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39-625: An early leader in single-engine, light-aircraft manufacturing, from 1925 to 1931, Travel Air was the largest-volume aircraft manufacturer in the United States in 1928 -- the principal contributor to Wichita becoming named the "Air Capital City" by the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce . Travel Air produced the trend-setting Travel Air Mystery Ship racer, which forced radical changes in U.S. military aircraft. Travel Air also developed early small airliners, including Delta Airlines ' first, and

78-698: A finalist in 2012 for PRWeek Awards 2013's Public Affairs Campaign of the Year. In July 2024, AIA signed a letter to members of both the House Committee on Armed Services and the Senate Committee on Armed Services opposing Section 828 of S. 4628, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 , entitled "Requirement for Contractors to Provide Reasonable Access to Repair Materials," which would require contractors doing business with

117-567: A lower powered Travel Air to race with.” Aerospace Industries Association#Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce The Aerospace Industries Association ( AIA ) -- originally the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce (1922-1945), then Aircraft Industries Association (1945-1960) -- is an American trade association representing manufacturers and suppliers of civil, military, and business aircraft , helicopters , UAVs , space systems , aircraft engines , missiles , material, and related components, equipment, services, and information technology in

156-544: A series of wire-braced, low-wing racing airplanes built by the Travel Air company in the late 1920s and early 1930s. They were so called because the first two aircraft of the series ( R614K , R613K , together with Model B-11-D R612K ) were built entirely in secrecy. In total, five Type Rs were built and flown by some of the most notable flyers of the day, including Jimmy Doolittle , Doug Davis , Frank Hawks , and Pancho Barnes , not only in races but also at air shows across

195-461: A strong U.S. industrial base, defense modernization, and an efficient acquisition system." Another AIA advocacy endeavor is National Aerospace Week , an event that celebrates aerospace in the United States. In 2010, National Aerospace Week was established under a resolution passed by both houses of the U.S. Congress , in conjunction with AIA. This event has been recognized by NASA and the U.S. Department of Commerce . In late 2011, AIA launched

234-512: Is Eric Fanning . The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) is governed by a board of governors that meets twice a year and consists of senior representatives of member companies at the c-suite level, and an executive committee that meets more frequently. The government frequently seeks advice from AIA on issues, and AIA provides a forum for government and industry representatives to exchange views and resolve problems on non-competitive matters related to aerospace and defense. Founded in 1919 with

273-672: The Aviation Industries Association ( AIA ). In 1960, during the early years of the Space Race , was renamed the Aerospace Industries Association ( AIA ) AIA Chairman are selected from the leadership of member companies, as voted by the Board of Governors. Each Chairman serves a yearlong term, begin on 1 January and ending on 31 December. Travel Air Type R Mystery Ship The Type R "Mystery Ships" were

312-588: The Beechcraft Heritage Museum in Tullahoma, Tennessee. The second Type R, NR613K (Race No. 32) powered by a six-cylinder D-6 Chevrolair, manufactured by Arthur Chevrolet Aviation Motors Corporation of Indianapolis, Indiana. The six-cylinder air-cooled, inverted inline engine developed 165 hp at 2,175 rpm, and powered NR613K to a win in the Experimental class at the 1929 National Air Races. NR613K

351-877: The United States . It also co-sponsors, with the National Association of Rocketry , the America Rocketry Challenge (TARC), an annual competition for high school students. Member companies also give awards and scholarships to top placing teams at the TARC national finals each year, and it is funded through sponsoring companies. AIA also develops the manufacturing standards called National Aerospace Standards , which are available to aerospace manufacturers that conform to United States Military Standards for equipment manufacturing and provide standards for other various components. The organization's current president and CEO

390-548: The 17th Travel Air model, but as the Beech Model 17 "Staggerwing." The company initially built a series of sporting and training open-cockpit biplanes, including the Model A, Model B, Model BH, and Model BW (These were subsequently renumbered .) Other types included the 5000 and 6000 high wing cabin monoplanes and the CW / 7000 mailplane. The A differed in some minor details such as lacking

429-631: The 4000). Aside from the Wichita Fokkers seen in such movies as Howard Hughes ' Hell's Angels , likely the most famous of the open cockpit biplanes was N434N, a D4D (the ultimate derivative of the BW) painted in Pepsi colors for airshow and skywriting use which survives in the National Air & Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy annex. A second, backup D4D, N434P, used by Pepsi in later years to supplement and fill-in for

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468-1020: The Aerospace Industries Association and the National Association of Rocketry . Co-sponsors include NASA , United States Department of Defense , the American Association of Physics Teachers and the Civil Air Patrol . The event receives local and national media coverage and draws well-known representatives of the Defense Department , NASA , the FAA , and other government agencies. Past National Fly-Offs have been attended by United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates , Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin , Rocket Boys author Homer Hickam , former NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe , U.S. Senator Mike Enzi , and former NASA Administrator, Charles Bolden . In October 2017, AIA's membership

