Palm Springs, CA - November 9, 2006 - Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, this week debuted a mockup of its Next Generation Piston (NGP) aircraft, displayed the flying proof-of-concept of its Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) and announced the 2007 upgrades to the single engine piston aircraft currently in production at this year's Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Expo in Palm Springs, Calif.

"As the world's largest manufacturer of general aviation aircraft, Cessna is proud to bring to AOPA Expo an array of products that represent the future of propeller and jet aircraft," said Cessna Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Jack J. Pelton.

"We are here to celebrate numerous milestones with AOPA Expo attendees. We're introducing our new concepts for future Cessna single engine aircraft with the LSA and NGP. We're displaying our newly certified Citation Mustang business jet, the world's first fully certified, new-generation entry level business jet. We are honoring the 50th anniversary of the most popular single engine piston aircraft ever made – our Cessna 172 Skyhawk – and its larger cousin, the 182 Skylane. And we are marking the 7,000th single engine piston aircraft to be delivered out of our facility in Independence, Kan."

In addition, Cessna is preparing to celebrate its 80th year in 2007. Since the company was founded in 1927, more than 187,000 Cessna aircraft have been delivered. This total includes more than 152,000 single engine pistons and a global fleet of more than 4,500 Cessna Citation business jets, the largest fleet of business jets in the world.

"More than half the aircraft flying today were made by Cessna, and more people have learned to fly in Cessnas than in any other aircraft," Pelton said. "We are proud of our leadership in the aviation industry, and with the input and support from AOPA members and Expo attendees, we plan to increase that leadership role in the years ahead."

On display at AOPA Expo, Cessna will have its Light Sport Aircraft, the 172 Skyhawk, the Turbo 182 Skylane, the Turbo 206 Stationair, the Grand Caravan, the Citation Mustang and the Citation CJ1+.