Wichita brought it all together. It claimed the title of Air Capital of the World in 1928 and holds it still. The birthplace of Beechcraft, Cessna, Learjet, Mooney and Stearman has built roughly 300,000 aircraft. More than any other place on the planet. Today it builds leading piston aircraft, advanced business jets and major aircraft components. It’s quite a story. One that continues to unfold.
Wichita: Where Aviation Took Wing.
At one time, the city was home to 16 aircraft manufacturers, six engine factories, 11 airports and a dozen flying schools. The Air Capital helped secure Allied victory in WWII with its trainers, bombers and drones. It set the stage for modern commercial airliners as a major producer of Boeing’s revolutionary B-47 Stratojet. It ushered in the jet set and a new way to think about business aviation. Wichita has delivered more than half of all the general aviation airplanes ever built and has one of the world’s highest concentrations of highly skilled aviation workers. Every day the Air Capital adds to its ongoing story.
Few in-depth histories exist that explore the individuals and companies who made Wichita the Air Capital of the World. This book occupies a niche all its own.
While it serves to educate, it’s more about inspiring the reader. To ignite the wonder of flight. To promote aviation and Wichita’s role in it. We designed this book for all: aviation enthusiasts and general audiences, young and old, locals and visitors. Consider it our gift to a beloved industry and community. Enjoy.
Telling Wichita’s aviation story stands out as a highlight of our agency’s 30-year history. When we were selected in 2007 to create an aviation display for the new terminal at Wichita’s municipal airport, we committed ourselves to doing it justice. And getting it right.
Our first step: the creation of a powerhouse advisory board. We worked with area aircraft manufacturers, suppliers, historians and civic leaders. We sourced stories, double-checked facts and, more than once, served as arbiter for nuances in interpretations, memories and records. We fostered collaboration through an online forum, helping guarantee no unhappy post-production surprises.
Today, the result of our labors can be seen in three-dimensional, monumental displays that populate the waiting area and concourses within the beautiful Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport terminal, which opened May 2015.
Greteman Group has made the Air Capital home since 1989. We started working with Learjet in 1991 and quickly made aviation our niche. We began attending the big NBAA tradeshows and reading industry pubs. For almost a decade, we created Bombardier’s Contrails magazine, traveling the world to profile CEOs, entrepreneurs, flight department directors, pilots and mechanics. Our already strong pull toward aviation grew as our industry knowledge broadened and deepened. Clients rolled in: fractional, training, FBO, MRO, airport, insurance, inflight connectivity, suppliers, support services, airlines. The list keeps expanding. From our base in the Air Capital, we don’t simply love aviation. We live it.
Have you (or a relative) been part of Wichita’s aviation history? If so, we want to know about it. Please share photos and anecdotes here.
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