Paris, France - June 20, 2007 - Frederick P. Furth, renowned attorney and a long-standing Cessna customer, will set off from the Paris Air Show tomorrow on a round-the-world flight in his new Citation Mustang.
Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, holds orders for more than 300 Citation Mustangs and is on target to deliver 40 of the model this year.
Following last-minute clearance to enter Russian airspace, Furth, accompanied by his faithful Great Dane "Brandenburg," will set off at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow from Paris Le Bourget Airport on a 14,000 nautical mile marathon flight that will see them cover 15 stops in eight days. After making their first stop in Warsaw, Poland, Furth will fly across the entire breadth of Russia, landing for fuel and rest in locations including Moscow, Eketeringsburg and Novosibrisk. They will then make stops in Alaska, Canada and Iceland before returning to Le Bourget.
Furth, who rose to prominence as a leading class action lawyer and owns California's Chalk Hill Vineyards and Winery, has been an avid pilot for many years and also owns a Citation X and Cessna Caravan. He took delivery of his Mustang a month ago and has since amassed 80 hours flying time in the aircraft.
"The Mustang is a great aircraft for single pilot operation and I felt this would be the ultimate way to test its mettle," said Furth. "I have a close relationship with Cessna going back many years and I know they will be watching our progress with great interest."
Based on unit sales, Cessna Aircraft Company is the world's largest manufacturer of general aviation airplanes. In 2006, Cessna delivered 1,239 aircraft, including 307 Citation business jets, and reported revenues of about $4.2 billion and a backlog of $8.5 billion. Since the company was originally established in 1927, more than 189,000 Cessna airplanes have been delivered to nearly every country in the world. The global fleet of more than 5,000 Citations is the largest fleet of business jets in the world. More information about Cessna Aircraft Company is available at www.cessna.com.
Textron Inc. is an $11 billion multi-industry company operating in 32 countries with approximately 40,000 employees. 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 Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Fluid & Power, Textron Systems and Textron Financial Corporation. More information is available at www.textron.com.