Walter Beech worked for both the Laird Swallow Company and the Travel Air Manufacturing Company before he started Beechcraft in 1932. While Walter brought aviation experience to the new company, his wife Olive Ann Beech brought the business savvy. Under the leadership of the Beech family, Beechcraft released its first plane, an elegant cloth and wood biplane known as the model 17 ‘Staggerwing.’  The following year saw the release of the Beech 18, a twin-engine aluminum-skinned plane that was used for countless military and civilian applications. When Walter suffered a fatal heart attack in 1950, Olive Ann became president and CEO. Mrs. Beech ran the company with tact and force until Beechcraft was purchased by Raytheon in 1980. Beechcraft, together with Cessna and later Learjet, ensured that nearly the entire general aviation market was dominated by Wichita-based airplane manufacturers throughout the twentieth century.

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