Independence, KS - April 24, 2007 - Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, yesterday delivered the first retail Citation Mustang business jet to Dave and Dawn Goode of GOODE Ski Technologies.
This is the third production Mustang delivered from Independence. The first two are being used by Cessna as marketing demonstration aircraft.
"We are proud to be the owners of the first retail Mustang and excited about putting it into service," said David Goode, president and founder of GOODE Ski Technologies. "We have a great deal of confidence in this aircraft because it represents the best of what Cessna has to offer, including an extensive support network to stand behind it."
Former U.S. Ski Team member, Dave Goode, founded GOODE Ski Technologies in 1975. After 15 years of manufacturing and marketing ski accessories, Goode developed and produced the snow ski industry's first carbon fiber ski. Goode also patented the first carbon fiber water ski. Today, GOODE is the world leader in carbon composite ski poles, snow skis and water skis.
"We plan to fly our Mustang to extreme ski locations to test out our newest line of snow skis," Goode said. "Having short field capability will allow us to land at smaller, remote airports near some of the best ski resorts in the world."
Goode currently operates a Cessna 310 twin-engine piston aircraft. He completed his single-pilot Citation Mustang type rating on March 1, becoming the first customer to be rated in the aircraft.
Full type certification for the Citation Mustang was awarded by the Federal Aviation Administration September 8, 2006, making it the first of a new category of entry-level jets to win type certification from the FAA. Cessna plans to deliver 40 Citation Mustangs in 2007, with production ramping up to about 150 aircraft by the end of 2009.
The six-place Citation Mustang has a top speed of 340 ktas (nearly 400 miles per hour), a range of 1,150 nautical miles (1,323 statute miles/2,130 km - NBAA IFR Reserves) and a service ceiling of 41,000 feet (12,500 m) - well suited for getting above most weather and commercial traffic for more efficient operations.
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 almost 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.