Others In The Top Five include Huntsville, AL, Charleston, SC, And Seattle, WA

Of all the cities in which aerospace and defense manufacturing occurs, Wichita, the home of Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft, And Bombardier Learjet is number one, according to a national magazine.

In it's annual ranking of metro areas on a number business criteria, Business Facilities Magazine says Wichita boasts one of the most extensive aerospace labor pools in the world, and has the supplier network to match. The magazine says the city is poised to give Kansas City a "run for it's money" for aircraft dollars in the near future.

The magazine cites the presence of the Cessna, Hawker, and Bombardier Learjet as the basis for the ranking, but also points out that Boeing and Airbus have a substantial presence in the city. They say that companies in Wichita delivered 59% of all GA aircraft delivered in the U.S. in 2008, and were responsible for 46 percent of the world's GA deliveries.

The magazine says that having the National Institute for Aviation Research in Wichita means a well-qualified labor pool is consistently available in the city, and that it is also center of the world's composite expertise.

But, the magazine says, both Huntsville, AL and Charleston, SC are nipping at Wichita's heels in the category. Huntsville is aggressively courting aerospace and missile companies and contracts, and Charleston has recently become the home for Boeing's second Dreamliner production line.

FMI: www.businessfacilities.com