BASIC ATLAS of KANSAS AVIATION HISTORY Here are a few basic maps -- that help tell the story of Kansas Aviation History, and the status of Kansas Aviation Today. CLICK ON ANY MAP TO ENLARGE. 1. KANSAS AVIATION MUSEUMS & RELATED MUSEUMS, MEMORIALS & MONUMENTS The following map depicts communities that have one or more aviation (or related) museums, and/or related memorials or monuments. For details on this map, CLICK HERE to go to the RESOURCES:  MUSEUMS page. 2. KANSAS AIRPORTS TODAY The following map depicts the locations of current Kansas airports, mostly public (excluding many small private airstrips). For more detailed information about an airport, visit AirNav.com, and enter the airport's location or name or 3-letter identifier (shown on the map). For info on obscure, inactive or vanished airports, try Paul Freeman's website "Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields". Despite having less than 2% of the nation's population, Kansas ranks 14th in the nation in the number of airports -- with over 150 airports -- ranging from grass strips and rooftop heliports to air force bases and an international airport (Wichita Mid-Continent International Airport).     During World War II, many military bases sprang up around Kansas (see map below). After the war, most of these large airfields became municipal airports. 3. KANSAS MILITARY AIR BASES, PAST & PRESENT The following map depicts the approximate locations of Kansas military air bases, past and present, including World War II Army Air Bases and Naval Air Stations, and postwar Army, Navy and Air Force bases. During World War II, many military bases sprang up around Kansas, most serving chiefly as bomber training bases. After the war, most of these large airfields became municipal airports. Kansas currently has four active military air bases: McConnell Air Force Base, Wichita     (USAF, KsANG) Forbes Air Force Base, Topeka     (USAF-Reserve, KsANG) Marshall Army Air Field, Ft. Riley (near Manhattan)     (USArmy) Smoky Hills Weapons Range, (near Salina)     (KsANG, used by all U.S. military services      and many U.S. allies) NOTE: Smoky Hills is a target range for bombing and gunnery practice, and has no regular landing field. 4. KANSAS AIRCRAFT FACTORIES PAST & PRESENT The following map depicts the approximate locations of Kansas aircraft factories, past and present. BLUE items are subassembly plants, making aircraft sections, engines, instruments, electronics or other major aircraft parts. UPDATE: A solid blue dot should appear over Chanute, in southeastern Kansas, becuase of the Airbus subassembly factory currently being developed there. RED items are final assembly factories producing whole aircraft. Note that many of those have also produced sections of aircraft for other facilities or manufacturers. Newton, just north of Wichita, is noted in red, because Bede Aircraft, though it produced only kits, produced kits for nearly-whole aircraft; Augusta appears in red because it reassembled Eagle 150B aircraft manufactured in Australia, disassembled for shipment to the U.S. REVISION NOTE: A solid red dot should appear over Kansas City, Kansas, because General Motors built Republic F-84 Thunderjets there, at Fairfax Airport, in the 1950s. 5. KANSAS AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURING EMPLOYMENT - TODAY The following map depicts the AVERAGE volume of employment in Kansas aircraft factories, in the present. Note that ACTUAL employment levels vary widely, month-to-month, and can vary as much as 50% at any given point in time. NOTE: Specific concentrations of factories and employment, today: Sedgwick Co. / Wichita area , in south-central Kansas, is chiefly due to factories of: Spirit Aerospace - making Boeing airliner sections. Boeing-Wichita - military aircraft-conversion and technology center. Cessna Aircraft - business jets, utility and light aircraft. Hawker-Beechcraft - business jets and turboprops, turboprop commuter airliners, military trainers, utility and light aircraft. Learjet Div. of Bombardier Aerospace - business jets. Bombardier Flight Test Center (BFTC) - flight test facility for all Bombardier aircraft, U.S. & Canada. aerospace subcontractors - including subassembly manufacturers and machine shops, instrument manufacturers, and aerospace industrial supply companies. Johnson Co. / Kansas City area in northeast Kansas, is chiefly due to aircraft electronics and instrument manufacturing, particularly at Bendix/King and Garmin, around Olathe. Ellis Co., around Hays, in north-central Kansas, is chiefly due to the RANS ultralight / light sport aircraft factory. Montgomery Co., around Independence, in southeast Kansas, is chiefly due to Cessna's Independence factory. 6. KANSAS AVIATION EMPLOYMENT CURRENT ANNUAL AVERAGES COMPARED TO NATIONAL AVERAGES The following map depicts the approximate annual average levels of Kansas aviation employment, compared to the rest of the nation. BLUE counties have aviation industry employment at least 20% higher than national averages (some multiple times higher), and are considered by the U.S. Census Bureau to be "specialized" in this work. RED counties have as little as 20% lower than national averages, but nevertheless have SOME aviation industry employment. GRAY counties have no significant measured aviation employment -- at least not in aircraft manufacturing (some other aviation employment may exist, such as commerical aviation, airport services, air ambulance, cropdusting, charter flying and training.) 