Cessna () is an American brand of
general aviation
General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...
aircraft owned by
Textron Aviation
Textron Aviation Inc. is the general aviation business unit of the conglomerate Textron that was formed in March 2014 following the acquisition of Beech Holdings which included the Beechcraft and Hawker Aircraft businesses. The new business uni ...
since 2014, headquartered in
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...
. Originally, it was a brand of the Cessna Aircraft Company, an American general aviation
aircraft manufacturing
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...
corporation also headquartered in Wichita. The company produced small,
piston-powered aircraft, as well as
business jet
A business jet, private jet, or bizjet is a jet aircraft designed for transporting small groups of people. Business jets may be adapted for other roles, such as the evacuation of casualties or express parcel deliveries, and some are used by pub ...
s. For much of the mid-to-late 20th century, Cessna was one of the highest-volume and most diverse producers of general aviation aircraft in the world. It was founded in 1927 by
Clyde Cessna
Clyde Vernon Cessna (; December 5, 1879 – November 20, 1954) was an American aircraft designer, aviator, and early aviation entrepreneur. He is best known as the principal founder of the Cessna Aircraft Corporation, which he started in 1927 i ...
and
Victor Roos
Victor H. Roos (April 26, 1888 - October 6, 1964) was an American entrepreneur and the founder or co-founder of several early aircraft companies, including Cessna Aircraft.
Biography
image:Bellanca CF at NASM.jpg, The only Bellanca CF built, at ...
and was purchased by
General Dynamics
General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American publicly traded, aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Reston, Virginia. As of 2020, it was the fifth-largest defense contractor in the world by arms sales, and 5th largest in the Uni ...
in 1985, then by
Textron, Inc. in 1992. In March 2014, when Textron purchased the
Beechcraft
Beechcraft is an American brand of civil aviation and military aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of Beech Aircraft Corporation, an American manufacturer of general aviati ...
and
Hawker Aircraft
Hawker Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer that was responsible for some of the most famous products in British aviation history.
History
Hawker had its roots in the aftermath of the First World War, which resulted in the bank ...
corporations, Cessna ceased operations as a subsidiary company and joined the others as one of the three distinct brands produced by Textron Aviation.
Throughout its history, and especially in the years following World War II, Cessna became best-known for producing
high-wing
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...
, small piston aircraft. Its most popular and iconic aircraft is the
Cessna 172
The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is an American four-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company. , delivered by the brand since 1956 (with a break from 1986–1996) and which more units have been sold than any other aircraft in history. Since the first model was delivered in 1972, the brand has also been well known for its
Citation family
The Cessna Citation is a family of business jets by Cessna that started in 1972 with the entry into service of the first model. In the fifty years following the 1969 first flight, more than 7,500 Citations were delivered, forming the largest b ...
of
low-wing
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...
business jets which vary in size.
History
Origins
Clyde Cessna
Clyde Vernon Cessna (; December 5, 1879 – November 20, 1954) was an American aircraft designer, aviator, and early aviation entrepreneur. He is best known as the principal founder of the Cessna Aircraft Corporation, which he started in 1927 i ...
, a farmer in
Rago, Kansas
Rago is an unincorporated community in Kingman County, Kansas, United States.
Education
The community is served by Kingman–Norwich USD 331 public school district.
Notable people
Rago was the hometown of Clyde Vernon Cessna
Clyde Vernon Ce ...
, built his own aircraft and flew it in June 1911. He was the first person to do so between the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
and the
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...
. Cessna started his wood-and-fabric aircraft ventures in
Enid, Oklahoma
Enid ( ) is the ninth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the county seat of Garfield County. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,308. Enid was founded during the opening of the Cherokee Outlet in the Land Run of 1893, a ...
, testing many of his early planes on the salt flats. When bankers in Enid refused to lend him more money to build his planes, he moved to
Wichita.
![Cessna DC-6B](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Cessna_DC-6B.jpg)
Cessna Aircraft was formed when Clyde Cessna and
Victor Roos
Victor H. Roos (April 26, 1888 - October 6, 1964) was an American entrepreneur and the founder or co-founder of several early aircraft companies, including Cessna Aircraft.
Biography
image:Bellanca CF at NASM.jpg, The only Bellanca CF built, at ...
became partners in the Cessna-Roos Aircraft Company in 1927. Roos resigned just one month into the partnership, selling back his interest to Cessna.
