Customers Save Money While Cooling Their Aircraft

July 26, 2004
Oshkosh, WI - July 26, 2004 - Cessna Aircraft Company is the first manufacturer to offer customers a cost effective and easy to install alternative for cooling off their cockpits. This savings is made available through a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC), which allows customers to install Aircraft Grade Hot Shot R414B into their existing R-12 based air conditioning system.

Since the 1996 ban on the production of R-12 refrigerant, the operating costs of older R-12 based air conditioning systems has sharply increased. Customers are faced with paying in excess of $40 per pound for R-12 or converting to a newer R-134a based system. R-134a conversions are effective, but the high initial costs for the system modifications present a challenge to those with older aircraft. The use of R414B requires no system modifications and enables Cessna customers to achieve similar cooling performance for thousands of dollars less than converting to a R-134 based system.

R414B has been used as a commercial refrigerant for more than a decade. The "aircraft grade" R414B received both FAA and Canadian STC approval in 2003. The most notable difference between R414B's "aircraft grade" and "commercial grade" is the aircraft grade has been fingerprinted to enable tracing to the original source.

The STC is available for most Cessna legacy and non-Cessna aircraft equipped with R-12 air-conditioning systems. Aircraft owners wanting to take advantage of this new cost savings are able to do so by contacting their local factory-authorized Cessna Service Station. A list of factory-authorized facilities can be found on the Internet at www.customer.cessna.com/se/locator.chtml.

Cessna Aircraft Company is a subsidiary of Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT), 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.

Connect with Textron IR

David Rosenberg, Vice President, Investor Relations
(401) 457-2288
Kyle Williams, Manager, Investor Relations
(401) 457-2288

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