7. KANSAS AVIATION SCHOOLS & RESEARCH CENTERS (Does not include commercial colleges or technical schools, or small flight schools, EXCEPT includes Wichita campuses of FlightSafety International -- world's largest chain of commercial aviation training institutions -- and a Wichita-area helicopter training service.) The following map depicts the locations of major Kansas aviation educational facilities -- colleges, universities, and specialized training centers for pilots and aircraft technicians, plus aerospace technology research centers. BLUE indicates a military special pilot training site: Smoky Hills Air National Guard Base -- a bombing and gunnery range for training all U.S. combat pilots, and those of many allied nations. RED facilities are civilian. All are non-profit public facilities, EXCEPT: FlightSafety International pilot and aircraft technician training centers around Wichita, which provide highly specialized aircraft training in specific brands of business aircraft, for pilots and technicians from all over the world; AND Kansas Copters & Wings / Schreib Air -- a helicopter pilot-training service -- at Augusta airport, east of Wichita. WICHITA area: AEROSPACE RESEARCH: The National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) --and-- Wichita State University (WSU) Aeronautical Engineering Dept. ...share a common research facility, including large and supersonic wind tunnels; NIAR has additional facilities offsite, and WSU has additional facilities onsite. NIAR is designated an FAA Center of Excellence in multiple fields of aeronautical research, and works directly with multiple aircraft manufacturers. AERO.ENGINEERING: Wichita State University Aeronautical Engineering Dept. One of America's first aeronautical engineering programs, WSU offers Bachelors, Masters & Ph.D. degrees in Aeronautical Engineering. Other departments offer the full range of degrees in Mechanical, Electrical and Industrial Engineering, and Computer Science. TECH.TRAINING: National Center for Aviation Training (NCAT) at Jabara Airport; provides FAA-approved A&P Aircraft Technician training from beginning to license and Associate's Degree; also provides other specialized aviation technical training on an irregular basis, and on contract with local aircraft manufacturers. UPDATE: One of the four schools in the nation selected by the FAA, Sept.2012, to assist in redefining the standards & rules for training aircraft technicians. TECH. TRAINING: FlightSafety International - Technical Training Centers for: Cessna near Cessna factory, at Mid-Continent Airport Hawker-Beechcraft beside Beech factory, at Beech Airport Learjet near Learjet factory, at Mid-Continent Airport PILOT TRAINING (SIMULATORS): FlightSafety International - Flight Training Centers for: Cessna near Cessna factory, at Mid-Continent Airport Hawker-Beechcraft beside Beech factory, at Beech Airport Learjet near Learjet factory, at Mid-Continent Airport PILOT TRAINING (HELICOPTER): Kansas Copters & Wings / Schreib-Air at Augusta airport. HUTCHINSON area (HESSTON): PILOT TRAINING: Hesston College Aviation Dept. provides a full course of pilot training from beginner to multi-engine / instrument / commercial and Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) rating, plus an associated college degree. Additional degree programs are available. Hesston is a long-established traditional liberal arts college. SALINA area: TECH.TRAINING: Kansas State University Aviation Dept. provides FAA-approved A&P Aircraft Technician training from beginning to license and associated college degree; also provides other specialized aviation technical training on an irregular basis, and on contract with local aircraft manufacturers. Additional degree programs are available, in conjunction with the main K-State campus at Manhattan, including engineering and business degrees. PILOT TRAINING: Kansas State University Aviation Dept. provides a full course of pilot training from beginner to multi-engine / instrument / commercial and Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) rating, plus an associated college degree. Additional degree programs are available, in conjunction with the main K-State campus at Manhattan, including engineering and business degrees. PILOT TRAINING (MILITARY): Smoky Hill Air National Guard Target Range is a U.S. military aerial gunnery and bombing target range, under the supervision of the Kansas Air National Guard (KANG), for use by all U.S. military services, and many U.S. allies. One of the largest target ranges in the world, very heavily used. LAWRENCE area: AEROSPACE RESEARCH: University of Kansas Aeronautical Engineering Dept. performs aerospace engineering research; sometimes uses offsite facilities, or partners with other Kansas institutions. AERO.ENGINEERING: University of Kansas Aeronautical Engineering Dept. offers Bachelors, Masters & Ph.D. degrees in Aeronautical Engineering KANSAS: STILL MAKING AVIATION HISTORY! Join us in celebrating a Century of Kansas Aviation!

|   HOME   |   ABOUT US   |   The STORY   |   EVENTS   |   RESOURCES   |   CONTACTS   |   LINKS |

^THE Kansas Aviation Centennial

  (316) 371 9079