Professional Pilot, May 2018
AL LOOKS BACK A 2013 return to the Learjet Wichita campus reveals significant expansion in less than 20 years Over its 55 years in Wichita Bombardier Learjet company facilities have grown from a series of Butler style buildings in 1963 to a broad sweeping complex of manufacturing flight test service support engineering and administrative buildings Since this 1998 photo was taken another large building has been added B y 2013 I had visited the Learjet campus in Wichita only once in the past 18 years Having resigned our firms public relations and advertising relationship with the company in 1985 there just was no reason The single exception was in 2007 2008 while I was serving 36 PROFESSIONAL PILOT May 2018 as interim CEO of the Greater Wichita Economic Development Coalition GWEDC Back then I led a small group of local governmental and business leaders calling on senior management of each of the communitys 5 major aerospace companies to ascertain how GWEDC might be able to assist them achieve their growth plans for the future that all were considering at that time As it turned out the timing was not the best as the impending economic downturn soon sent each scurrying to hold its own rather than accelerate growth But 2013 brought the 50th anniversary of the Oct 7 1963 first flight of the Learjet And to its credit Bombardier Learjet made a pretty big deal out of the milestone Among the activities its PR arm produced a series of very interesting newsletters highlighting the earliest days of the company and asked me to write one of the accounts Making the word Learjet synonymous with the term business jet During this brief activity I was asked to come out for a look around In a word I was astonished at the growth of the Learjet campus facilities The walk through of new building after new building at least from my reference was dramatic Where in my day the complex consisted of 4 Butler type buildings strung in a line adjacent to a tarmac with a single service center building facing this was a whole new world of modern well lighted and equipped manufacturing flight test and servicing facil By Al Higdon Former Beech and Learjet Communications Executive Cofounder of the Sullivan Higdon Sink Ad Agency First flight of a Learjet 23 on October 7 1963 set a company in motion Hundreds of Wichita cars filled with local residents lined the roadway adjacent to the Wichita Mid Continent Airport now Eisenhower to witness the historic event Photos courtesy Bombardier
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