A stylized sun on a white field. The geometric rays evoke both the sun of the Great Plains and aircraft propellers – a subtle nod to Wichita's identity.
Wichita proclaims itself the "Air Capital of the World." It is no exaggeration. Cessna, Beechcraft, Learjet, Spirit AeroSystems – all have major plants here. More aircraft have been built in Wichita than anywhere else on Earth.
This concentration began in the 1920s when several aviation pioneers settled here. Clyde Cessna founded Cessna Aircraft Company in 1927. Walter Beech created Beechcraft in 1932. During World War II, Wichita mass-produced B-29 Superfortress bombers.
Boeing closed its plant in 2014. Thousands of jobs lost. Wichita is seeking to diversify.
Before the airplanes, Wichita was a cow town – the terminus of the Chisholm Trail where Texas cattle arrived. Wyatt Earp was a deputy marshal here before Tombstone.
The white flag with its sun captures the optimism of the Great Plains – but the rays also resemble propellers turning toward an uncertain future.