RICHARD HARRIS - AVIATION WRITER/EDUCATOR

RICHARD HARRIS
Aviation Writer/Educator
Credentials & History
www.harris1.net

CREDENTIALS:

Academic:

Business & Communications degree, 1997

Certified in top 2% of U.S. in English Composition
by the College Board / CLEP Test

Certified in top 1% of U.S. in Verbal Aptitude
by Educational Testing Service / SAT & PSAT Tests

Aviation:

FAA Aeronautical Instructor's License

Pilot flight time in several different aircraft,
including complex, high-performance, and "glass cockpit" aircraft,
plus military and business jet simulators.

Civil Air Patrol (U.S. Air Force Auxiliary)
Several awards and training certificates,
including military aerospace training by USAF.

Business:

Business training certifications

from

Small Business Administration
Better Business Bureau (Certified Arbitrator)
Rockhurst College / Skillpath Seminars Group

Communications:

Shortlist Finalist*

Aerospace Journalist of the Year Awards

* (1 of only 3 U.S. general aviation writers shortlisted that year, in all categories, combined. Subsequently appointed as a judge for the awards.)

State Teaching Certificate in Adult Education

(Specialty Certification: Computers)

Teacher / Trainer / Instructor experience:

Aviation/Aeronautics/Aerospace Technology
(Civil Air Patrol, Wichita Free Univ., BHS Flying Club, tutoring, lectures at Wichita State Univ. & Friends Univ.)
Aviation Technical Writing
(Wichita Area Technical College, ADR Bookprint, Inc.)
Computers
(Wichita Public Schools Adult Ed., Ark. State Univ.,
Computer Consulting & Training Co., tutoring etc.)
Automotive
(Wichita Free Univ. program, tutoring)
Business
(Wichita State Univ. staff, Urban League, tutoring, etc.)
Curriculum Development &/or Admin.
(Wichita State Univ., Ark. State Univ., Wichita Area Tech. Coll., Wichita Public Schools Adult Ed., etc.)

CIVIC BACKGROUND:

Aviation civic activity, since 2000:

Editorial Board, American Aviation Historical Society, 2019-present
Chair, Wichita Aviation Centennial Committee, 2016-2017
Chair, Kansas Aviation Centennial Committee, 2011-2012
Kansas Aviation History Speaker, Kansas Humanities Council,
2010-2012
Advisor/Announcer, Kansas Flight Festival Committee, 2006
Judge, Aerospace Journalist of the Year Awards (London),
2005-2009
Advisor, Bleckley Airport Memorial Foundation, 2022-present

City of Wichita, former minor official,
in several appointed or elected posts,

1970s-1980s -- including:

Commissioner: Wichita Traffic Commission
Commissioner: Wichita Civil Rights/EEO Commission
Chair: Eastside Community Action Council
Chair: Area K Council, Citizens Participation Org.
Vice Chair: Central CPO Council
Secretary: Housing, Development & Employment Committee,
City of Wichita Four-Year Planning Task Force
...and others

AVIATION INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE:

Aircraft Manufacturers (as contract worker)

Cessna:

Strategic Planning - SCM
Engineering Change Coordination
Marketing - Single Engine

Beechcraft (Raytheon):

Supply Chain Management (SCM - A/P Review)
Technical Publications
Technical Support
Human Resources (Hiring)
Marketing - Business Aircraft, Fractional (Travel Air)

Learjet (Bombardier):

Production Planning (Learjet 40-series)
Marketing - Maintenance Services
Marketing - Spares Sales
Customer Support
Accounting

Other aviation work experience:

Consulting:

Business Consultant - Richard Harris & Assoc. (current)

Operations:

Airport Night Manager - Piper Airpark (now Jabara Airport)
Operations Coordination - Civil Air Patrol

Support:

Parts Coordinator: Air Midwest Airlines
Instrument Technician: A.I.M. & Bel Aire Instruments

Writing:

Aviation Writer (reporter/analyst/historian)
(see list of magazines & journals below).
Course Developer & Instructor: Aviation Technical Writing:
Wichita Area Technical College
Senior Technical Writer: ADR Bookprint (contractor for
Cessna Aircraft & FlightSafety Int'l; see list of manuals below).

PUBLICATION HISTORY:

Aviation media articles (over 100):

Aviation magazine & journal articles

AAHS Journal
AAHS Flightline
Skyways
In Flight USA
Private Pilot
Aviation News
General Aviation News
World AirNews

Aviation articles online

Aero News Network online news
Air Capital Report online news
Wings Over Kansas website
Kansas Aviation Centennial website
Kansas Sampler website

Pilot Training Manuals written (for FlightSafety International):

Cessna Citation Mustang (whole)
Cessna Citation CJ1+ (whole)
Cessna Citation CJ2+ (half)

Aircraft Operating Manuals written (for Cessna Aircraft Co. / Textron)

Cessna Citation Mustang (whole)
Cessna Citation CJ1+ (whole)
Cessna Citation CJ2+ (half)
Cessna Citation Excel/XLS (part)
Cessna Citation Bravo (part)
Cessna 425 Corsair/Conquest I (part)
Cessna 208 Caravan (part)

Aviation Documentary Films & Programs:

Appearing in & consulted for:

Community in Motion: Aviation Rising
Aerospace industry project for public TV & local college
in Florida's Cape Canaveral / Space Coast region.
The Birth of the Air Capital
History of Wichita aviation industry, early years.
Kansas Crossroads series, (Butler Co. Historical Soc. / KWCH-TV)
Indians in Aviation
History of Native Americans in Wichita,
particularly in the Wichita aviation industry.

