Hawker Beechcraft

Hawker Beechcraft requests that the Government Accountability Office review a decision by the Air Force to exclude the company from the bidding process for a contract. Last week Hawker Beechcraft says it was notified by the Air Force that its Beechcraft AT-6 was excluded from the competition for a Light Air Support contract. The company says it has asked military officials twice to explain why, but has been denied. Leaders with Hawker Beechcraft have now asked the Government Accountability Office to step in and review the Air Force's decision.

Employment at Hawker Beechcraft has fallen below an agreement with Wichita and Kansas leaders, according to an annual report. Hawker said 3,372 employees work at the Wichita facility. The aviation company agreed to employ 3,600 employees as part of a $45 million tax incentive plan to remain in Wichita. Bill Boisture, Hawker chairman, said the economic recession continues to hit the company's finances. Hawker filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year. Financial restructuring plans are expected to be complete in February.

Hawker Beechcraft and the International Association of Machinists Union began negotiations Thursday as the two sides try to reach a new contract. "We gather here to forge our future together at Hawker Beechcraft in Wichita, KS. " Hawker's CEO Bill Boisture welcomed representatives from the company and the union to the start of the bargaining process. "We greet it with an open mind. We are very willing to explore new ideas. We know our world has changed," explained IAM International President Tom Buffenbarger.

Hawker Beechcraft announced Monday the first sale of its new Beechcraft T-6C+ military trainer to the Mexican Air Force (FAM). The T-6C+, an enhanced version of the T-6 military trainer aircraft, is capable of carrying external stores and delivering practice weapons for training purposes.  The first two of six contracted FAM T-6C+ aircraft will be delivered to an advanced training base in Mexico's northern region in early 2012. The new T-6C+ trainers will replace the FAM's aging PC-7 fleet.

Congressman Todd Tiahrt addressed rumors Thursday circulating around a possible offer from Louisiana for Hawker Beechcraft to move its company to Baton Rouge. Eyewitness News has been told by sources in Louisiana the offer was in the $40 million range. Other publications have reported that number as high as $400 million. In a press conference Thursday afternoon Rep. Tiahrt questioned how a state, not much larger than Kansas, could afford to give $400 million dollars away.

One day after Cessna announces 700 additional layoffs, Eyewitness News is looking at the future of another aviation company. For months, Hawker Beechcraft has made no secret it's exploring the idea of moving to a new, more affordable area. In July, Hawker officials confirmed it was looking at Mississippi and Louisiana. Now, multiple sources tell FactFinder 12 the focus has turned to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This summer, the Southern Business & Development website published an article saying Hawker made a deal to move to Louisiana.

Many of you have probably said it - too much of your day is spent sitting in meetings. Well,  Hawker Beechcraft is doing something to change that, and they're doing it by getting rid of, what's normally, a conference room necessity. "The comment came directly from the employee group - we would like to meet less often and when we have meetings we'd like them to be shorter and more productive," explains Shawn Vick, Executive Vice President. So being the innovative company it needs to be, Hawker has started removing chairs from 80% of the conference rooms in the plane maker's headquarters.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) has asked the Justice Department for an investigation into whether states are using federal disaster funds to lure businesses from other states. In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, IAM International President Tom Buffenbarger requested a formal investigation into Louisiana’s $400 million offer to Hawker Beechcraft. Louisiana wanted the plane maker to move from Wichita to Baton Rouge, Lousisana.

Hawker Beechcraft machinists reject the company's contract offer. Fifty-five percent voted against the contract, 45 voted for it. The machinists' union voted Saturday at the Kansas Coliseum Pavilions. The vote did not include an authorization to strike, only whether to accept the contract. Hawker’s contract offer included a 10% cut in pay for union members, and an increase in health care costs. The vote came at a critical time for Hawker Beechcraft.

In an 83-page motion filed Friday, Hawker Beechcraft asks the federal bankruptcy court permission to pay its leadership team more money. In the motion is says "The debtors' senior management team will play an indispensable role in the performance of the business over the next few months. " It also says "...individual members of the SLT (senior leadership team) have worked around the clock (sometimes literally), shouldering responsibilities that are well above and beyond their day to day duties outside of chapter 11.” The team is made up of the following positions and according to court papers could see bonuses up to 200% of their base salary: Chairman Executive VP of Operations VP of Human Resources VP of Engineering Executive VP and General Counsel Senior VP of Global Customer Support Chief Financial Officer Executive VP of Customers “In this case it's important to point out that Hawker is still operating, they're in bankruptcy and they're trying to do two distinct important things at the same time,” says Wichita bankruptcy attorney Eric Lomas.