COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 3721

Regional and Corporate Jets

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

28companies1911–1989founding years24still active4no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedGroupe Dassault Aviation SAFoundedGroupe Dassault Aviation SA
1911
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedGeneral Dynamics Corporation
1925
FoundedCessna Aircraft Company
1927
FoundedGrumman CorporationFoundedGrumman Corporation
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
FoundedBeech Aircraft Corporation
1932
FoundedAviacionny Nauchno-Tehnicheskii Komplex im. A.N. Tupoleve (Tupolev Aviation and Scientific Technical Complex)
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
FoundedSukhoi Design Bureau Aviation Scientific-Industrial Complex
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedCanadair, Inc.FoundedCanadair, Inc.
1944
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedKorean Air Lines Co., Ltd.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedLearjet Inc.FoundedMitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.FoundedMitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
1964
FoundedMcDonnell Douglas Corporation
1967
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
FoundedBritish Aerospace plc
1978
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
FoundedDaimler-Benz Aerospace AG
1989
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
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

Groupe Dassault Aviation SA →
Active · founded 1911 · France
One of France's most important developers and producers of military aircraft, including the famed Mirage series and…
Groupe Dassault Aviation SA →
Active · founded 1911 · France
One of France's most important developers and producers of military aircraft, including the famed Mirage series and…
General Dynamics Corporation →
Active · founded 1925
General Dynamics' contribution to the defense industry, through the production of nuclear submarines and armored…
General Dynamics Corporation →
Active · founded 1925
General Dynamics' contribution to the defense industry, through the production of nuclear submarines and armored…
Cessna Aircraft Company →
Active · founded 1927
Based in Wichita, Kansas, the aviation capitol of the United States, Cessna Aircraft Company is the world's largest…
Cessna Aircraft Company →
Active · founded 1927
Based in Wichita, Kansas, the aviation capitol of the United States, Cessna Aircraft Company is the world's largest…
Grumman Corporation →
Active · founded 1929
The manufacturer of the U.S.
Grumman Corporation →
Active · founded 1929
The manufacturer of the U.S.
Beech Aircraft Corporation →
Active · founded 1932
Best known for its line of Beechcraft propeller and jet airplanes, Beech Aircraft Corporation is one of several…
Beech Aircraft Corporation →
Active · founded 1932
Best known for its line of Beechcraft propeller and jet airplanes, Beech Aircraft Corporation is one of several…
Aviacionny Nauchno-Tehnicheskii Komplex im. A.N. Tupoleve (Tupolev Aviation and Scientific Technical Complex) →
Active · founded 1933 · 111250
Although it has designed everything from sleighs to spacecraft, Aviacionny Nauchno-Tehnicheskii Komplex im.
Aviacionny Nauchno-Tehnicheskii Komplex im. A.N. Tupoleve (Tupolev Aviation and Scientific Technical Complex) →
Active · founded 1933 · 111250
Although it has designed everything from sleighs to spacecraft, Aviacionny Nauchno-Tehnicheskii Komplex im.
Sukhoi Design Bureau Aviation Scientific-Industrial Complex →
Active · founded 1939 · Russia
Sukhoi Design Bureau Aviation Scientific-Industrial Complex has earned a reputation for quality and originality,…
Sukhoi Design Bureau Aviation Scientific-Industrial Complex →
Active · founded 1939 · Russia
Sukhoi Design Bureau Aviation Scientific-Industrial Complex has earned a reputation for quality and originality,…
Canadair, Inc. →
Active · founded 1944 · Canada
Canadair, Inc.
Canadair, Inc. →
Active · founded 1944 · Canada
Canadair, Inc.
Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1962 · Korea
Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd.
Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1962 · Korea
Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd.
Learjet Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1964
An innovator in aircraft technology, Learjet Inc.
Learjet Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1964
An innovator in aircraft technology, Learjet Inc.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1964 · Japan
Since the 1880s the diversified collection of industrial manufacturers now known as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI)…
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1964 · Japan
Since the 1880s the diversified collection of industrial manufacturers now known as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI)…
McDonnell Douglas Corporation →
Active · founded 1967
The largest defense contractor in the United States, McDonnell Douglas Corporation is also the world's largest builder…
McDonnell Douglas Corporation →
Active · founded 1967
The largest defense contractor in the United States, McDonnell Douglas Corporation is also the world's largest builder…
British Aerospace plc →
Defunct · founded 1978 · United Kingdom
British Aerospace plc (BAe) is the largest defense contractor in Europe, as well as being a leading aerospace company.
British Aerospace plc →
Defunct · founded 1978 · United Kingdom
British Aerospace plc (BAe) is the largest defense contractor in Europe, as well as being a leading aerospace company.
Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG →
Active · founded 1989 · Germany
With less than a decade under its belt, Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG has transformed the German aircraft industry from a…
Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG →
Active · founded 1989 · Germany
With less than a decade under its belt, Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG has transformed the German aircraft industry from a…
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