Aviation in Arkansas

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.

Events

 * 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.
 * 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. A "B" grade television movie portrays this event, "Disaster at Silo 7".
 * 1 April 1981 Arkansas native, J. Lynn Helms is appointed as director of the FAA, serving through the 1981 Controller strike

Aircraft Manufacturers

 * Dassault Aviation maintains a final assembly facility in Little Rock, Arkansas for its Falcon series of jets.

Airports

 * List of Airports in Arkansas
 * List of Airports in Arkansas

Organizations

 * The Arkansas Aerospace Alliance is part of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.

Government and Military

 * All flight operations in Arkansas are conducted within FAA oversight.
 * The Arkansas Department of Aeronautics was founded in 1966.

Museums

 * Arkansas Air & Military Museum, Fayetteville, Arkansas
 * Fort Smith Air Museum, Fort Smith, Arkansas