When Wichita’s new airport terminal opened in 2015, one of the most talked-about features was the large-scale display about the city’s aviation-related history.
Now that material has been expanded upon and put into book form, so you can enjoy it even when not traveling.
Wichita: Where Aviation Took Wing was created by the Greteman Group, which also developed the airport display.
“When you’re flying through the airport, you only have so much time to interact with the display,” says Sonia Greteman, the agency’s president and creative director. “The book lets you hold these stories in your hand – and be struck all over again by the sheer audaciousness of our becoming Air Capital of the World.”
The book takes readers from the early barnstormers to the entrepreneurs who established dozens of aircraft and associated factories in the 1920s, continues with the founding of Cessna, Beechcraft and Stearman (which became Boeing Wichita, then Spirit AeroSystems), the massive build-up during World War II and the post-war growth of Learjet and more.
The book is available online at WichitaAviationHistory.com. It can also be found at a number of Wichita retailers and gift shops including B-29 Doc Hangar & Education Center, Exploration Place and Watermark Books.