Shortly afterward, Roos's name was dropped from the company name.
The
Cessna DC-6
The Cessna Model DC-6 was a 1920s American high-wing four-seat tourer built by the Cessna Aircraft Company. It was used by the United States Army Air Corps as the UC-77/UC-77A.
Design and development
The DC-6 was a scaled-down four-seat version ...
earned certification on the same day as the
stock market crash of 1929
The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange colla ...
, October 29, 1929.
In 1932, the Cessna Aircraft Company closed due to the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
.
However, the
Cessna CR-3
The Cessna CR-3 was a follow on racing aircraft to the Cessna CR-2 that raced in the 1932 National Air Races.
Development
The CR-3 was ordered by air racer Johnny Livingston in response to the performance he saw when competing against the Cess ...
custom racer made its first flight in 1933. The plane won the 1933 American Air Race in Chicago and later set a new world speed record for engines smaller than 500 cubic inches by averaging .
Cessna's nephews, brothers
Dwane Dwane is a given name and an alternative spelling of Duane, Dwayne, Dewayne, Dwain, Dwaine and similar.
Notable people by that name include:
* Dwane Casey
* Dwane Husbands
* Dwane Lee
* Dwane Morrison
* Dwane Wallace
Dwane Leon Wallace (October ...
and Dwight Wallace, bought the company from Cessna in 1934. They reopened it and began the process of building it into what would become a global success.
![Cessna C-34 G-AEAI Squires Gate 08](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Cessna_C-34_G-AEAI_Squires_Gate_08.01.50_edited-4.jpg)
The
Cessna C-37
The Cessna Airmaster, is a family of single-engined aircraft manufactured by the Cessna Aircraft Company. The Airmaster played an important role in the revitalization of Cessna in the 1930s after the crash of the aviation industry during the Gre ...
was introduced in 1937 as Cessna's first seaplane when equipped with
Edo
Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo.
Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...
floats.
In 1940, Cessna received their largest order to date, when they signed a contract with the U.S. Army for 33 specially equipped
Cessna T-50
The Cessna AT-17 Bobcat or Cessna Crane is a twin-engine advanced trainer aircraft designed and made in the United States, and used during World War II to bridge the gap between single-engine trainers and larger multi-engine combat aircraft. The ...
s. Later in 1940, the
Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
placed an order for 180 T-50s.
Postwar boom
Cessna returned to commercial production in 1946, after the revocation of wartime production restrictions (L-48), with the release of the
Model 120 and
Model 140. The approach was to introduce a new line of all-metal aircraft that used production tools, dies and jigs, rather than the hand-built
tube-and-fabric construction
Tube-and-fabric construction is a method of building airframes, which include the fuselages and wings of airplanes. It consists of making a framework of metal tubes (generally welded together) and then covering the framework with an aircraft fabri ...
process used before the war.
The
Model 140 was named by the US Flight Instructors Association as the "Outstanding Plane of the Year" in 1948.
Cessna's first helicopter, the
Cessna CH-1
The Cessna CH-1 Skyhook is the only helicopter ever built by the Cessna Aircraft Company. It was the first helicopter to land on the summit of Pike's Peak and the last piston-engined helicopter to set the helicopter altitude record. The CH-1 ...
, received
FAA
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...
type certification
A type certificate signifies the airworthiness of a particular category of aircraft, according to its manufacturing design (''type design''). It confirms that the aircraft of a new type intended for serial production, is in compliance with applica ...
in 1955.
![Cessna172-CatalinaTakeOff](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Cessna172-CatalinaTakeOff.JPG)
Cessna introduced the
Cessna 172
The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is an American four-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company. in 1956. It became the
most produced airplane in history.
During the post-World War II era, Cessna was known as one of the "Big Three" in general aviation aircraft manufacturing, along with
Piper
Piper may refer to:
People
* Piper (given name)
* Piper (surname)
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters Comics
* Piper (Morlock), in the Marvel Universe
* Piper (Mutate), in the Marvel Universe
Television
* Piper Chapman, lea ...
and
Beechcraft
Beechcraft is an American brand of civil aviation and military aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of Beech Aircraft Corporation, an American manufacturer of general aviati ...
.
