Kansas Aviation Museum, Wichita, Kansas

May 8, 2018

The Kansas Aviation Museum is housed in the former Wichita Municipal Airport terminal.  Wichita was named the Air Capital of the World on August 12, 1927, as it had become a hub of U.S. aircraft production and design.  Early manufacturers included Beechcraft, Cessna, and Stearman Aircraft.  Examples of aircraft from early biplanes to modern jets are on display in the airport and the surrounding grounds.  Textron Aviation, Boeing, Learjet, Airbus and Spirit AeroSystems continue to operate, design, and manufacture aircraft in Wichita.

The City decided to build an airport in 1927 and broke ground for it in March 1929.  Construction was halted in 1930 due to the Great Depression.  In 1934, New Deal money and manpower from the Works Progress Administration resumed construction and the airport was dedicated in March 1935.

In 1941, a control tower was constructed on top of the terminal and Wichita had the nation’s first female air traffic controller in 1944.  In the 1940’s Wichita was one of the busiest airports in the U.S. with flights landing or taking off every 90 seconds.  In January 1951, the Air Force decided to establish a base in Wichita and took over the Municipal Airport and a new commercial airport (Mid-Continental Airport) was built and opened in 1954.

The USAF and Kansas National Guard used this facility for the next 30 years, eventually abandoning the building.  It was sold back to the City which leased it to the museum.  Opening day was in April 1991.

The Laird Swallow was first called the “Wichita Tractor”. It was built in 1920.

Early radial aircraft engine, the Wright Whirlwind A.C with nine cylinders.

The control tower added in 1941

Inside the control tower

Antique wooden propellers

Learjet LJ-23

Beechcraft Starship pusher plane–note the inverted tail

Air Force trainer T-37 in front of Boeing KC-135

Tail gunner position on a Boeing B-52 bomber

Cockpit of a Boeing 737 FedEx cargo jet

TWA passenger ramp from the 1950’s

An Air Force F84 in front of a B-52 bomber

Over a third of a million aircraft from 86 aviation manufacturing companies have been built in Kansas–everything from biplanes, stunt planes, personal aircraft, gliders, jets, spy planes, helicopters, drones, fighters, bombers and even Air Force One.