1929 hangar will be razed

Hawker Beechcraft plans to demolish a historic hangar and an adjacent building on its property as part of a cost-cutting effort, the company said.

The work will be completed sometime this summer.

"We continue looking at ways to reduce the company's footprint during this challenging economic time," said Hawker Beechcraft spokeswoman Nicole Alexander.

The hangar was used by Hawker Beechcraft to build aircraft mock-ups that were used for marketing at shows and exhibitions.

The adjacent building was used for training. Both functions have been moved to other on-site facilities, Alexander said.

The hangar was built in 1929 by Buckley Aircraft Co. near what was then Travel Air field, according to a November 1929 clipping from Wichita Magazine.

Buckley Aircraft built an all-metal low-wing monoplane called the Wichcraft, or in some references Witchcraft.

William Stout, designer of the Ford Tri-Motor Airplane, was president and board chairman. Buckley built only two planes before it folded in 1931, according to Kansas Aviation Museum historian Walt House.

Over the years, the hangar was used by Herb Rawdon, chief engineer of Travel Air and later at Beech Aircraft, to build the Rawdon T-1, a two-seat trainer and crop duster.

Former Kansas Sen. Rip Gooch leased the Rawdon facility to start Aero Services in 1959.

Gooch ran the business for nearly 20 years and grew the business to more than 100 employees around the country, Gooch said.

" (There are) some memories to that," Gooch said.

Aero Services offered flying lessons, aircraft rentals, aircraft sales and service and contracted with the U.S. government to provide military airlift services.

Gooch trained the first police helicopter crew there, he said.

Marilyn and John Copeland bought the property in 1978, changed the name to Copeland Airport and renovated it.

The hangar acted as a showroom for aircraft in the early days of the operation, said the Copelands' son, David Copeland.

Copeland Aircraft represented Rockwell Commander and Grumman American aircraft. It also was a Cessna pilot's center and a full-service fixed-base operation.

In 1979, the Copelands held a re-enactment of Charles Lindbergh's 1930 transcontinental flight from California to New York. Lindbergh made a fuel stop at the site, Copeland said. Lindbergh attended the re-enactment.

Thousands turned out for the original flight, and hundreds attended the re-enactment, he said.

Eventually, the property was sold to Beech Aircraft, which later became Raytheon Aircraft, now Hawker Beechcraft.

This story was originally published May 19, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "1929 hangar will be razed."