Commercial aviation has witnessed the careers of many legendary personalities, but few have exemplified the drive to succeed as did Walter Herschel Beech.

When Emil Matthew “Matty” Laird came to Wichita, Kan., in 1919, he began the city’s transformation from the “Wheat Capital” to the “Air capital of the World.”

Of all the Travel Air monoplanes built by the factory, constructor number 6B-2012 was unique in being the "flying office" of washing machine entrepreneur Harry L. Ogg.

Aviation owes much to a farm boy whose name became synonymous with monoplanes and played a major role in making Wichita the "Air Capital of the World."

Kansas has had its share of famous aviation personalities--Walter Beech, Clyde Cessna, Lloyd Stearman and Dwane L. Wallace, to name just a few.

Deck: Built only as a proof-of-concept airplane, the first Type 6000 monoplane built by the Travel Air Company was licensed on Walter Beech's honor, later orphaned by Curtiss-Wright and shunned by the Department of Commerce as an aircraft nobody could fly!

Raytheon Aircraft was the proud host for the 75th Anniversary Travel Air Homecoming Celebration held Oct. 12-14th, 2000, to salute the great Travel Air heritage.