507-835: The Curtis-Wright Corporation in March 1932 to form Beech Aircraft Company in Wichita,Ks. In August 1929, the first Women's Air Derby was held. Of the 20 entrants in the Women's Air Derby, otherwise known as "the Powder Puff Derby", seven flew Travel Airs and it was Louise Thaden who won the Santa Monica, Calif., to Cleveland race. Opal Kunz finished eighth. The other five Travel Airs were flown by Pancho Barnes , Claire Fahy , Marvel Crosson , Mary von Mack , and Blanche Noyes . One of

546-450: The Second to None federal budget education campaign to inform the public and elected officials about the importance of the aerospace and defense industry and provide answers to what the predicted impacts of federal budget cuts, commonly known as sequestration, will have on the aerospace and defense industry. The campaign received significant media attention in 2012 for its efforts and competed as

585-537: The Travel Air designs though they were renumbered again so that the 4000 became the 4, the 6000 became the 6. Additional types that had been close to production number from 8 to 16 were built while under Curtiss-Wright management such as the Curtiss-Wright CW-12 . which in various marks was sold to several South American countries. Travel Air Founder (with Clyde Cessna and Lloyd Stearman) Walter Beech resigned from

624-669: The Type 6000 on their mail and passenger routes from Chicago to Dallas, Kansas City and New York. Two Travel Air 6000 were purchased by the Paraguayan government during the Chaco War (1932–1935) for the Transport Squadron of its Air Arm. These planes belonged to TAT with the registrations NC624K (c/n 6B-2011) and NC9815 (c/n 6B-1029); They received the military serials T-2 and T-5 (later reserialled as T-9). The planes were intensively used during

663-522: The US military to agree "to provide the Department of Defense fair and reasonable access to all the repair materials, including parts, tools, and information, used by the manufacturer or provider or their authorized partners to diagnose, maintain, or repair the good or service." The America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) is an annual American model rocketry competition for students in grades seven to 12 sponsored by

702-487: The United States, and most notably, by Hawks in Europe. The environment in air racing at the time was one of give and take with the military. A civilian designer would take an existing aircraft design, modify it for greater speed and enter it in the race. Since the military already had access to the fastest and most advanced aircraft available, it was simply a matter of upping the horsepower on whatever aircraft they were using and

741-455: The aerospace and defense supply chain. Open to both Full Members and Associate Members, the Council's mission is to integrate and focus the collective capabilities of the supply chain, at every level, to influence the strategies, policies, and regulations that enable the U.S. aerospace and defense industry to successfully compete in the global market, be profitable, and strengthen the U.S. position as

780-578: The conflict as air ambulances. They both survived the war and continued flying in the air arm. In 1945, they were transferred to the first Paraguayan airline, Líneas Aéreas de Transporte Nacional (LATN) and received the civil registrations ZP-SEC and ZP-SED. They were withdrawn from use in 1947. The CH or 7000 — a single-engine, cabin biplane, with a pilot's open-cockpit above and behind the small, enclosed cabin for cargo or passengers — found little success, but ended up in Alaska as an early bushplane. Travel Air

819-566: The first civilian plane to reach Hawaii by air. With Walter Beech as its last President, the company was acquired by Curtiss-Wright Corporation , and moved to St. Louis, Missouri , before production ceased in the Great Depression . However, Beech returned to Wichita in 1932, acquired the abandoned Travel Air factory, and resumed production under his own name, with the Beech Aircraft Corporation — producing what would have been

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858-404: The idea just before the air racing season began, so they designed the aircraft in their spare time, without pay until they could get Beech to agree to build the type. During an era when biplanes were still common, the use of a monoplane planform, a NACA engine cowl, and large wheel pants significantly reduced aerodynamic drag, creating a streamlined design. Construction of the fuselage and wings

897-455: The majority of contestants disappeared at sea or otherwise died attempting the crossing. Travel Air then produced the Model 6000 , a five or six-seat high-wing cabin monoplane — intended for airline use, and for very wealthy private owners. A small fleet of Travel Air 6000s were the first airliners for Delta Air Service (eventually renamed Delta Airlines ). In 1928, National Air Transport operated

936-535: The most advanced aircraft of the day, by far outpacing anything that even the military could offer. On September 2, 1929, Doug Davis entered the "Mystery Ship" in the Thompson Cup Race. Davis won at a speed of 194.9 mph (one lap flown at 208.69 mph), beating the military entries, even recircling one of the pylons twice. Davis missed the second pylon of the course, circled back and while circling it again blacked out momentarily. Not knowing if he had missed

975-441: The odd qualifications was that the aircraft would have to have horsepower “appropriate for a woman.” Opal Kunz was told her airplane was too fast for a woman to handle, and had to get another aircraft or stay out of the race. “…Though Opal Kunz owned and flew her own 300 horse power Travel Air, it was disallowed since it was deemed by the judges to be “too fast for a woman to fly.” With US$ 25,000.00 in prize money at stake, she bought

1014-543: The original aircraft, is housed in the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos, California . The Travel Air 5000 was a Cessna design, ordered in small numbers for National Air Transport . Two were custom-built long-range endurance aircraft similar in concept to Charles Lindbergh 's Spirit of St. Louis . Woolaroc , flown by Art Gobel won the disastrous Dole Air Race from Oakland, California to Hawaii in which

