WICHITA, Kan. (Feb.18, 2020) – Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, today named four Cessna Pilot Centers (CPC) to its 2020 Top Hawk program that partners the world’s leading training aircraft with top pilot training programs around the country, promoting general aviation and encouraging young people to pursue aviation as a career. The 2020 Top Hawk participants are Academy of Aviation, Atlas Aviation, JA Flight Services and Snohomish Flying Service.

As a Top Hawk participant, each CPC receives a factory-new, custom-branded Cessna Skyhawk to use for the duration of the program for student pilot training and to promote pilot training at air shows, aviation contests and recruiting events. This is the first year that CPCs have been selected for the Top Hawk program. The company began deliveries of the aircraft to this year’s selected participants in February.

“The Cessna Pilot Centers are general aviation ambassadors and make a significant contribution in impassioning and training the next generation of pilots,” said Chris Crow, vice president, Textron Aviation Piston Sales. “CPCs are a natural extension of the Top Hawk program and are uniquely positioned to offer students access to both a proven flight training curriculum and the Cessna Skyhawk, the world’s most popular single-engine training aircraft.”

Throughout the past five years, Textron Aviation has provided 22 Cessna Skyhawks to participating Top Hawk schools around the country, training nearly 1,000 students to help fill the pipeline of skilled aviators. 

The Cessna Skyhawk platform is the world standard for pilot training and is renowned for offering the best combination of modern features, including the leading Garmin G1000 NXi avionics system with wireless connectivity, a standard angle-of-attack display system, and proven dependability. More Skyhawks have been delivered to customers around the world than any other type of aircraft, with more than 45,000 delivered.

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ABOUT TEXTRON AVIATION INC.

Textron Aviation Inc. is the leading general aviation authority and home to the Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker brands, which account for more than half of all general aviation aircraft flying. The Textron Aviation brands represent unrivaled innovation, performance and leadership in the industry, and offer an unmatched value proposition rooted in the total ownership experience. Leveraging unparalleled speed-to-market, Textron Aviation provides the most versatile and comprehensive business and general aviation product portfolio in the world through five principal lines of business: business jets, general aviation and special mission turboprop aircraft, high performance piston aircraft, military trainer and defense aircraft and a complete global customer service organization. Textron Aviation has delivered more than 250,000 aircraft in over 170 countries. Its broad range of products include such best-selling aircraft as Citation business jets, King Air and Caravan turboprops and T-6 military trainer aircraft, all of which are backed by the industry’s most capable global service network. For more information, visit www.txtav.com

ABOUT TEXTRON INC.

Textron Inc. 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, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, Textron Systems, and TRU Simulation + Training. For more information, visit: www.textron.com

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