Lakeland, FL - April 21, 2009 - Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced today at the Sun ’n Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Fla., it is nearing approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to host a flight instructor safety stand down, a first for any aircraft original equipment manufacturer (OEM).
“Cessna’s stand down is a training seminar designed for flight instructors, flight instructor candidates and commercial pilots who may have an interest in becoming flight instructors,” said Will Dirks, Cessna’s vice president of Flight Operations. “The course serves as an all-inclusive training event for several mandated recurrent courses with an emphasis on using new technology to enhance aviation safety. The course will also serve as a flight instructor refresher clinic. The 18-hour course was designed by Cessna flight instructors who have considerable knowledge and experience in this area.”
The first-ever Cessna Flight Instructor Safety Stand Down is scheduled for May 30-31 in St. Louis, Mo. Instructors are encouraged to preview some of the course content at this year’s Sun ’n Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Fla., during the educational forums held in Tent 9 on Tuesday, April 21 at 11 a.m. and Wednesday, April 22 at 9 a.m.
More information can be found at www.cessna.com/training.
About Cessna Aircraft Company
Based on unit sales, Cessna Aircraft Company is the world's largest manufacturer of general aviation airplanes. In 2008, Cessna delivered 1,301 aircraft, including 467 Citation business jets, and reported revenues of about $5.662 billion. Cessna has a backlog of $14.5 billion as of December 31, 2008. Since the company was originally established in 1927, some 192,000 Cessna airplanes have been delivered around the world, including more than 5,700 Citations, making it the largest fleet of business jets in the world. More information about Cessna Aircraft Company is available at http://www.cessna.com.
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is a $14.2 billion multi-industry company operating in 28 countries with approximately 42,000 employees. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, defense and intelligence, 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, Textron Systems and Textron Financial Corporation. More information is available at www.textron.com.