Contact: Jessica Myers
Manager, Media Relations
Phone: 316-517-6488
Fax: 316-517-7812
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.cessna.com
Now in its 77th year, the Cessna Aircraft Company has delivered over 185,000 aircraft, including 24,000 twin-engine airplanes, 2,000 military jets and over 4,000 Citations – the largest fleet of business jet aircraft in the world. More than half the aircraft flying today are Cessnas.
Worldwide, Cessna employs 10,000 people in the design, manufacturing, sales, marketing and support of its products. Facilities for those operations are located in Wichita and Independence, Kansas; and Columbus, Georgia.
Cessna is an ISO-9001 certified company in recognition of quality systems and processes.
Single Engine Piston Aircraft
Cessna has established the standard in the production of single and multi-engine piston powered aircraft for more than 50 years, delivering more airplanes than any other commercial manufacturer. In the late 1970s, the proliferation of product liability litigation involving general aviation aircraft caused a downturn and eventual interruption in light aircraft production during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The passage of the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994, which established an 18-year Statute of Repose, immediately resulted in the announcement that Cessna would return to the production of light aircraft after a ten-year hiatus. In December of 1994, the company announced the selection of Independence, Kansas, as the site for the assembly of its new generation Model 172 Skyhawks, 182 Skylanes, and 206/T206 Stationairs, and broke ground for a new facility on May 19, 1995.
Less than 14 months later, on July 3, 1996, Cessna officially restarted production of single-engine piston aircraft. Production line flow of the first Cessna piston-engine singles since 1986 commenced on July 10, 1996, and the first customer delivery took place in January 1997 – a 172R Skyhawk. The first 182 Skylane delivery followed in April 1997. Deliveries of the 206 Stationair and T206 Turbo Stationair began in December 1998. In March 1998, Cessna introduced a new Skyhawk model designated the Skyhawk SP (“SP” for “Special Performance”). Initiated as a direct result of input from customers and Cessna Sales Team Authorized Representatives, the 172S Skyhawk SP provides increases in performance, useful load and overall capability.
At the 2000 National Business Aviation Association Convention, Cessna unveiled the addition of two new models to the single-engine product line, a new 182T Skylane and T182T Turbo Skylane. Improving on the already successful 182S Skylane model, the 182T Skylane and T182T Turbo Skylane feature new aerodynamic changes to improve cruise speed and the latest avionics teamed with a heightened level of style and comfort. Customer deliveries began in 2001.
Today, all Cessna single engine airplanes come with the option of the advanced Garmin’s G1000 all-glass integrated avionics system. The G1000 avionics package is the most advanced flight deck package to fly on a single engine piston aircraft. The system ease pilot workload and offer a new level of safety and situational awareness during all phases of flight.
The 260,000 square foot main assembly plant and 150,000 square feet separate paint and delivery facility, brings Cessna’s combined manufacturing space for its two Wichita sites and Independence complex to 5.3 million square feet and nearly 1,900 acres.
Cessna Pilot Centers
Cessna is also the leader in pilot training through its worldwide network of nearly 300 Cessna Pilot Centers (CPCs), where more than 400,000 pilots have learned to fly since the concept was introduced 30 years ago. In the summer of 1997, Cessna unveiled a new computer-based instructional program. Developed in partnership with King Schools, Inc. of San Diego, California, the Private Pilot Multimedia Training System became available in July 1998.
The new Instrument computer-based instructional program was introduced in the fall of 1999 and became available to Cessna Pilot Centers in 2000.
Caravan Turboprops
In 1985, Cessna began deliveries of the new Caravan, a single-engine turboprop utility aircraft that carries cargo loads of up to 4,682 lbs. or up to 14 passengers or a combination. A specially designed version of the Caravan is in service with Federal Express and over 300 Caravans have been delivered to the overnight delivery pioneer.
The Caravan worldwide fleet numbers over 1,300 aircraft and the Caravan is the only single-engine aircraft approved by the U.S. Postal Service to carry the U.S. Mail. Available in four models – the Caravan 675, Caravan Amphibian, Grand Caravan, and Super Cargomaster – Caravans have distinguished themselves in special-missions applications, scheduled airline/commuter service, and locations with unimproved, short runways.
Citation Business Jets
Cessna launched a new era in business aviation when it introduced the original Citation at the 1968 National Business Aircraft Association Meeting. The new business jet was quieter, simpler, more capable of operating safely in and out of short fields, substantially more fuel efficient and much less expensive to own and operate than any other business jet on the market or the drawing board. Four years later, in January 1972, Cessna delivered the first Citation.
In 1976 the company dramatically increased its leadership role by announcing three new business jets: the improved Citation I; the larger, better-performing Citation II; and the Citation III.
The progression of the Citation model line through the 1980’s brought customers faster, more comfortable and efficient aircraft with the latest in new technology, solidifying Cessna’s leadership role in the business jet market.
In October 1990, Cessna took an industry standard setting step when the Citation X was introduced. Flying at .92 Mach, the Citation X is the world’s fastest business jet. Among non-military aircraft, only the Concorde is faster. The new Cessna flagship accomplished its first flight in December of 1993 and was certified in May 31, 1996. The first Citation X was delivered to golf legend and Citation pilot, Arnold Palmer, in August 1996. In February 2002, Cessna delivered the first of the new series of upgraded Citation Xs, also to Arnold Palmer. Upgrades to the Citation X include increased maximum takeoff weight, a five percent increase in performance in the Roll-Royce AE 3007C-1 engines which significantly reduces takeoff field lengths, as well as a substantially expanded standard equipment list. More than 200 Citation Xs are now in service.
