Beechcraft Aircraft Founded in 1932 in Wichita, Kansas, Beech Aircraft Corporation was initially led by aviation pioneer Walter Beech until his death in 1950. His wife, Olive Ann Beech, then took the helm as President and Chairman, steering the company until 1982. Beechcraft is renowned for producing iconic aircraft, including the Model 17 Staggerwing and the Bonanza. First flown in 1945, the Bonanza became Beechcraft's most popular model, boasting the longest production run in aviation history, with three [...]

Diamond Aircraft Industries Founded in 1981 by Austrian designer Wolf Hoffmann, Diamond Aircraft Industries started as Hoffmann Flugzeugbau, gaining recognition with the HK36 Dimona motor glider – a leading model in its class in Europe. The company underwent several changes, including a name change to Hoffman Aircraft Limited in 1985 and the certification of the DV20 Katana in North America in 1993. In the early 2000s, it introduced the DA42 Twin Star, a diesel-engine aircraft, and rebranded as [...]

Bombardier Aerospace Before the LearJet 60 took to the skies, its story began with Bill Lear's pioneering vision in business aviation. The original Learjet legacy started in the 1960s, revolutionizing private air travel with the first purpose-built business jet, the Learjet 23. By the late 1980s, Gates Learjet Corporation (which had acquired the company from Bill Lear) wanted to evolve its successful Learjet 55 series into something more powerful and efficient. In 1990, Gates Learjet was acquired by [...]

Piper Aircraft Founded in 1927 by Clarence and Gordon Taylor on the edge of the Great Depression, Piper started as the Taylor Aircraft Manufacturing Company. Their straightforward goal was to build reliable and innovative aircraft. However, just a year later, Gordon died in an aircraft accident. After this tragedy, businessman William Piper encouraged Clarence to keep the company going in Pennsylvania. The Taylor Brothers designed the Piper Cub, which was found to be successful early on. However, after [...]

Cessna by Textron Aviation Cessna Aviation's rich history began in June 1911, when Clyde Cessna, a farmer from Kansas, built and flew a powered aircraft, marking a key moment in American aviation. After testing his designs in Enid, Oklahoma, Clyde faced financial challenges that led him to Wichita. In 1924, he co-founded Travel Air Manufacturing Co. but left in 1927 to start the Cessna Aircraft Company. This is where he introduced successful monoplane designs, including the "Phantom." The [...]

Bombardier Introduced in 1995, the Bombardier Challenger 604 is part of an aircraft legacy that began with the Canadair Challenger 600 series. Challenger 600 is a line of business jets that first flew in 1980. Canadair, a company known for its expertise in aerospace, originally developed the Challenger 600 as a revolutionary new aircraft that combined the comfort of a large cabin with the efficiency of a midsize jet. The Challenger 600 quickly became popular for corporate aviation, [...]