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]
| Aviation in Arkansas | |
|---|---|
| Aviation in the United States | |
 Arkansas State Flag | |
| Airports | |
| Commercial – primary | 4 |
| Commercial – non-primary | 2 |
| General aviation | 71 |
| Other public-use airports | 22 |
| Military and other airports | 3 |
| First flight | |
| 1870 - Hot air balloon | |
Events
edit- 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
edit- Dassault Aviation maintains a final assembly facility in Little Rock, Arkansas for its Falcon series of jets.
Aerospace
editAirports
editCommercial Service
editOrganizations
edit- The Arkansas Aerospace Alliance is part of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.[6]
Government and Military
edit
Museums
edit- Arkansas Air & Military Museum, Fayetteville, Arkansas
- Fort Smith Air Museum, Fort Smith, Arkansas[8]
References
edit- ^ "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.