For more than eight decades, Wichita, Kansas has been recognized as the world's Air Capital, and there doesn't seem to be any other city that can make that claim. More than half of all the airplanes in the world were built in this prairie town of 360,000. Three elements drew early builders-weather, workers and wampum. Three hundred days of good flying weather can be guaranteed; a work force with experience learned on the farm on in the oil patch was on hand; and plenty of cash was available. Of the literally scores of airplane companies that called Wichita home over the years, today's survivors dominate the worldwide General Aviation market. The Planes of Wichita is a collection of thumbnail sketches that tell the stories that contributed to the legend.