WICHITA, KS – JANUARY 10, 2012

The displays inside the Kansas Aviation Museum tell the story of Wichita’s tie to the aircraft industry. The planes on display here are a Stearman model 73 (back left), built in 1935, and a model replica of a Cessna 620 (right).
The city of Wichita, KS is tied closely to the aircraft industry. Over the past century, Wichita has been the home to most of the large aviation manufacturers. Some people equate Wichita and aviation to Silicon Valley and the computer chip. However, over the past three years Wichita has seen many layoffs in the aircraft sector including the most recent news by Boeing that they will be leaving the city for good after over 8 decades of doing business in the city.