Bonanza, T-6A Start A New Chapter In Beech History

Two days after the launch of the new company, Hawker Beechcraft Corporation tells ANN it delivered its first aircraft to commercial and government customers on Wednesday. A Beechcraft Bonanza G36 was delivered to customer Vic Flegler, and the keys to a new T-6A Texan II primary trainer were handed to Capt. Brent Looby and Capt. Matt Pearce (USMC) from Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma.

"Over the past several days in meetings with employees and customers, I have referenced the Beechcraft and Hawker books that describes the history of our great company, and that we will now begin to write the next book setting forth the future history of Hawker Beechcraft," said Jim Schuster, chairman and CEO of Hawker Beechcraft Corporation. "These two deliveries will be included in the first chapter of that new book."

Mr. Flegler (shown above) is an HVAC distributor headquartered in Tulsa, OK. His first flight in an airplane was in a 1950 V-tail Bonanza, and he began flying at the age of 14 in Dodge City, KS. Flegler is now a 3,800-hour pilot with two jet ratings.

The Beechcraft Bonanza is the only aircraft in history to remain in continuous production for 60 years, with over 18,000 Bonanzas built and delivered in that time. The latest G36 features a Garmin G1000 avionics suite, including the new Garmin GFC 700TM autopilot -- the first application of the fully integrated avionics system in piston engine aircraft.

The T-6A Texan II is the military trainer for the US Air Force and US Navy’s Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS). The JPATS program was awarded to what was then Beech Aircraft Corporation in 1996, with training beginning at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia in October of 2001. The Hellenic Air Force of Greece has 45 aircraft and the NATO Flying Training Canada (NTFC) program has 26 aircraft. The T-6A has accumulated over 550,000 fleet hours around the world.

To date, the US Air Force and US Navy have ordered 420 aircraft, and over 350 have been delivered. The JPATS program calls for the company to build nearly 800 of the primary trainers through the year 2017 while expecting increased domestic and international sales during that time. Support for the aircraft will continue through 2050.

Vance AFB conducts joint US Air Force and US Navy primary flight training. Over 90 T-6A Texan II aircraft are operated at the base.

FMI: www.hawkerbeechcraft.com