Hawker Beechcraft Corporation Celebrates 1st Anniversary
This week, Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC), the business, special-mission and trainer aircraft manufacturer, celebrates another milestone —the first anniversary of Hawker Beechcraft Corporation as a private company. The anniversary comes at an incredibly exciting time for HBC, having recently announced a record 2007 backlog, record international sales, an increased workforce to over 9,000 employees, an expanded product line with five new aircraft certified during the year, while leading the industry with revolutionary products like the composite Hawker 4000, the most advanced super-midsize jet in the world today.
On March 26, 2007, the company formerly called Raytheon Aircraft Company was acquired from Raytheon Company by GS Capital Partners, an affiliate of Goldman Sachs and Onex Partners. Raytheon Company announced it had signed a definitive agreement to sell Raytheon Aircraft Company on December 21, 2006.
Although the celebration honors the company’s first year as Hawker Beechcraft Corporation, the company has a rich history as a pioneer in the aviation industry. In 1932, Beech Aircraft Corporation was founded in Wichita, Kan., by Walter H. Beech when he left an executive position with Curtiss-Wright Corporation to start manufacturing airplanes from scratch with his wife and business partner, Olive Ann Beech. Last year, the company celebrated its 75th year of aviation excellence.
From the pioneering flights of the very first Beechcraft Model 17 biplane known as the Staggerwing – to Hawker 4000 super-midsize business jet featuring advanced composite material – the company is rich in heritage, achievement and innovation.
Over the past year, Hawker Beechcraft Corporation’s accomplishments have included:
• Celebrated the 75th anniversary of Beechcraft
• The Beechcraft Bonanza turned 60 years old and is still the most sought after single engine piston in the world
• HBC certified and introduced five new aircraft into the marketplace – the Hawker 900XP, Hawker 750, Beechcraft King Air 350ER, King Air B200GT and King Air C90GTi
• The company secured multiple large fleet orders from NetJets Europe for 32 Hawker 4000s, and BJETS based in India and Singapore for 20 Hawker 850XPs and 900XPs, with an option for 10 additional aircraft
• More than $160 million dollars were invested in research and development and facility improvements
• The company achieved the highest backlog in its 75-year history in 2007 with 60 percent of bookings coming from international customers
• HBC opened its International Sales Headquarters in Chester, U.K.
• The company opened a new sheet metal facility in Chihuahua, Mexico
• Hawker Beechcraft Services announced plans to build a new maintenance and service center in Indianapolis
• HBC opened the first Hawker Beechcraft Authorized Service Center in India to support its Hawker aircraft
• The company was named the safest aircraft manufacturer in the industry
• The Federal Aviation Authority presented HBC with the Diamond Award, its most coveted honor for aircraft maintenance excellence at HBC’s facilities in Bakersfield, Indianapolis, San Antonio, Wichita, Tampa, Van Nuys and Little Rock
• The company supported several local organizations through the Hawker Beechcraft Charitable Fund with contributions totaling nearly $1 million, as well as participated in many important community events at Hawker Beechcraft locations across the world.
Hawker Beechcraft Corporation’s current lineup includes the Hawker 4000, Hawker 900XP, Hawker 750 and Hawker 400XP business jets; the largest and fastest single-pilot business jet in the world, Beechcraft Premier IA; the world’s best-selling turboprop lineup, Beechcraft King Air 350, B200GT and C90GTi; and the next generation of the time-honored classic pistons, Beechcraft Baron G58 and Beechcraft Bonanza G36.
The company’s headquarters and major facilities are located in Wichita, Kan., with operations in Salina, Kan., Little Rock, Ark. and Chester, England, U.K. The company leads the industry with has a global network of over 100 factory-owned and authorized service centers.
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