Wichita: Rich in Aviation History

Leaving the heart of Wichita, Kansas, I drive to the building that once served the city as its airport. A grand art-deco building has been meticulously preserved and now serves as the Kansas Aviation Museum.

After financial difficulties getting started, money and workforce became available through the New Deal and the Works Progress Administration, allowing construction to resume. The building was dedicated on March 31, 1935.

In its heyday, Wichita Municipal was a major mid-continent stopover for airlines. During the 1940s, it was one of the busiest airports in the nation, with tower operators managing the constant stream of incoming and outgoing commercial flights. In 1944, a take-off or landing occurred every 90 seconds.

Wichita was also a significant destination for nearly every aviation luminary.

Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, and many other celebrities crossed the ramp, admired the beautiful Art Deco terminal, and dined in its cafeteria. Fred Astaire once entertained fellow passengers by dancing in the atrium while awaiting a flight.

These days, the space houses an exciting collection of artifacts, photographs, and placards explaining the great aviation history of Wichita.

I begin my tour on the tarmac, where several airplanes have been retired. I walk under the wings of massive Boeing 727 and Boeing 737, and peek inside private jets, including Cessna U206, Beech U-8 Queen Air, and a Learjet, and walk past several military planes, including U.S. Air Force B-47, KC-135, and Lockheed T-33.

I also admire the Art Deco trim along the once-busy airport from this vantage point.

Inside the terminal, additional fascinating history and architecture comes to life.

Among the exhibits is the Engine Room, which offers information about the evolution of engines, propellers, and innovation; the Military Exhibit and the WW II Exhibit.

My favorite exhibits highlight the lives and business journeys of Clyde Cessna and Walter Beech.

Clyde Cessna, a farmer in Rago, Kansas, built an aircraft and flew it in June 1911. He was the first to do so between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains. Cessna Aircraft began when Clyde Cessna and Victor Roos became partners in the Cessna-Roos Aircraft Company in 1927. Roos resigned just one month into the partnership, selling his interest to Cessna.

Even with the difficulties of the Great Depression, Cessna went on to build aircraft known worldwide today.

Beechcraft Aircraft Company was founded in Wichita, Kansas, in 1932 by Walter Beech as president and his wife Olive Ann Beech as secretary. The company developed the first aircraft under the Beechcraft name, the classic Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing, which first flew in November 1932. Over 750 Travel Staggerwings were built, with 352 manufactured for the United States Army Air Forces and 67 for the United States Navy during World War II.

A 1944 Beech Staggerwing is on display as one of the aircraft exhibited in the indoor gallery. Other indoor planes on exhibit are the 1921 Laird Swallow, 1931 Stearman Model 4D, 1930 Watkins Skylark, 1951 Mooney Mite, and 1927 Swallow.

My last stop is the control tower. A small room with a 360-degree view of all the planes in the outdoors display and beyond is up two flights of steps. It is one of the highest viewpoints in the city.

Whether you are a history buff, aviation enthusiast, or simply appreciate Art Deco design, the Kansas Aviation Museum is an excellent way to find aircraft examples and local aviation history.

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