Cessna Wraps Up 80th Year

As 2007 comes to a close, Cessna Aircraft Company looks back at an eventful year including an aircraft manufacturing acquisition and the sales success of its Very Light Cessna Citation Mustang. Cessna acquired Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Company, intending to continue production of its two...

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As 2007 comes to a close, Cessna Aircraft Company looks back at an eventful year including an aircraft manufacturing acquisition and the sales success of its Very Light Cessna Citation Mustang.
Cessna acquired Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Company, intending to continue production of its two high-performance, composite single-engine piston aircraft. On Dec. 5, the Columbia products were branded the Cessna 350 and the Cessna 400, and approximately 400 employees at the Bend, Ore., manufacturing facility became Cessna employees.
The other leading storyline of 2007 occurred in July, when Cessna entered the light sport aircraft market by launching the Model 162 SkyCatcher at the Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture. Cessna is designing the aircraft and will handle ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) compliance work, while Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) will assemble the mostly U.S.-produced components. Cessna also will provide on-site personnel in Shenyang, China, to oversee manufacturing, quality assurance and technical design. By the end of 2007, more than 900 firm SkyCatcher orders had been recorded.
In October, Cessna announced that it will offer the Thielert turbo diesel engine in its Skyhawk 172S aircraft with deliveries set to begin in mid-2008.
Equipment changes were also announced for the Caravan models with the introduction of the Garmin G1000 integrated avionics package, including the GFC700 flight control system, which becomes standard on all Caravans beginning in the first half of 2008. Cessna will also offer optional TKS ice protection from Aerospace Systems & Technology, Inc. on cargo pod-equipped Caravans scheduled for delivery starting during the first half of 2008.
The success of the Citation Mustang program continued at the Independence, Kan., facility with the first retail delivery to Dave and Dawn Goode of GOODE Ski Technologies in April. EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) certification was achieved in May, making the Mustang the first new-generation entry level business jet to be certified in Europe. The first EASA-certified Mustang was delivered to Danish entrepreneur Jørgen Andersen on Nov. 6. This was the second Citation Mustang delivered to a European customer following the delivery of a U.S. registered aircraft to Jane Howell in September.
Cessna delivered the first Citation Encore+ to an undisclosed customer at the end of April. Certified by the FAA in December 2006, Encore+ offers Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) equipped engines, increased payload capability, a new integrated avionics suite, more standard equipment and new interior styling features.
Several new Citation models are progressing toward certification. On Aug. 2, 2007, the XLS+ – an upgrade to the mid-size Excel/XLS – completed its maiden flight. First delivery is expected before the end of 2008. Development of the largest Citation CJ business jet – the CJ4 – progressed with completion of 95 percent of the detail design stage. It is on schedule for the first prototype flight in mid-2008. Cessna also continued exploratory design work on a large cabin concept (LCC) aircraft, with the goal of announcing in the first quarter of 2008 a decision on whether to proceed with the program. The aircraft would be capable of intercontinental travel and would become the largest aircraft the company has ever developed.
Cessna announced at the beginning of the year it will open a new Citation Service Center in Mesa, Ariz. Slated to open by early 2009, the new facility will feature a high-bay, 101,000-square-foot maintenance hangar adjacent to the Williams Gateway Airport. Total value of the project is in excess of $20 million.