In 1959, Cessna acquired
Aircraft Radio Corporation
Aircraft Radio Corporation (ARC) – not to be confused with ARINC, Aeronautical Radio, Inc. (ARINC) – was a principal pioneer and major manufacturer of avionics for military and commercial aircraft, and later general aviation (light) aircraft, ...
(ARC), of Boonton, New Jersey, a leading manufacturer of aircraft radios. During these years, Cessna expanded the ARC product line, and rebranded ARC radios as "Cessna" radios, making them the "factory option" for
avionics
Avionics (a blend word, blend of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the Electronics, electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, Air navigation, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, ...
in new Cessnas. However, during this time, ARC radios suffered a severe decline in quality and popularity. Cessna kept ARC as a subsidiary until 1983, selling it to avionics-maker
Sperry Sperry may refer to:
Places
In the United States:
*Sperry, Iowa, community in Des Moines County
*Sperry, Missouri
*Sperry, Oklahoma, town in Tulsa County
*Sperry Chalet, historic backcountry chalet, Glacier National Park, Montana
*Sperry Glacier, ...
.
[White, Gordon Eliot]
"TUBES, TRANSISTORS, AND TAKEOVERS: From Bakelite to back courses and from Boontown to Phoenix: How the Aircraft Radio Corporation changed aviation,"
June, 1984, ''AOPA Pilot
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is a Frederick, Maryland-based American non-profit political organization that advocates for general aviation. AOPA's membership consists mainly of general aviation pilots in the United States ...
,'' retrieved November 6, 2016.["Cessna 177 Cardinal,"](_blank)
March 31, 2016, ''Aviation Consumer'' retrieved April 27, 2017[Cox, Bill: "What Not To Buy" section i]
"Used Cessna 182 Skylanes,"
May 23, 2017, updated November 25, 2020, ''Plane and Pilot'', retrieved March 31, 2021; "Unfortunately, ARC avionics ere troubled witha number of problems, most ssociated withoverheating and eventual failure. ... Cessna buyers began purchasing airplanes hat were
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
naked of any avionics... flying them to heir
Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...
home base, here they had
Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to:
Software
* Here Technologies, a mapping company
* Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here
Television
* Here TV (formerly "here!"), a TV ...
NARCO or King radios nstalled bylocal shops, nstead"
In 1960, Cessna acquired
McCauley Industrial Corporation, of Ohio, a leading manufacturer of
propellers
A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...
for light aircraft.
[Artifact note]
"McCauley Industrial Corp. Propeller, fixed-pitch, two-blade, metal,"
NASM inventory number A19580112000, ''National Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, also called the Air and Space Museum, is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States.
Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, it opened its main building on the Nat ...
'' (NASM), retrieved March 31, 2021 McCauley became the world's leading producer of
general aviation
General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...
aircraft propellers,
[Sator, Darwin]
"7 Key officials to retire early at McCauley,"
December 10, 1982 , ''Dayton Daily News
The ''Dayton Daily News'' (''DDN'') is a daily newspaper published in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It is owned by Cox Enterprises, Inc., a privately held global conglomerate headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, with approximately ...
'' of Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...
, retrieved March 31, 2021 largely through their installation on Cessna airplanes.
In 1960, Cessna affiliated itself with
Reims Aviation
Reims Aviation Industries was a French aircraft manufacturer located in the city of Reims, most recently producing the F406 Caravan II. Reims Aviation was a wholly owned subsidiary of GECI Aviation.
History
Max Holste, the company founder, ...
of
Reims
Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne.
Founded by ...
, France.
In 1963, Cessna produced its 50,000th airplane, a Cessna 172.
Cessna's first business jet, the
Cessna Citation I
The Cessna 500 Citation I is a small business jet produced by Cessna, the basis of the Citation family.
The Fanjet 500 prototype was announced in October 1968, first flew on September 15, 1969, and was certified as the 500 Citation on September ...
, performed its maiden flight on September 15, 1969.
Cessna produced its 100,000th single-engine airplane in 1975.
In 1985, Cessna ceased to be an independent company. It was purchased by
General Dynamics Corporation
General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American publicly traded, aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Reston, Virginia. As of 2020, it was the fifth-largest defense contractor in the world by arms sales, and 5th largest in the Unit ...
and became a wholly owned subsidiary. Production of the
Cessna Caravan
The Cessna 208 Caravan is a utility aircraft produced by Cessna.
