Editor Carl Chance, Wings Over Kansas’ aviation & aerospace correspondent, former news consultant and producer for Wingspan Air & Space Channel.
Textron Names Scott A. Ernest President and CEO of Cessna
PROVIDENCE, R.I., May 31, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) today announced that Scott A. Ernest has been named president and chief executive officer of Cessna Aircraft Company, Textron’s general aviation business. Ernest will report to Textron Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Scott C. Donnelly and succeeds Jack J. Pelton, whose retirement from the company was announced on May 2.
Ernest joins Textron as a 29-year veteran of General Electric Company, where he most recently served as vice president and general manager, global supply chain for GE Aviation, a $16 billion leading provider of jet engines, components and integrated systems for commercial and military aircraft. Previously, Ernest was vice president and general manager, global services operations for GE Aviation’s $6 billion services business. His career at GE Aviation also includes several general manager roles ranging from overseeing its sourcing organization to responsibility for its North American operations and large aviation services businesses located in Singapore and Strother, Kansas.
"Scott is a talented global business leader who has strong expertise in the aviation industry," said Donnelly. "Accelerating Cessna’s new product and service development, strengthening its manufacturing and sourcing operations, and intensifying its global expansion efforts are key to moving Cessna forward. Scott brings an extensive track record of success in these areas along with a reputation as an outstanding leader. I am confident that he is the ideal person to position Cessna for growth as the business jet market gains momentum."
Ernest earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Akron and a master of science degree in engineering from the University of Cincinnati.
About Cessna Aircraft Company Cessna is the world’s leading general aviation company. Since its inception in 1927, Cessna has designed, produced and delivered more than 192,500 airplanes around the globe. This includes more than 6,100 Citation business jets, making it the largest fleet of business jets in the world. Today, Cessna has two principal lines of business: aircraft sales and aftermarket services. Aircraft sales include Citation business jets, Caravan single-engine utility turboprops, single-engine piston aircraft and lift solutions by CitationAir. Aftermarket services include parts, maintenance, inspection and repair services. In 2010, Cessna delivered 535 aircraft, including 179 Citation business jets, and reported revenues of $2.6 billion. More information about Cessna Aircraft Company is available at cessna.com.
About Textron Inc. Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, and Textron Systems. More information is available at www.textron.com.
For additional information on Cessna, log on to, www.wingsoverkansas.com/avmfg/default.asp?avmfg=cessna.
Cessna Honors 100th Anniversary of Clyde V. Cessna’s Pursuit of Flight
WICHITA, Kan., June 2, 2011 — Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, is commemorating the 100th anniversary of its company founder learning to fly and building his first airplane.
“It’s a source of pride for all Cessnans to know we are carrying the torch for a company started by a man with such a pioneering and tenacious spirit. One hundred years ago, Clyde Cessna taught himself to fly just eight years after the Wright brothers flew. That’s historically significant, and that ‘can do’ spirit defines this company and is something all of us at Cessna intend to carry on,” said Dave Brant, senior vice president, Product Engineering.
According to company archives, 31-year-old Clyde Vernon Cessna spent much of 1911 teaching himself to fly while attempting to get his first plane in the air. Born in Iowa in 1879, Clyde Cessna’s family moved in 1881 to Rago, Kan., about 30 miles west of Wichita. Headlines highlighting the Wright brothers’ accomplishment with powered flight and Louis Blériot successfully flying his monoplane across the English Channel got Clyde Cessna’s attention, but his passion for aviation ignited when he witnessed flight for the first time in January 1911 at a traveling air demonstration in Oklahoma City. By then Clyde Cessna and his wife had relocated to Enid, Okla., to run an Overland Farm car dealership.
Just weeks after watching the demonstrations, the farmer-turned-auto salesman with a mechanical mind used his life’s savings to purchase a copy of the Blériot XI fuselage from the Queen Aeroplane Company of New York City. Clyde Cessna and his brother Roy Cessna added an engine and propeller, and they came to understand every detail of the airplane during numerous rebuilds after technical failures and accidents on the Salt Plains in northern Oklahoma.
Archives show that Clyde Cessna’s first attempt to fly Silver Wings was May 11 and his first flight without a crash landing occurred in June. He endured 12 crashes at an average of $100 per fix and considerable time spent in repairing the aircraft to try again.
In fall 1911 the Cessnas moved back to Kansas and in 1916 Clyde Cessna became the first to manufacture powered aircraft in Wichita. He collaborated with Walter Beech (Beechcraft) and Lloyd Stearman (Boeing), among others, before setting out to form the Cessna Roos Aircraft Company in September 1927, which by Dec. 22, 1927, became known as the Cessna Aircraft Company. During the past 84 years, the company has designed, produced and delivered more than 192,500 airplanes around the globe.
Clyde Cessna retired from the company, turning leadership over to his nephew Dwane Wallace, on Oct. 28, 1936. He then returned to farming in Rago, where he died on Nov. 20, 1954. He has received many honors and awards through the years for his contributions to aviation, including induction into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1978.
