Air Capital Aviation Report
Wichita, The Air Capital!
By Carl Chance, Wings Over Kansas' aviation & aerospace correspondent, former news consultant and producer for Wingspan Air & Space Channel.
Unique among the aviation industry, there is nowhere else where you will find the concentration of top-name general aviation aircraft manufacturers co-located within such a concentrated geographic boundary. What the city of Detroit had become to the automobile in the last century, and Silicon Valley had became to the computer-chip, so too has Wichita, Kansas become the nations and the worlds hot spot for aircraft development and manufacturing!
A Legacy
This incredible business journey has seen the Kansas aviation industry get it’s fledgling start during the late 1800’s when the imaginative but unworkable concepts were envisioned by thinkers and dreamers and converted into reality as test aircraft by mechanics, craftsmen and blacksmiths. It has seen Kansas become the proving grounds for such industry icons as Walter and Olive Ann Beech, Clyde Cessna, Matty Laird, Lloyd Stearman and Bill Lear, just to name a few. Through the “Golden Age” of Barnstorming and Air-Racing, the Kansas Aviation connection has always been at the forefront with such names as Amelia Earhart, Art Goebel, Frank Hawks, Benny Howard, and Blanche Noyes. Kansas has also played a significant role as a key component in the “arsenal of democracy,” with such intrepid manufacturers as Boeing (Wichita) and North American Aviation (Kansas City, KS) building medium and heavy bombers in the heartland. This amazing legacy is sustained even to this day as new names emerge to carry on the tradition of development that set the world standard for excellence in recreational, business and military aviation.
The Air Capital
But why Wichita as the “Air Capital of the World?” For those familiar with Wichita and its aviation manufactures, it is quite obvious that the city is bound closely to the production of aircraft. It is one of the world’s most important centers for the manufacture of aircraft. specifically, production of light general aviation aircraft and business jets, as well as the manufacturing of major structural components for large commercial and military aircraft.
Wichita has and continues to be home to the Boeing Company, Cessna Aircraft, Hawker Beechcraft, Bombardier Aerospace’s Learjet Division, Spirit AeroSystems and most recently, Airbus Industries Wing Design Division. Wichita’s major role and aircraft manufacturing dominance has virtually placed the city in the position of recognition as “Air Capital of the World.”
The Economy
It is at this point that we must address the downturn in the economy that virtually touches all business worldwide. As such, the Wichita aviation community has experienced its share in dealing with this challenge. That being said, we still are not seeing a “doom and gloom” market as aircraft are being manufactured and sold. There is simply a reduced activity in spending and businesses are taking a hard look at their expenses versus their income on their profit and loss statements. There’s a two-fold problem in the fact that manufacturers are losing sales and profits, but equally important are the hundreds and in some cases, thousands of aircraft workers who have been laid off with no immediate prospects for employment. This is a hard pill-to-swallow for everyone. We certainly don’t want to lose our valued, trained and experienced aerospace talent and they are rightly disturbed when they see many of their jobs going to foreign markets where the manufacturers have contracted continued production at a much lessor cost, thereby improving the cost of doing business. Currently Spirit AeroSystems and Union representations are endeavoring to improve their working relationships and finding methods to generate and keep contract work in the Air Capital.
Aircraft Manufacturing Activity
Current contract work by the aircraft manufactures in Wichita, the Air Capital can be accessed by logging on to www.wingsoverkansas.com and clicking on Aviation News. On this news page for example are news releases that detail how Cessna Aircraft is encouraged by signs of the growing General Aviation industry in India, which opens up market potential. In addition, Cessna’s Citation CJ4 recently gained FAA Type Certification. The CJ4 is one of their very popular business jets. Another exciting aircraft developed by Cessna is the “Skycatcher,” a Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) that offers new pilots an affordable option to aircraft ownership. Likewise Hawker Beechcraft is committed to business partner in the country of India with the Hawker 4000, Hawker 750 and King Air 350. Recently Hawker Beechcraft delivered the first Hawker 4000 to India. In other business, Hawker Beechcraft has delivered the 500th T-6 Military Trainer to the U. S. Government. Last but certainly not least, The Boeing Company is increasing production on its 777 and 747 models. Spirit AeroSystems makes portions of the fuselage and other components of both models for Boeing. However the biggest exciting news of all is that Spirit AeroSystems has been named to be teamed with Boeing in the production of the new KC-X Boeing Tanker that is anticipated to be awarded to The Boeing Company. Upon a contract award from the United States government to Boeing, Spirit will build the Boeing tanker’s forward fuselage section in Wichita, Kan. After completion, Spirit will ship the hardware to Boeing’s Everett, Washington facility for final assembly.
The Sun is Still Shining
A past Contributing Editor to WingsOverKansas.com, Dr. Frank G. Mitchell once wrote that the long time CEO of Cessna Aircraft Company, Dwane Wallace used to say when talking about general aviation in his speeches, “It’s still early in the morning and the sun is still shining!” His point was that the general aviation industry was just beginning to reach it’s potential in the world’s transportation picture. That outlook is still as true today as it was then. The potential of general aviation is still there to use and develop for the benefit of manufacturers and aerospace employees.
Center of the Aviation Universe
To summarize the thoughts of Lionel D. Alford, Jr., WingsOverKansas.com Contributing Editor, “Wichita is not only near the center of the United States, it is the center of the aviation universe. Every aircraft in the world has some touch of Wichita on it. Either it was made here, its parts came from here, it incorporates instruments or electronics from here, or at the least, its development was influenced by the nearly 50% of the worlds market aircraft that were manufactured here. The stark reality of aircraft is that the public and aviators have made the aircraft designed and manufactured in Wichita the face of aviation. When one thinks of a small twin, the first aircraft that comes to mind is a Beech Baron, that is the archetype. When one thinks of a business jet, the archetype is the Learjet. Likewise the archetype of a low wing single engine aircraft is a Bonanza. Who could forget the archetype of the single engine aircraft most pilots soled in as the Cessna 150. These are all Wichita aircraft. As long as Wichita remains a welcome place to aircraft development and manufacturing, it will remain as the center of the aviation universe.”
For more information on “Kansas Aviation Legacy” plus Aviation News, History, Feature Articles, Pioneers and much more, log on to www.wingsoverkansas.com.
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