The project was commenced on November 20, 1981, and the prototype first flew on December 9, 1982.
The production model was certified by the FAA in October 1984 and its Cargomas ...
began.
General Dynamics in turn sold Cessna to
Textron
Textron Inc. is an American industrial conglomerate based in Providence, Rhode Island. Textron's subsidiaries include Arctic Cat, Bell Textron, Textron Aviation (which itself includes the Beechcraft, and Cessna brands), and Lycoming Engines. ...
in 1992.
![Cessna350N2546W01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Cessna350N2546W01.jpg)
Late in 2007, Cessna purchased the bankrupt
Columbia Aircraft
The Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation was an aircraft manufacturer that designed and built light general aviation aircraft. In November 2007 it became a division of Cessna.
History
In 1994 NASA launched the Advanced General Aviati ...
company for US$26.4M and would continue production of the Columbia 350 and 400 as the
Cessna 350
The Cessna 350 Corvalis is a composite construction, single-engine, normally aspirated, fixed-gear, low-wing general aviation aircraft that was built by Cessna Aircraft until the end of 2010.
The aircraft was formerly built by Columbia Aircr ...
and
Cessna 400
The Cessna 400, marketed as the Cessna TTx, is a single-engine, fixed-gear, low-wing general aviation aircraft built from composite materials by Cessna Aircraft. The Cessna 400 was originally built by Columbia Aircraft as the Columbia 400 ...
at the Columbia factory in
Bend, Oregon
Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Bend Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, with a population of 99,178 at the time of the 2020 U.S ...
.
However, production of both aircraft had ended by 2018.
Chinese production controversy
![Cessna 162 Skycatcher N5201K 1010](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Cessna_162_Skycatcher_N5201K_1010.JPG)
On November 27, 2007, Cessna announced the then-new
Cessna 162
The Cessna 162 Skycatcher is an American side-by-side two-seat, high-wing, strut-braced, tricycle gear light-sport aircraft (LSA) that was designed and produced by Cessna between December 2009 and December 2013. Its intended market was flight ...
would be built in the People's Republic of China by
Shenyang Aircraft Corporation
Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) or Shenyang Aerospace Corporation is a Chinese civilian and military aircraft manufacturer located in Shenyang, Liaoning, a subsidiary of the state-owned aircraft manufacturer AVIC. Founded in 1951 as the cl ...
, which is a subsidiary of the China Aviation Industry Corporation I (AVIC I), a Chinese
government-owned
State ownership, also called government ownership and public ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, or enterprise by the state or a public body representing a community, as opposed to an individual or private party. Public ownersh ...
consortium of aircraft manufacturers. Cessna reported that the decision was made to save money and also that the company had no more plant capacity in the United States at the time. Cessna received much negative feedback for this decision, with complaints centering on the recent quality problems with Chinese production of other consumer products, China's human rights record, exporting of jobs and China's less than friendly political relationship with the United States. The customer backlash surprised Cessna and resulted in a company public relations campaign. In early 2009, the company attracted further criticism for continuing plans to build the 162 in China while laying off large numbers of workers in the United States. In the end, the Cessna 162 was not a commercial success and only a small number were delivered before production was cancelled.
2008–2010 economic crisis
The company's business suffered notably during the
late-2000s recession
The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At t ...
, laying off more than half its workforce between January 2009 and September 2010.
![cessna 525 citationjet g-sfcj arp](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Cessna_525_citationjet_g-sfcj_arp.jpg)
On November 4, 2008, Cessna's parent company,
Textron
Textron Inc. is an American industrial conglomerate based in Providence, Rhode Island. Textron's subsidiaries include Arctic Cat, Bell Textron, Textron Aviation (which itself includes the Beechcraft, and Cessna brands), and Lycoming Engines. ...
, indicated that
Citation
A citation is a reference to a source. More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression embedded in the body of an intellectual work that denotes an entry in the bibliographic references section of the work for the purpose of ...
production would be reduced from the original 2009 target of 535 "due to continued softening in the global economic environment" and that this would result in an undetermined number of lay-offs at Cessna.
On November 8, 2008, at the
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is a Frederick, Maryland-based American non-profit political organization that advocates for general aviation. AOPA's membership consists mainly of general aviation pilots in the United States ...
