WICHITA–The new round of layoffs announced at Cessna today continues the pain that thousands of employees in Wichita’s aviation industry have experienced.
No one could predict how fast and how far the aviation industry has fallen since the fall.
One recent caller told me that four people in her family have lost their jobs. I know husbands and wives who are both losing jobs. I have several friends and a close family member who have been laid off.
Someday, the aviation industry will come back.
“We do not have the ability to see the future; we can only see today and try to predict the future,” Cessna CEO and president Jack Pelton told employees today in his memo. “What I see today are proud men and women giving their all in the face of great adversity, working as a team to meet these challenges head on.”
My heart goes out to employees and their families.
WICHITA–I caught up with James Wiebe, who with his wife, have bought the rights to manufacture an ultralight airplane called the Kitfox Lite.
The Wiebes have formed a business called Belite Aircraft to market it and will offer kits and full assembled planes.
It all started when James Wiebe -an instrument-rated pilot – started “fooling around with the design for a carbon fiber aircraft.” Then he saw a classified ad for the manufacturing and tooling of the Kitfox Lite.
“I was very intrigued,” Wiebe said. “I gave the guy a call and sent him an e-mail and it turned out to be the real deal.”
The Wiebes flew out to Phoenix, then made the arrangements. James Wiebe has now abandoned plans to design his own plane.
He’s also bought a Kitfox Lite from a guy in upstate Illinois, he said. It’s now ripped apart and Wiebe is rebuilding it “from top to bottom.”
The new ultralight will be new and improved. Later this month, Wiebe will release the specifications and basic characteristics for the plane. And he will have one to showcase.
As a condition of the transaction, the Wiebes plan to rebrand the ultralight to prevent confusion with a larger light sport Kitfox.
