Air Capital of the World
There is a rich aviation history in the Heart of the Country, which is why Wichita is proud to the “Air Capital of the World.” Iconic aviation brands Beechcraft, Cessna, Learjet, and Stearman were born in Wichita; and modern-day Airbus Americas, Bombardier, Spirit AeroSystems, and Textron Aviation now design and manufacture aircraft and aircraft parts in this city. Aircraft manufacturing continues to be an economic driver in Wichita to this day.
Wichita first earned the title of Air Capital of the World in 1928, when the city’s 16 aircraft manufacturers rolled out 120 airplanes off the production lines each week. At that time, one out of every four U.S.-built airplanes came from Wichita. Today, our city can boast that we’ve had a hand in building hundreds of thousands of aircraft sizes and ancillary Wichita businesses have decades of history supporting the industry. This tour takes you to places to learn about and appreciate the city’s aviation history, such as the Kansas Aviation Museum, B-29 Doc Hangar, Education and Visitors Center, the Design Build Fly exhibit at Exploration Place and Stearman Field Bar & Grill.