Timeline of Beechcraft Corp.

1925: Travel Air Manufacturing Co., co-founded by Walter H. Beech, builds OX- 5, first Beech-designed plane.

1932: Walter Beech, a former barnstormer, test pilot and salesman who grew up on a Tennessee farm, starts Beech Aircraft Corp. in Wichita with his wife, Olive Ann.

1934: Beech becomes full manufacturer with three models.

1936: Beech issues common stock, changes name to Beech Aircraft Corp.

1940s: During World War II, Beech builds AT-10 and AT-11 trainers, XA-38 Grizzly attack bombers. It converts some of the designs to peace-time planes when war ends.

1947: Beech introduces its single-engined piston Bonanza, a line still in production.

1950: Walter Beech dies; Olive Ann Beech becomes president of the company.

1964: Beech delivers first King Air Model 90, first in a series of turboprop business planes still in production.

1980: Beech shareholders (including Olive Ann Beech, with 19 percent of the company) agree to acquisition by Raytheon Corp.

1986: The company introduces its first business jet, the Beechjet.

1993: Raytheon Co. acquires the midsize Hawker jet line from British Aerospace PLC for $372 million.

1994: Raytheon says it will merge Beech and Raytheon Corporate Jets subsidiaries, renaming merged subsidiary Raytheon Aircraft Corp.

2007: Onex and Goldman Sachs buy the company and rename it Hawker Beechcraft Corp.

2012: Hawker Beechcraft files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

2013: The company emerges from bankruptcy as Beechcraft Corp.

Source: Eagle archives

This story was originally published February 19, 2013 at 6:09 AM with the headline "Timeline of Beechcraft Corp.."