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The first aeronautical event in Arkansas was the flight of a balloon around 1870 in Yell county. The first heavier than air flight was by James C. “Bud” Mars on 21 May 1910.[1]
Events
- July 1930, Walter Herschel Beech, founder of Beechcraft has an offer rejected to build a factory in Arkansas City, Arkansas, instead building the company in Wichita, Kansas.[2]
- September 19, 1980, a major mishap occurred after a socket rolled off a platform and punctured a Titan II Stage I fuel tank, subsequently causing the entire silo to explode, killing an Air Force airman, SrA David Livingston, and destroying the silo near Damascus, Arkansas.[3] A "B" grade television movie portrays this event, "Disaster at Silo 7".[4]
- 1 April 1981 Arkansas native, J. Lynn Helms is appointed as director of the FAA, serving through the 1981 Controller strike[5]
Aircraft Manufacturers
- Dassault Aviation maintains a final assembly facility in Little Rock, Arkansas for its Falcon series of jets.
Aerospace
Airports
Commercial Service
Organizations
- The Arkansas Aerospace Alliance is part of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.[6]
Government and Military
- All flight operations in Arkansas are conducted within FAA oversight.
- The Arkansas Department of Aeronautics was founded in 1966.[7]
Museums
- Arkansas Air & Military Museum, Fayetteville, Arkansas
- Fort Smith Air Museum, Fort Smith, Arkansas[8]
References
- ^ "Encyclopedia of Arkansas Culture". Retrieved 14 May 2012.
- ^ Heather D. Ferguson. Arkansas City. p. 101.
- ^ "Light on the Road to Damascus" Time magazine, September 29, 1980. Retrieved 2009-10-18
- ^ Disaster At Silo 7 (1988) IMDB Page
- ^ Gordon Baxter (June 1982). "The Arkansas Quick-Draw". Flying Magazine: 76.
- ^ "Arkansas Aerospace Alliance". Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- ^ Karr Shannon (1967). Arkansas almanac: the encyclopedia of Arkansas.
- ^ Lee Ellis. Free Tours, Museums and Sites in America: Southern States Series. p. 44.