Space Age Technology in Olathe
Bendix/King ranks among the top three general aviation electronics manufacturers in the world. Yet, the high-tech headquarters of the Bendix/King General Aviation Avionics Division (GAAD) in Olathe disguises its modest beginnings.
Bendix/King is partially named for Ed King, a pilot, engineer and skillful entrepreneur. He formed King Radio Corporation in 1959 to involve pilots in the development of communications equipment for privately-owned aircraft.
King developed the first inexpensive crystal-controlled transceivers (two-way radios) used in small airplanes. His invention put the communications technology of the commercial airlines into the hands of small aircraft pilots. Instead of searching for a communications channel, small aircraft pilots could now fine-tune their radios to communicate with each other and the control tower.
In 1959, King began mass-producing his radios from a three-story farmhouse in Lenexa. Engineering, testing, production and shipping were all conducted at this site. Extra parts were stored in the attic. The company operated out of this farmhouse until 1961, when the growing outfit moved to Olathe. King and his thirty employees moved their makeshift shop to an old furniture store at 139 South Broadway (now 1401 Ott). As new products were introduced and sales increased, King expanded the downtown location and operated out of two facilities on Rogers Road. Finally, in 1967, the company relocated its 400 employees to a three-building complex at Rogers Road. From this facility, pilots and engineers design and produce some of the world’s most sophisticated communications equipment.
During the 1970s, King Radio achieved record profits and widespread recognition in the field of avionics. “We were always designing the next generation [of product],” said Craig Christie, former marketing Vice President for King Radio. He credits Ed King with providing much of the creative leadership that earned the company international recognition. In 1984, King Radio again chartered new territory by developing and manufacturing the the autopilot system and other navigational equipment for the record-breaking Voyager aircraft. King sold his company to Allied Signal Aerospace Company in 1985 for $164 million. The transaction included four other plants in Kansas and an engineering and manufacturing facility in Singapore.
--ALBUM vol. 7, no. 4 (fall 1994)