Hawker Beechcraft predicts ’12 recovery
Is venerable aircraft manufacturer Hawker Beechcraft on life support and about to be broken up and sold off as some industry pundits have suggested or has

Is venerable aircraft manufacturer Hawker Beechcraft on life support and about to be broken up and sold off as some industry pundits have suggested or has the Wichita-based OEM positioned itself to survive the industry crash and come out better for it?

The company’s chairman and CEO Bill Boisture has expressed no interest in stepping out of the bus and leaving it to careen, unguided, into an uncertain future. Hawker Beechcraft, he said, is fortunate to be owned by two strong equity partners, Onex and GS (Goldman Sachs) Capital Partners. “They support the changes we’re making in the company and are committed to helping us recruit and build our team. They’re willing to let us make decisions in the longer term [and] we have a sense of purpose and stability that we might not otherwise have,” he told AIN.