At the 1998 National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Convention, Cessna made the biggest new product announcement in business aviation history. Four new Citations were revealed: Citation CJ1, Citation CJ2, Citation Encore, and Citation Sovereign.
Introduced as the successor to the market-pacing CitationJet, the Citation CJ1 became the first of four new aircraft introduced at the 1998 NBAA Convention to enter customer operation. Customer deliveries began in late March 2000, and over 140 CJ1s are now in service.
Citation Encore, successor to the world-class Citation Ultra, was designed to build on the enormous success of the Ultra by incorporating aerodynamic and design enhancements that provide operators with increased mission flexibility, comfort and maintainability. The Encore was certified in April 2000, with first customer delivery occurring on September 29, 2000.
The first aircraft completely developed, manufactured and certified by Cessna utilizing the integrated team concept, the Citation CJ2, was certified in June 2000, marking the third Citation FAA type certificate awarded to Cessna that year. Cessna celebrated the delivery of the 100th Citation CJ2 in August 2002.
The Citation Sovereign is the first aircraft to utilize Cessna’s Maintenance Steering Group (MSG). Cessna celebrated the first flight of the Citation Sovereign in February 2002. Cessna has already received full certification and expects first customer delivery in late 2004.
At the 2002 NBAA Convention in Orlando, Florida, Cessna took the industry by surprise when it announced two new aircraft: the Citation CJ3 and the Citation Mustang.
The Citation CJ3, announced on September 9, 2002, was Cessna’s first new product announcement of the millennium. The CJ3 incorporates the successful features of the CJ2 while also providing a longer cabin and tailcone; new Williams International FJ44-3A engines; and advanced Collins avionics. The first flight occurred in April 2003, and type certification is anticipated in the second quarter 2004. First customer deliveries are expected in the third quarter 2004.
On September 10, 2002, Cessna unveiled the Citation Mustang. Designed to fill an enormous void in the turbine aircraft market and meet the demanding needs of tomorrow’s aviation environment, the Mustang will provide more speed, range and altitude capability than currently offered by any single or multi-engine piston or turboprop aircraft. Certification is anticipated in mid-2006 with first customer deliveries in the fourth quarter 2006.
In October 2003, Cessna announced a successor to the Citation Excel, the Citation XLS. The Citation XLS combines Citation Excel comfort with significant improvements to performance and avionics. Preliminary data for the XLS indicates a 200-pound gross weight increase over the Excel, which allows operators to carry more payload greater distances. Cessna received FAA approval in March 2004. First deliveries are expected in mid-2004.
Cessna’s Citation business aviation leadership spans over 30 years. Today Cessna offers the most comprehensive line of business jets in the industry, including the Citation Mustang, Citation CJ1, Citation CJ2, Citation CJ3, Citation Bravo, Citation Encore, Citation Excel, Citation XLS, Citation Sovereign, and Citation X.
The Citation fleet of business jet aircraft, based in over 75 countries, is the largest in the world by a full 50 percent over the nearest competitor. The over 4,000 Citations operating today have logged nearly 16 million flight hours.
Citation Service Centers
To compliment Cessna’s extensive Citation product line, Citation customers are provided with around-the-clock, seven-days-a-week support through a network of company-owned Citation Service Centers, strategically located at nine major U.S. airports, as well as Paris, France and Sydney, Australia. In addition, authorized service stations for Citations are located in more than fifteen countries.
Cessna Finance Corporation
Cessna is also the only general aviation company with its own finance subsidiary, Cessna Finance Corporation (CFC). CFC, one of the largest captive finance companies in general aviation, offering financing and leasing on a full range of aircraft from high performance singles to corporate jets.
McCauley Propeller Systems
McCauley is a market-driven company with three distinct business segments: propellers, machine work and systems and components. The core business is propellers and represents its primary focus. However, specialized machine work for the aerospace industry is a business segment that the company expects will continue to grow.
Cessna Columbus Facility
In 1996, Textron Aerostructures located in Columbus, Georgia, became part of Cessna Aircraft Company. Their manufacturing capabilities and capacity for fabricating detail parts and flight control surfaces allowed growth for Cessna in both the Single Engine Piston Aircraft and Business Jet markets.
CitationShares
On July 11, 2000, Cessna Aircraft Company and TAG Aviation USA, Inc. announced the formation of a new company to serve the rapidly expanding fractional ownership market. In 2004, Cessna acquired 75 percent ownership of CitationShares. The venture, based at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York, markets Cessna’s popular line of Citation jet aircraft to the fractional market.
Cessna Aircraft Company is a subsidiary of Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT). Textron is a $10 billion multi-industry company with more than 43,000 employees in 40 countries. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, 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, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO and Greenlee, among others. More information is available at www.textron.com. More information about Cessna Aircraft Company is available at www.cessna.com.
For additional information or questions about the general aviation industry, contact the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) at 202-393-1500 or www.GAMA.aero.
(Last updated August 2004)