A publication providing more information on the life and accomplishments of Clyde Cessna is available here. Follow Cessna on Twitter at twitter.com/fly_cessna and be a Facebook fan here.
Cessna’s Citation CJ3 and Citation Sovereign Repeat on Robb Report’s ‘Best of the Best’
WICHITA, Kan., June 1, 2011 — The Citation CJ3 and the Citation Sovereign manufactured by Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, make repeat appearances in the annual Robb Report “Best of the Best” in their respective categories.
This is the third consecutive year the Citation CJ3 has been selected “Best of the Best” in the light business jet category. The CJ3 is recognized for its high demand and low operating costs, as well as its speed, range and comfort.
For the second straight year, the Citation Sovereign is among the “Best of the Best” for the super mid-size business jet category. Editors cited the Sovereign’s versatility as well as its range, comfort and storage capacity.
The Citation CJ3 received Federal Aviation Administration certification in October 2004. It has a maximum cruise speed of 417 knots at 33,000 feet. With two pilots, four passengers and baggage, the CJ3 offers more than 1,600 nautical miles of range with NBAA IFR reserves. Service ceiling is 45,000 feet and the maximum gross takeoff weight is 13,870 pounds.
The first Sovereign was delivered in late 2004 and Cessna delivered the 300th in late 2010. Certified for operations to 47,000 feet, the Sovereign can take off from airfields as short as 3,640 feet, has a range of 2,847 nautical miles and a maximum cruise speed of 458 knots true airspeed.
The 23rd annual “Best of the Best” portfolio is highlighted in the just-released June issue and culminates a year’s search for the most exceptional new products and services.
For more information, go to Cessna.com. Follow Cessna on Twitter at twitter.com/fly_cessna and be a Facebook fan here.
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Cessna is the world’s leading general aviation company. Since its inception in 1927, Cessna has designed, produced and delivered more than 192,500 airplanes around the globe. This includes more than 6,100 Citation business jets, making it the largest fleet of business jets in the world. Today, Cessna has two principal lines of business: aircraft sales and aftermarket services. Aircraft sales include Citation business jets, Caravan single-engine utility turboprops, single-engine piston aircraft and lift solutions by CitationAir. Aftermarket services include parts, maintenance, inspection and repair services. In 2010, Cessna delivered 535 aircraft, including 179 Citation business jets, and reported revenues of $2.6 billion. More information about Cessna Aircraft Company is available at cessna.com.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, and Textron Systems. More information is available at textron.com.
Final Pre-Production Hawker 200 Completes First Flight, Joins Certification Program
WICHITA, Kan. (June 3, 2011) – Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) today announced an important milestone in the development and certification of its Hawker 200 light jet. The final pre-production Hawker 200 has completed its first flight and will now begin contributing to the certification flight test schedule. The new Hawker 200 joins three other aircraft in the program, the first Hawker 200 and two modified Premier aircraft, and will be used for systems certification, functional and reliability testing, and interiors certification.
“The aircraft performed exceptionally well during its two hour, three minute flight,” said HBC Executive Vice President Shawn Vick. “Development testing is more than 50 percent complete and the aircraft is meeting or exceeding all performance targets. We are excited about the Hawker 200 and are pleased with the progress of its flight test program.”
The Hawker 200’s capabilities include cruise speeds up to 473 knots (Mach 0.82), cruise altitudes up to 45,000 feet and a 1,500 nautical mile range with four passengers. It can perform typical light jet missions while going faster, higher and farther and offering more comfort with its class-leading cabin diameter – all for a lower operating cost per mile and a lower purchase price than the competition. In addition to its new winglets, the Hawker 200 features new powerful Williams International FJ44-3AP engines, a gross weight increase and a higher ceiling than its predecessor. It also includes a MultiScan Weather Radar, ADS-B Out capability, wireless database loading, and high reliability with a 400-hour inspection interval and 10-year composite airframe warranty.
Its high strength, state-of-the-art all-composite fuselage makes the Hawker 200 the most technologically advanced single-pilot business jet in the world. HBC has a full scale Hawker 200 interior concept mock-up, which features an innovative layout that has been optimized for the light jet mission. The mock-up is an impressive display of potential future Hawker styling and an important tool for HBC to gather specific feedback on customer desires in the new Hawker 200 interior.
Hawker Beechcraft Corporation is a world-leading manufacturer of business, special mission and trainer aircraft – designing, marketing and supporting aviation products and services for businesses, governments and individuals worldwide. The company’s headquarters and major facilities are located in Wichita, Kan., with operations in Salina, Kan.; Little Rock, Ark.; Chester, England, U.K.; and Chihuahua, Mexico. The company leads the industry with a global network of more than 100 factory-owned and authorized service centers. For more information, visit www.hawkerbeechcraft.com.
For additional information on Hawker Beechcraft, log on to, www.wingsoverkansas.com/avmfg/default.asp?avmfg=beechcraft.