COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 336411

Aircraft Conversions

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

29companies1900–2000founding years29still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedGKN plc
1900
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedVought Aircraft Industries, Inc.
1917
FoundedRaytheon Company
1922
FoundedTextron Inc.
1923
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedThe Boeing Company
1934
FoundedFairchild Dornier GmbH
1936
FoundedNorthrop Grumman Corporation
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedAntonov Design BureauFoundedKenmore Air Harbor Inc.
1946
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedPemco Aviation Group Inc.
1951
FoundedAAR Corp.FoundedPakistan International Airlines Corporation
1955
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedEmpresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica S.A. (Embraer)
1969
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
FoundedRobinson Helicopter Company
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedB/E Aerospace, Inc.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
FoundedLancair International, Inc.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
FoundedRaytheon Aircraft Holdings Inc.
1994
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
FoundedDaimlerChrysler AG
1998
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

GKN plc →
Active · founded 1900 · United Kingdom
Born out of the early 20th-century mergers of three companies, GKN plc has evolved into a global industrial giant…
Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1917
Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc.
N.V. Koninklijke Nederlandse Vliegtuigenfabriek Fokker →
Active · founded 1919 · The Netherlands
Few names evoke the romance of flight like that of Fokker.
Raytheon Company →
Active · founded 1922
Raytheon Company is the third largest defense contractor in the United States, trailing only the Boeing Company and…
Textron Inc. →
Active · founded 1923
Textron Inc.
Irkut Corporation →
Active · founded 1932 · Russia
Irkut Corporation is a leading developer and producer of aircraft and aviation products.
The Boeing Company →
Active · founded 1934
The Boeing Company is the largest aerospace company in the world, thanks to its 1997 merger with McDonnell Douglas…
United Technologies Corporation →
Active · founded 1934
United Technologies Corporation (UTC) is one of the largest conglomerates in the United States and a major military…
Fairchild Dornier GmbH →
Active · founded 1936 · Germany
In 2001 Fairchild Dornier GmbH was the world's third-largest manufacturer of regional jets.
Northrop Grumman Corporation →
Active · founded 1939
Northrop Grumman Corporation is the number three defense firm in the United States, behind The Boeing Company and…
Rostvertol plc →
Active · founded 1939 · Russia
Rostov, Russia-based Rostvertol plc is a major producer of helicopters, including its flagship Mi-26 heavy-lift…
Antonov Design Bureau →
Active · founded 1946 · Ukraine
Ukraine-based Antonov Design Bureau, a scientific and technical complex named after Oleg Konstantinovich (O.K.)…
Kenmore Air Harbor Inc. →
Active · founded 1946
Kenmore Air Harbor Inc.
Meggitt PLC →
Active · founded 1947 · United Kingdom
From obscure origins, Meggitt PLC has grown into a global aerospace supplier.
Pemco Aviation Group Inc. →
Active · founded 1951
Pemco Aviation Group Inc.
Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd. →
Active · founded 1953 · Israel
Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd.
AAR Corp. →
Active · founded 1955
A leading aftermarket support company to the aviation industry, AAR Corp.
Pakistan International Airlines Corporation →
Active · founded 1955 · Pakistan
Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIA) is the flag carrier of Pakistan, whose government owns 85 percent of…
EADS SOCATA →
Active · founded 1966 · France
EADS SOCATA is the light plane division of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V.
Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica S.A. (Embraer) →
Active · founded 1969 · Brazil
Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica S.A.
Robinson Helicopter Company →
Active · founded 1973
Robinson Helicopter Company is the leading manufacturer of light piston-engine helicopters.
Van's Aircraft, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Van's Aircraft, Inc.
B/E Aerospace, Inc. →
Active · founded 1987
In just a decade, B/E Aerospace, Inc.
Mooney Aerospace Group Ltd. →
Active · founded 1989
Mooney Aerospace Group Ltd.
Lancair International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1991
Lancair International, Inc.
Raytheon Aircraft Holdings Inc. →
Active · founded 1994
Raytheon Aircraft Holdings Inc.
Magellan Aerospace Corporation →
Active · founded 1995 · Canada
Magellan Aerospace Corporation is Canada's largest dedicated manufacturer of aerospace components.
DaimlerChrysler AG →
Active · founded 1998 · Germany
DaimlerChrysler AG--the third-largest car maker in the world--is the product of the November 1998 merger of…
European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V. →
Active · founded 2000 · The Netherlands
European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V.
Build It Today

Starting a aircraft conversions company now

Each week we rebuild one of these stories for today's tools and capital.