Beechcraft Aircraft Charters, Sales and Leasing Services

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) was one of the most prominent aeronautical manufacturers in the world. Famous for its Beechcraft and Hawker lines of business jets, the American aerospace company was headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Today, the company has been relabeled as Beechcraft corporation after exiting bankruptcy in 2014.

History

Beech Aircraft Company was founded in 1932 in Wichita, Kansas. Throughout multiple acquisitions and over 80 years of production, the company's headquarters never left Wichita. The company began its initial operations in an unused Cessna factory. Their first aircraft, the Model 17 Staggerwing, was built over 750 times, with 270 produced solely for the United States during World War II. Its predecessor, the Model 18, won several efficiency awards and is still flown privately today. Among the best known Beech aircraft is the Beechcraft Bonanza, which was a revolutionary entry at the time of its arrival primarily known for its distinctive V-tail.

In 1980, Raytheon purchased the Beech Aircraft Corporation, which continued to operate under its own identity until 1994, when Beech Aircraft Corporation was merged with Raytheon Corporate Jets to form Raytheon aircraft. In 2002 however, Raytheon promoted the return of Hawker and Beechcraft brands after being previously marketed as Raytheon aircraft. In 2006, HBC was sold to a partnership between Goldman Sachs and Onex Corporation. In 2007, the company began operating as Hawker Beechcraft Corporation.

After the acquisition, the company suffered from a significant burden of debt, which was complicated further by the increasing economic turmoil beginning in 2008. By 2009, the company had laid off almost 3,000 employees or over 25% of its workforce. These lay offs were caused by a significant drop in order volume, particularly by fractional jet operators. In addition to a lack of orders, the orders the company did have were being continually canceled leading to major losses in revenue. In 2012, the company could no longer honor its interest payments and entered bankruptcy. In February 2013, after failed negotiations for purchase by Superior Aviation Beijing, HBC exited bankruptcy on its own and emerged as Beechcraft Corporation.

In the fourth quarter of 2013, American conglomerate Textron agreed to purchase Beechcraft, indicating interest to combine already Textron-owned Cessna with Beechcraft to create a more efficient, money-saving production structure. Although the companies will be combined, Textron plans to keep their brand names separate, at least initially. Learn more about Beechcraft's history on Wikipedia.

Types of Beechcraft Aircraft Available in the Market