Oshkosh, WI - July 27, 2009 - Lycoming Engines, a Textron Inc. company, announced today that the production version of its IO-233-LSA light sport aviation engine will commence on-wing ground, taxi and flight testing immediately following EAA Airventure 2009.

Introduced at EAA Airventure 2008, the IO-233-LSA has been further optimized based on customer feedback, engineering development and prototype testing. Improvements have been made to the induction system, electronic ignition and general packaging. Lycoming also added an engine-mounted fuel pump as an option to facilitate certain installations and reduced compression ratio to allow usage of lower octane fuels.

The IO-233-LSA will be a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified gasoline engine with multiple continuous power ratings as high as 116 horsepower.

"For several years, original equipment manufacturers and customers have asked us to bring our expertise and reputation for reliability to the light sport market, even going so far as to make suggestions on the potential design. They wanted the strengths of the O-235 Lycoming Engine at less weight with no reduction in reliability and a few key feature enhancements, including low octane unleaded fuel capability," said Michael Kraft, Lycoming vice president of research, design and engineering.

Substantial overall weight reductions and improvements in engine size make the IO-233-LSA well suited for today's Light Sport Aircraft applications. New engine design features include the incorporation of a Lycoming proprietary throttle body fuel injection with an optimized air induction system and electronic spark ignition. Because the power section is largely based upon the current O-235, the engine will be introduced with a 2,400 hour time between overhaul (TBO) interval, giving it the longest duration Light Sport Engine TBO in the market today.

To give pilots an unleaded fuel option, the engine will be introduced and approved for use with both ASTM D910 100LL and 93 AKI ASTM D484 / EN 228 automotive based fuels that conform to Lycoming specifications.

Lycoming expects to start shipping non-certified IO-233s in the fourth quarter of 2009. Engine certification and certified engine shipment are currently slated for the first quarter of 2010.

T&T Aviation of Washington, Pennsylvania, is Lycoming's local final product development and flight test partner. The engine is currently installed on a T&T "Falcon" aircraft and is on display at the Lycoming's EAA Airventure 2009 exhibit, Booth 277-282.

About Lycoming
Lycoming Engines specializes in Engineering, Manufacture, Service and Support of piston aircraft engines. Headquartered in Williamsport , Pennsylvania , Lycoming piston engines power more than half of the world's general aviation fleet - both rotary-wing and fixed-wing. Lycoming Engines is a division of Avco Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc. More information is available at www.lycoming.com .

About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, 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, and Textron Systems. More information is available at www.textron.com .