Beechcraft was initially founded in the early 1930s, but has since become one of the most notable aircraft manufacturers in the general aviation industry. Currently, it is known as one of the "Big Three" of general aviation, along with Cessna and Piper Aircraft. The company was founded by Walter Beech, his wife, Olive Ann Beech, and the legendary aircraft designer, Ted A.
Wells, along with C.G. Yankey as its main investor.
It officially began its operations in an idle Cessna factory in 1932. Since then, the company has been very involved in the general aviation industry. Beechcraft was able to take advantage of the general aviation boom that followed World War II, producing popular aircraft like the Beechcraft Bonanza, which is still produced today.
It also introduced the Beechcraft King Air and the Super King Air, which also has a modern variant that is currently in production. Some of the most popular aviation brands come under Textron Aviation umbrella. Eventually, Beechcraft was purchased by Raytheon in 1980, which eventually merged the company with its Hawker product line in the 1990s.
The Beechcraft brand struggled in the 2000s due to a multitude of factors, which forced the company to file for bankruptcy in 2012. However, by the end of 2013, Textron agreed to purchase Beechcraft for over $1.4 billion.
This led to the formation of Textron Aviation, which encompasses both Beechcraft and Cessna, although the brands are kept separate and on opposite sides of town where the.