Beechcraft

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The Beech Aircraft Corporation, purchased by Raytheon Aircraft on February 8, 1980, and often called Beechcraft after the name they give their aircraft, is a manufacturer of general aviation and military aircraft, ranging from light single engine aircraft to business jets and light military transports. It was founded in 1932 by Walter H. and Olive Ann Beech.

They first set up in Wichita, Kansas, in an idle Cessna factory and, with Ted Wells, began their first aircraft, the Beech Staggerwing model 17R. Two hundred and seventy were manufactured for the U.S. Army during World War II.

After the war the Staggerwing was replaced by the Bonanza. Perhaps the best-known Beech plane, the single-engine Bonanza has been manufactured for more than 50 years.

In 1994 Raytheon merged Beech Aircraft with the Hawker product line they had acquired the previous year from British Aerospace, forming Raytheon Aircraft Company. Although the Beech company name is no longer in use, Raytheon continues to sell several aircraft models with the Beech name.