1053-503: The overhanging Fokker style ailerons that gave the rest of the series the nickname Wichita Fokker (not present on all of the later models though), while the B, BH and BW differed only in the engine installed – the A and B had a Curtiss OX-5 , the BH had a Hispano-Suiza V-8, the BW had a Wright radial (of various types) though other radials would be installed later (especially after it became

1092-403: The problem was solved. This led to the military completely dominating the air racing scene. In an effort to combat this, two Travel Air designers; Herb Rawdon and Walter Burnham undertook proving that a civilian aircraft built from scratch and designed exclusively for racing (as opposed to combat or passenger/mail service) could out-fly the military. Under construction during 1928, the aircraft

1131-473: The purpose of representing the American aviation industry, AIA has since expanded the scope of that vision with technological advance in aerospace. Today, on behalf of its more than 340 member companies, AIA advocates for aerospace and defense issues ranging from technical workforce policy to space exploration . Notable recurring topics of advocacy include "...   robust federal budgets for aerospace and defense,

1170-701: The racing circuit for several years and had the distinction of being faster than anything the U.S. military had on strength. It forced the U.S. military to face the need to give up biplane fighters and water-cooled engines. Its renown led to one example being sold to the Italians which inspired the design of a racing aircraft and the Breda Ba.27 fighter. Travel Air merged with the Curtiss-Wright Corporation in August 1929. Curtiss-Wright continued to manufacture some of

1209-472: The rest, after Hawks toured the European continent. After factory construction and testing, it was subsequently disassembled, shipped by boat to Italy and served as the basis for the Breda Ba.27 fighter. It was later scrapped. The last Type R was built by Travel Air after it had been absorbed by Curtiss-Wright. The Model R series set numerous speed records for both pylon racing and cross-country flying, and were

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1248-473: The world leader. The Aircraft Year Book (1919 -1957 ), Aerospace-Facts-and-Figures (1959 -1996 ), Annual-Report-Of-The-President (1952 -1996), and other research documents have been uploaded and are online. The Smithsonian reports that the AIA was originally incorporated as the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce ( ACC ) in 1922. Other sources, however, report that: At the end of World War II , in 1945, it became

1287-637: Was a complete loss. The fourth Type R, NR1313, purchased by the Texaco Company for Frank Hawks as "Texaco 13" became the most famous of the series, setting numerous long-distance records both in the United States and internationally. "Texaco 13" is now displayed at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois. A fifth Type R, 11717/MM185, was built at the request of the Italian government several years after

1326-628: Was also responsible for a series of very successful racing aircraft, which due to the company being extremely secretive about them during development, were named Mystery Ships by the press. In 1929, at the National Air Races in Cleveland , the first Travel Air Model R Mystery Ship became the first American airplane to outrun the nation's top fighter aircraft, winning the Thompson Trophy unlimited-class pylon race. The Mystery Ships dominated

1365-400: Was based on a plywood structure with the thin wings braced with wires. The sleek, polished fuselage continued the shape and width of the cowl throughout, with the cockpit featuring a small windshield, set nearly flush with the skin. A turtle deck extended from the cockpit to the vertical tail creating a fairing for the helmeted head of the pilot. The first "Mystery Ship", NR614K (Race No. 31),

1404-439: Was composed of 346 member companies. This diverse group of businesses includes large aerospace and defense companies and small businesses alike. Membership is divided into full and associate membership. One of AIA's key membership sources is its Supplier Management Council (SMC). The SMC is a unique, non-attributional forum where senior supply chain representatives from system integrators and manufacturers tackle issues that impact

1443-421: Was designed for both closed-course and long-distance racing. NR614K had two sets of wings, a shorter set of racing wings, about one and a half feet (0.46 m) shorter in span and three inches (7.6 cm) narrower in chord than the set used for cross-country events. R614K was destroyed when it caught fire before the 1931 Thompson Trophy race. The plane has since undergone a complete restoration and now resides at

1482-559: Was kept under cover prior to the 1929 Cleveland Air Races, with the builders even going so far as painting the windows on the factory to keep the curious press from getting a look at it. The local Wichita paper picked up on the secret program, with one reporter even going so far as to scale a ladder to try to peek into the vents in the factory roof. The paper dubbed it the "Mystery Ship" and the name stuck with R (for Rawdon) added. Rawdon and Burnham both knew that to approach Travel Air CEO Walter Beech would be fruitless, unless they hit him with

1521-614: Was later converted back to a radial-engined version by Florence "Pancho" Barnes . Paul Mantz later purchased the aircraft and used it extensively in film work. Years later, Barnes bought it back in an auction where other pilots made sure nobody bid against her. It is currently undergoing restoration in the UK. The third Mystery Ship, NR482N (Race No. 35), was purchased by Shell for the use of Jimmy Hazlip and Jimmy Doolittle . NR614K's short wings were later purchased by Shell and were used, as required, on Doolittle's Race No. 400. NR482N also crashed and

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