(AOPA) Expo, CEO
Jack Pelton
Jack J. Pelton is the Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), and the former CEO of the Cessna Aircraft Company, a subsidiary of Textron Inc (and now a brand of Textron Aviation). Before becoming Cessna's ...
indicated that sales of Cessna aircraft to individual buyers had fallen, but piston and turboprop sales to businesses had not. "While the economic slowdown has created a difficult business environment, we are encouraged by brisk activity from new and existing propeller fleet operators placing almost 200 orders for 2009 production aircraft," Pelton stated.
Beginning in January 2009, a total of 665 jobs were cut at Cessna's Wichita and
Bend, Oregon
Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Bend Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, with a population of 99,178 at the time of the 2020 U.S ...
plants. The Cessna factory at
Independence, Kansas
Independence is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,548. It was named in commemoration of the Declaration of Independence.
History
Independence w ...
, which builds the Cessna piston-engined aircraft and the
Cessna Mustang
The Cessna Citation Mustang is a very light jet that was built by Cessna.
Launched at the 2002 National Business Aviation Association, NBAA convention, the Model 510 first flew on April 23, 2005. It received its FAA type certification on Septe ...
, did not see any layoffs, but one third of the workforce at the former
Columbia Aircraft
The Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation was an aircraft manufacturer that designed and built light general aviation aircraft. In November 2007 it became a division of Cessna.
History
In 1994 NASA launched the Advanced General Aviati ...
facility in Bend was laid off. This included 165 of the 460 employees who built the
Cessna 350
The Cessna 350 Corvalis is a composite construction, single-engine, normally aspirated, fixed-gear, low-wing general aviation aircraft that was built by Cessna Aircraft until the end of 2010.
The aircraft was formerly built by Columbia Aircr ...
and
400
__NOTOC__
Year 400 ( CD) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Stilicho and Aurelianus (or, less frequently, year 11 ...
. The remaining 500 jobs were eliminated at the main Cessna Wichita plant.
In January 2009, the company laid off an additional 2,000 employees, bringing the total to 4,600. The job cuts included 120 at the Bend, Oregon, facility reducing the plant that built the Cessna 350 and 400 to fewer than half the number of workers that it had when Cessna bought it. Other cuts included 200 at the Independence, Kansas, plant that builds the single-engined Cessnas and the Mustang, reducing that facility to 1,300 workers.
On April 29, 2009, the company suspended the
Citation Columbus program and closed the Bend, Oregon, facility. The Columbus program was finally cancelled in early July 2009. The company reported, "Upon additional analysis of the business jet market related to this product offering, we decided to formally cancel further development of the Citation Columbus". With the 350 and 400 production moving to Kansas, the company indicated that it would lay off 1,600 more workers, including the remaining 150 employees at the Bend plant and up to 700 workers from the Columbus program.
In early June 2009, Cessna laid off an additional 700 salaried employees, bringing the total number of lay-offs to 7,600, which was more than half the company's workers at the time.
The company closed its three
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...
, manufacturing facilities between June 2010 and December 2011. The closures included the new facility that was opened in August 2008 at a cost of US$25M, plus the
McCauley Propeller Systems
McCauley Propeller Systems is an American aircraft propeller manufacturer, founded in Dayton, Ohio in 1938 by Ernest G. McCauley.Artifact note"McCauley Industrial Corp. Propeller, fixed-pitch, two-blade, metal,"NASM inventory number A19580112000 ...
plant. These closures resulted in total job losses of 600 in Georgia. Some of the work was relocated to Cessna's Independence, Kansas, or Mexican facilities.
Cessna's parent company, Textron, posted a loss of US$8M in the first quarter of 2010, largely driven by continuing low sales at Cessna, which were down 44%. Half of Cessna's workforce remained laid-off and CEO Jack Pelton stated that he expected the recovery to be long and slow.
In September 2010, a further 700 employees were laid off, bringing the total to 8,000 jobs lost. CEO Jack Pelton indicated this round of layoffs was due to a "stalled
ndlackluster economy" and noted that while the number of orders cancelled for jets had been decreasing, new orders had not met expectations. Pelton added, "our strategy is to defend and protect our current markets while investing in products and services to secure our future, but we can do this only if we succeed in restructuring our processes and reducing our costs."
