walter Beech, Clyde Cessna, E.M. Laird, J.M. Mollendick and George Weaver were responsible for starting the aircraft industry in the area.

The Mooney Airplane Company (MAC) is a U.S. manufacturer of single-engined general aviation aircraft.

Clyde Cessna, with only a fifth-grade education and lacking a private pilot's license, helped create the general aviation industry.

The Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing is an American biplane with an atypical negative stagger (the lower wing is further forward than the upper wing).

The Cessna T-37 Tweet is one of the most prominent of the trainer-attack type aircraft. This small, economical twin-engine jet aircraft flew for decades as a primary trainer for the United States Air Force, and in the air forces of several other nations.

When World War II grew in scope and intensity, the military wanted some cheap light planes which could be fitted with remote controls for use as target drones, to train aerial and anti-aircraft gunners – but which could hold a pilot for ferrying and other flights.

MONOCOUPES: A TWIN AND A DART

In 1929, restless young Al arrived to attempt starting a company of his own in Wichita, Kansas, the "Air Capital City" – already home to several plane manufacturers – and 1929's largest civilian plane maker, Walter Beech's Travel Air.

Alexander turned to engineer Noonan, and directed him to create a new plane design, from scratch, using some of the extra parts acquired with the Longren fleet. It was a daunting task, made all the more difficult by the fact that Noonan was only a "shirtsleeves" engineer, lacking the formal training of a "real" engineer.

Kansas has many famous general aviation plane-makers today. But there is another legendary general aviation airplane manufacturer -- still very much alive today -- that started in Wichita, as well: Mooney Aircraft.

Forbes Field (also known as the Topeka Army Airfield and later as Forbes Air Force Base during DOD use) consisted of 4,233 acres. Forbes Field is located approximately 3 miles south of Topeka, Kansas in Shawnee County.

It’s hard to think of the Bonanza as anything but immortal. After all, it’s a design that has endured for almost six decades.

Learjet is a manufacturer of business jets for civilian and military use. It was founded in the late 1950s by William Powell Lear Jr. as Swiss American Aviation Corporation. Learjet is now a subsidiary of Bombardier and marketed as the "Bombardier Learjet Family".

During World War II, Kansas was a major United States Army Air Force (USAAF) training center for pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers. Kansas was a favored because it has excellent, year-round flying conditions. The sparsely populated land made ideal locations for gunnery, bombing, and training ranges.

The Stearman (Boeing) Model 75 is a biplane, of which at least 9,783 were built in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s as a military trainer aircraft. Stearman became a subsidiary of Boeing in 1934. Widely known as the Stearman, Boeing Stearman or Kaydet, it served as a Primary trainer for the USAAF, as a basic trainer for the USN (as the NS1 & N2S), and with the RCAF as the Kaydet throughout World War II.

Founded in 1932 by Walter H. and Olive Ann Beech, the Beech Aircraft Corporation has left an indelible mark on general aviation.

Boeing has been a fixture in the Wichita aerospace industry since 1929. Here’s what makes this site tick

They'd set out one or two or three at a time, flying World War I surplus biplanes low over the Kansas countryside.

The Beechcraft Starship is a futuristic-looking aircraft designed by Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites and produced by the Beech Aircraft Corporation.

Recorded Events, Beginnings, Activities and First Flights

Kansas has played an historic and domineering role in general aviation since the earliest beginnings of flight by fearless pioneer aviators.

Of all the industries that have propelled America into the leadership of the world economy, few can match aviation for the incredible changes it has made in how we think and act and live.

An overview of Cessna's aircraft history

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation celebrated the 75th anniversary of Beechcraft. Walter and Olive Ann Beech formed Beech Aircraft Corporation April 19, 1932.

An essay on aviation by the Kansas Historical Society.

A timeline of Learjet milestones

Pilot became legend with groundbreaking aircraft

The first Learjet made its inaugural flight two months short of the 60th anniversary of the world's first powered, controlled, sustained heavier-than-air flight.

In 1936, Beech Aircraft Co. was 4 years old and looking for a showcase for the "Staggerwing," its speedy but unusual-looking airplane.

The Travel Air Manufacturing Company made 'Travel-Air' planes from 1926-1932 in historic Wichita, Kansas, The Air Capital of the World, on East Central Avenue.

A history of Boeing Wichita, which has been part of Kansas business landscape for more than 70 years.

An historical overview of the Raytheon/Beech company

Nearly 6,000 Beechcraft King Airs of 17 variants have been sold since the product line was introduced in 1964, making this the most successful series of twin turbine-powered business aircraft ever built.