Assisting in & consulted for:

The Barnstormers: Pioneers of the Skies
History of early aviation (including Wichita industry).
Aired on public TV in California & Kansas (KPTS-TV).
Flying the Beam: Portrait of a WASP
History of U.S. women aviators serving in World War II.
Produced in Georgia; distributed nationally.

General media:

Television: appeared/consulted in:

Aviation Documentaries on public television
in Kansas, Georgia, Florida & California
(as noted above)
New York, CBS Evening News, in-depth segment:
Boeing Leaves Wichita (consulted on Wichita & Boeing history)
Wichita, KSN-W Ch.3, evening news, in-depth report:
Amelia Earhart
Wichita, KSN (cable) Ch.22, news magazine, special segment:
Amelia Earhart
Wichita, KWCH Ch.12, evening news, in-depth report:
Boeing/Spirit layoffs & 737 MAX program
Wichita, KMUW-FM, "The Range," in-depth report:
Learjet history and end.

Newspaper & Magazine Articles:
Cited in:

Wichita Eagle & Beacon
(numerous interviews/citations: politics, aviation & local history)
Wichita Business Journal
(multiple interviews/citations: Boeing jetliner developments)
The Sunflower
(early Kansas aviation history)
Kansas! Magazine
(Kansas aviation history)
Florida Today
(Wichita aviation history & Cape Canveral aerospace future)
The Independent (Britain's largest online-only newspaper; U.S. edition)
(Wichita aviation history & Boeing / Spirit AeroSystems crisis, 2024)

News/feature writing published in:

Wichita Business Journal
Wichita Small Business Report
Haysville Sun
Mulvane Old Settler
WSU Sunflower
Jonesboro (Ark.) Sun
Bloomington (Ind.) Courier-Tribune
...and others.

published in:

Wichita Eagle & Beacon
Topeka Capital-Journal
Kansas City Star
Houston Chronicle
Chicago Tribune
...and abroad.

Clippings available upon request.

AVIATION HISTORY PRESENTATIONS to / at:

Events:

National Biplane Fly-In / Biplane Assn. of America
(Junction City, KS)
Kansas Aviation Centennial Kick-Off (Wichita, KS)
Wichita Aviation Centennial Kick-Off (Wichita, KS)
Wichita Flight Festival (Wichita, KS)
Benton Days Fly-In (Benton, KS)
ConAir2011 Model Show & Contest
(at Kansas Aviation Museum; Wichita, KS)

Museums & Libraries:

EAA AirVenture Museum (Oshkosh, WI)
(during AirVenture 2014)
Kansas Aviation Museum (Wichita, KS)
(multiple presentations)
Wichita/Sedgwick Co. Historical Museum (Wichita, KS)
(multiple presentations)
Parsons Historical Museum (Parsons, KS)
Park City Public Library / Park City Alive! (Park City, KS)
Winfield Public Library (KS)
(coordinated with NASA exhibit)

Colleges & Universities:

Wichita State University (Wichita, KS)
(annually, 2009-2021)
Friends University (Wichita, KS)
Butler Community College, (El Dorado, KS)
Johnson Co. Community College, (Overland Park, KS)

Other Organizations:

Experimental Aircraft Assn. (Wichita Chapter)
OX-5 Club (Pioneer Aviators: Wichita Chapter)
Wichita Genealogical Society (Wichita, KS)
...and others.

MEMBERSHIPS

Current:

American Aviation Historical Society

Prior, since 2000:

Experimental Aircraft Association
Professional Aviation Maintenance Assn.
Wichita Manufacturers Association
World Trade Council of Wichita
Community Advisory Board, KPTS-TV

Prior, before 2000:

Curriculum Committee, Wichita State University
Civil Air Patrol, Aux.USAF.
BHS Flying Club

SAMPLES of AVIATION ARTICLES by R.H.
online references:

Kansas Aviation Centennial article developed for
AAHS Flightline, Fall 2011 issue, #177
"The Newsletter of the American Aviation Historical Society"
(developed on short notice, recounting start of Kansas aviation industry,
and providing quick overview of subsquent history)
http://www.aahs-online.org/pubs/flightline/fl_177.pdf

Demonstration website developed for
In Flight USA, Sept. 2003 issue
"The News Magazine for U.S. General Aviation Pilots & Professionals"
(developed solely using RH's articles which were
published in the magazine's Sept. 2003 print edition)
http://harris1.net/hold/av/ifusa/inflight.htm

Aviation History & Industry articles
(wide range of RH's articles -- most published in print magazines --
with histories of Cessna, Beechcraft, Piper, other manufacturers):
http://harris1.net/hold/av/avhist/av_hist1.htm

...includes this in-depth commercial aviation industry article:

"Airbus A380 vs. Boeing 787"

(first-flight news story, in-depth analysis, and history,
with updates & Wichita connection notes)

http://harris1.net/hold/av/avhist/abs/a380flys.htm

Articles from Aero-News Network (ANN)
(listing of articles from RH's final 6 months as part-time reporter
for an online aviation industry news service)
sorted by themes:
http://harris1.net/hold/av/ann_list.htm

AVIATION PHOTOGRAPHY SAMPLES:

Aviation Gallery photo samples,
and excerpts from my aviation life:

http://harris1.net/hold/av/gallery/gallery.htm

Rev.2023-12-07