Please understand that I am a science teacher in Wichita, Kansas and, to a degree, I am looking from the outside-in . . . and I'm angry, very angry.
After 80 years in Wichita, Boeing has decided to shut down their operations here and that makes me angry. It's happening HERE! Here in the town that played a GIGANTIC role in defeating Japan during WWII. The people of Wichita and its surrounding areas did not play a huge role in WWII just because our boys were dying on the Pacific Islands but also because our women were building the B-29s that laid waste to Japanese cities. This is the town that exemplified Rosy the Riveter. Farming in Sedgwick County and surrounding areas still went on, but by day we were busy winning a war. That is not my only source of pride as a life-long Wichitan.
After 60 years, B-52s still fill the skies over our enemies and pock-mark their battlefields with bomb craters because Wichitans (and others) kept refitting the worlds greatest bombers extending their service life to . . . damn, can you believe most of those still in service are 50-years-old and not expected to be retired anytime soon? But, I'm so angry with Boeing because they didn't even have the guts to say why they pulled out. And, all this after Kansas politicians put up a huge fight to help Boeing wrestle the new refueling tanker contract away from Airbus, after which, Boeing promised Wichita about 7200 new jobs. What are the words you call people who do things like that? I'm angry. This is not the Boeing of previous generations.
And now, the military has given Wichita the finger again! They informed Hawker-Beechcraft that they will not be allowed in the bidding for a new lightweight ground support aircraft. Again, no reason why except to say that they will be built in Brasil. Really! An American warplane will be built in Brasil, . . . and you are not allowing us to bid on it, . . . nor are you giving us any reason why? I'm angry. Brasil is a great country, but I have a right to sound nationalistic. I truly believe in a world economy, but I sound nationalistic because this is an aircraft that is meant to protect America and not Brasil. If Brasil also needs such an aircraft they can buy one or build their own, and I know they are quite capable of doing so. Anyway, I'm now more angry than before.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this town of 380,000 has been successful because we make the finest aircraft in the world. I respect Seattle and Texas but I have no doubt that a Wichita-built aircraft is of the highest quality in the world, and many may not know why because this is not a huge city. You could ask a movie star, corporation, or millionaire with their own private Wichita-built jet. We probably have the most history in aircraft manufacturing. Before World War II there were somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty different aircraft manufacturers in this little burg. The reason is that the weather and terrain were perfect for flying. We can go for weeks (months in some cases) without any lasting low-level clouds and the winters are short. Also, back in the day, you could land almost anywhere (no mountains, forests, and few hills or cities to deal with). We are also the only city with a population of over 100,000 within 100 miles of the geographic center of the Continental United States. We also have all of the entertainment options found in places like Seattle or Kansas City, but perhaps on an expected slightly smaller scale. I believe that, as of a few years ago, we were still the largest manufacturer of private aircraft in the world, if not, then at least in the USA. In a few months, we will have the world's largest unemployed workforce of aerospace engineers, electricians, machinists, sheet metal, and composites workers. Our standard of living has long been under attack by the threats many aircraft companies make to move their plants to third world countries. Now, I KNOW we have to tighten our belts to compete, but can you really find a workforce anywhere near the quality of ours in these countries? Also, think about our servicemen flying aircraft NOT built by America's finest aircraft workforce. What would be the excuses given by our military officials if people the caliber of the Wichita work force did not build our military aircraft because quality cost a few extra dollars and the foreign-built planes that were bought turned out to be junk. If you are still not a believer think about how many complaints the Wichita work force may have received regarding those B-29s, B-47s, and B-52s. Would you like to make a complaint? You also cannot sell private jets and planes at the prices these aircraft command if they have a history of falling out of the sky. While I'm being angry you can think about it.
One of my three sons is an out-of-work aircraft worker, as is my brother-in-law who has nearly 40 years of experience as an aircraft machinist, so I'm not really looking from the outside-in. My 13-year-old son will also need a job someday, and we would like to keep our extended family together in this great but little big city where its nice to raise a family and the skies are not cloudy all day.
So I'm angry.
Airbus! Would you be interested in a well-maintained aircraft plant that once employed more than 30,000 workers and is in a city with the worlds most experienced out-of-work aircraft manufacturing workers? I think we can make a deal . . . cheap.
