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Jan. 11--Hundreds of job seekers braved the cold this morning to attend a job fair at the Machinists District hall in southwest Wichita.
Representatives from Spirit AeroSystems, Lockheed Martin and Boeing are taking applications.
Spirit wants to hire about 200 people for its Wichita and Tulsa facilities for factory-related jobs.
Lockheed and Boeing are seeking to fill openings outside the state.
The job fair runs today through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., although Spirit won't participate Thursday, spokesman Ken Evans said.
Many who attended said they had been laid off by other Wichita aircraft manufacturers during the recession.
Since late 2008, Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft and Bombardier Learjet reduced employment by about 13,000.
Jason Schmeidler, 31, waited in a long line this morning to give his application to Spirit representatives. He was applying for a job as a sheet metal mechanic.
After working at Cessna 12 years, Schmeidler was laid off in June 2009, recalled for three months, then laid off again.
"I did avionics, sheet metal, everything," Schmeidler said.
He's been out of work for nearly a year.
"It just leaves you in a place where you don't know what to do next," Schmeidler said.
Rob Bohon, who worked as a composite mechanic at Hawker Beechcraft before being laid off in November 2009, was applying with Spirit for composite work.
Bohon, who was with Hawker for five years before being laid off, said the last year has been rough.
He and his girlfriend have five children between them.
"It's been pretty tough," Bohon said.
It was the first job fair for Preston Pannell, 21.
Pennell works at a gas station and wants to find a career as his dad did at Boeing.
He has no experience. "Everybody has got to start somewhere," he said.
"If I can get a job I can make into a career, I would be very happy," he said.
One applicant said she was unhappy that Spirit was only taking resumes and then urging applicants to apply online.
"I wanted to talk to someone," said Sheila, who did not want to give her last name. "It's frustrating."
She worked for Cessna for nine years before losing her job a year and a half ago.
Reach Molly McMillin at 316-269-6708 or [email protected].
