Wichita, KS - March 19, 2007 - Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, delivered three Cessna Skyhawks to Northwestern Michigan College last week. These aircraft are the first of 11 Skyhawks that will upgrade the College's fleet over a period of 14 months. The order was placed through Cessna's authorized sales representative, Suburban Aviation in Lambertville, Mich.
"We considered six different aircraft models when we made the decision to upgrade our trainer fleet," said Aaron Cook, director of aviation at Northwestern Michigan College. "We chose the Cessna Skyhawk because it is an excellent trainer. Its safety record, consistent parts availability and ease of maintenance also factored into our decision."
"These new Skyhawks will help our students keep up to date with the latest in pilot training technology," Cook said. All Skyhawks are equipped with the Garmin G1000 glass panel avionics suite.
Northwestern Michigan College offers flight training as part of the college curriculum. Students can work toward an associate degree in aviation or receive full university credit in pursuit of a bachelor's degree at several participating universities in the area. The general public may also receive flight instruction at the college for ratings and re-currency training.
Cessna Aircraft Company delivered 1,239 aircraft in 2006, maintaining its leadership position as the world's largest manufacturer of general aviation aircraft. Cessna also produced more single-engine piston aircraft than any other manufacturer with 865 delivered in 2006.
Cessna's revenues for 2006 were $4.2 billion, up from $3.5 billion a year ago.
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.