Then I won't have to be angry, but I'll still be less proud.
After 80 years in Wichita, Boeing has decided to shut down their operations here and that makes me angry. It's happening HERE! Here in the town that played a GIGANTIC role in defeating Japan during WWII. The people of Wichita and its surrounding areas did not play a huge role in WWII just because our boys were dying on the Pacific Islands but also because our women were building the B-29s that laid waste to Japanese cities. This is the town that exemplified Rosy the Riveter. Farming in Sedgwick County and surrounding areas still went on, but by day we were busy winning a war. That is not my only source of pride as a life-long Wichitan.
After 60 years, B-52s still fill the skies over our enemies and pock-mark their battlefields with bomb craters because Wichitans (and others) kept refitting the worlds greatest bombers extending their service life to . . . damn, can you believe most of those still in service are 50-years-old and not expected to be retired anytime soon? But, I'm so angry with Boeing because they didn't even have the guts to say why they pulled out. And, all this after Kansas politicians put up a huge fight to help Boeing wrestle the new refueling tanker contract away from Airbus, after which, Boeing promised Wichita about 7200 new jobs. What are the words you call people who do things like that? I'm angry. This is not the Boeing of previous generations.
And now, the military has given Wichita the finger again! They informed Hawker-Beechcraft that they will not be allowed in the bidding for a new lightweight ground support aircraft. Again, no reason why except to say that they will be built in Brasil. Really! An American warplane will be built in Brasil, . . . and you are not allowing us to bid on it, . . . nor are you giving us any reason why? I'm angry. Brasil is a great country, but I have a right to sound nationalistic. I truly believe in a world economy, but I sound nationalistic because this is an aircraft that is meant to protect America and not Brasil. If Brasil also needs such an aircraft they can buy one or build their own, and I know they are quite capable of doing so. Anyway, I'm now more angry than before.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this town of 380,000 has been successful because we make the finest aircraft in the world. I respect Seattle and Texas but I have no doubt that a Wichita-built aircraft is of the highest quality in the world, and many may not know why because this is not a huge city. You could ask a movie star, corporation, or millionaire with their own private Wichita-built jet. We probably have the most history in aircraft manufacturing. Before World War II there were somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty different aircraft manufacturers in this little burg. The reason is that the weather and terrain were perfect for flying. We can go for weeks (months in some cases) without any lasting low-level clouds and the winters are short. Also, back in the day, you could land almost anywhere (no mountains, forests, and few hills or cities to deal with). We are also the only city with a population of over 100,000 within 100 miles of the geographic center of the Continental United States. We also have all of the entertainment options found in places like Seattle or Kansas City, but perhaps on an expected slightly smaller scale. I believe that, as of a few years ago, we were still the largest manufacturer of private aircraft in the world, if not, then at least in the USA. In a few months, we will have the world's largest unemployed workforce of aerospace engineers, electricians, machinists, sheet metal, and composites workers. Our standard of living has long been under attack by the threats many aircraft companies make to move their plants to third world countries. Now, I KNOW we have to tighten our belts to compete, but can you really find a workforce anywhere near the quality of ours in these countries? Also, think about our servicemen flying aircraft NOT built by America's finest aircraft workforce. What would be the excuses given by our military officials if people the caliber of the Wichita work force did not build our military aircraft because quality cost a few extra dollars and the foreign-built planes that were bought turned out to be junk. If you are still not a believer think about how many complaints the Wichita work force may have received regarding those B-29s, B-47s, and B-52s. Would you like to make a complaint? You also cannot sell private jets and planes at the prices these aircraft command if they have a history of falling out of the sky. While I'm being angry you can think about it.
One of my three sons is an out-of-work aircraft worker, as is my brother-in-law who has nearly 40 years of experience as an aircraft machinist, so I'm not really looking from the outside-in. My 13-year-old son will also need a job someday, and we would like to keep our extended family together in this great but little big city where its nice to raise a family and the skies are not cloudy all day.
So I'm angry.
Airbus! Would you be interested in a well-maintained aircraft plant that once employed more than 30,000 workers and is in a city with the worlds most experienced out-of-work aircraft manufacturing workers? I think we can make a deal . . . cheap.
Then I won't have to be angry, but I'll still be less proud.
