San Francisco, CA - April 28, 2009 - Jack J. Pelton, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, yesterday told aviation insurance professionals the key to quality and safety in the general aviation industry is "doing what is right, whether or not it's a mandate."
"What Cessna is most proud of is our focus on the quality of the aircraft we build and the service we provide – a focus that results in safe products and, in the end, better insurance rates for our owners," he said.
Pelton was a keynote speaker at the annual conference of the Aviation Insurance Association (AIA), a not-for-profit association dedicated to expanding the knowledge of and promoting the general welfare of the aviation insurance industry.
Pelton described key strategies to ensuring the quality and safety of Cessna aircraft in the field, including monitoring the operation of the aircraft, proactively addressing any issues, having a service and support network able to maintain the integrity of aircraft and encouraging training among pilots, flight instructors and maintenance personnel.
To capture aircraft field performance, Pelton said, Cessna relies on customer service personnel, field service professionals and an in-house accident investigation team. The company also works closely with the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration on all matters including safety and accident investigation.
"Every day we continue to monitor the operation of our current and legacy aircraft to assure our field information is complete, accurate and up-to-date. We are very proud of the field experience and safety record of our aircraft," Pelton said.
The complete speech script is available at
www.cessna.com/media_releases/JJP_AIA_Speech_0427.pdf.
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.