2010s
On May 2, 2011, CEO
Jack J. Pelton
Jack J. Pelton is the Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), and the former CEO of the Cessna Aircraft Company, a subsidiary of Textron Inc (and now a brand of Textron Aviation). Before becoming Cessna's ...
retired. The new CEO, Scott A. Ernest, started on May 31, 2011.
Ernest joined Textron after 29 years at
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...
, where he had most recently served as vice president and general manager, global supply chain for
GE Aviation
GE Aviation, a subsidiary of General Electric, is headquartered in Evendale, Ohio, outside Cincinnati. GE Aviation is among the top aircraft engine suppliers, and offers engines for the majority of commercial aircraft. GE Aviation is part of the ...
. Ernest previously worked for Textron CEO Scott Donnelly when both worked at General Electric.
In September 2011, the
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...
(FAA) proposed a
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
2.4 million fine against the company for its failure to follow quality assurance requirements while producing fiberglass components at its plant in
Chihuahua, Mexico. Excess humidity meant that the parts did not cure correctly and quality assurance did not detect the problems. The failure to follow procedures resulted in the delamination in flight of a section of one
Cessna 400
The Cessna 400, marketed as the Cessna TTx, is a single-engine, fixed-gear, low-wing general aviation aircraft built from composite materials by Cessna Aircraft. The Cessna 400 was originally built by Columbia Aircraft as the Columbia 400 ...
's wing skin from the
spar
SPAR, originally DESPAR, styled as DE SPAR, is a Dutch multinational that provides branding, supplies and support services for independently owned and operated food retail stores. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1932, by Adriaan van Well, ...
while the aircraft was being flown by an FAA test pilot. The aircraft was landed safely. The FAA also discovered 82 other aircraft parts that had been incorrectly made and not detected by the company's quality assurance. The investigation resulted in an emergency
Airworthiness Directive
An Airworthiness Directive (commonly abbreviated as AD) is a notification to owners and operators of certified aircraft that a known safety deficiency with a particular model of aircraft, engine, avionics or other system exists and must be correct ...
that affected 13 Cessna 400s.
Since March 2012, Cessna has been pursuing building business jets in China as part of a joint venture with
Aviation Industry Corporation of China
Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...
(AVIC). The company stated that it intends to eventually build all aircraft models in China, saying "The agreements together pave the way for a range of business jets, utility single-engine turboprops and single-engine piston aircraft to be manufactured and certified in China."
In late April 2012, the company added 150 workers in Wichita as a result of anticipated increased demand for aircraft production. Overall, they have cut more than 6000 jobs in the Wichita plant since 2009.
In March 2014, Cessna ceased operations as a company and instead became a brand of
Textron Aviation
Textron Aviation Inc. is the general aviation business unit of the conglomerate Textron that was formed in March 2014 following the acquisition of Beech Holdings which included the Beechcraft and Hawker Aircraft businesses. The new business uni ...
.
Marketing initiatives
During the 1950s and 1960s, Cessna's marketing department followed the lead of Detroit automakers and came up with many unique marketing terms in an effort to differentiate its product line from their competitors.
Other manufacturers and the aviation press widely ridiculed and spoofed many of the marketing terms, but Cessna built and sold more aircraft than any other manufacturer during the boom years of the 1960s and 1970s.
Generally, the names of Cessna models do not follow a theme, but there is usually logic to the numbering: the 100 series are the light singles, the 200s are the heftier, the 300s are light to medium twins, the 400s have "wide oval" cabin-class accommodation and the 500s are jets. Many Cessna models have names starting with C for the sake of
alliteration
Alliteration is the conspicuous repetition of initial consonant sounds of nearby words in a phrase, often used as a literary device. A familiar example is "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers". Alliteration is used poetically in various ...
(e.g. Citation, Crusader, Chancellor).
Company terminology
Cessna marketing terminology includes:
*Para-Lift Flaps – Large
Fowler flaps
A flap is a high-lift device used to reduce the stalling speed of an aircraft wing at a given weight. Flaps are usually mounted on the wing trailing edges of a fixed-wing aircraft. Flaps are used to reduce the take-off distance and the landing ...
Cessna introduced on the
170
Year 170 ( CLXX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Clarus and Cornelius (or, less frequently, year 923 ''Ab urbe condita ...
B in 1952, replacing the narrow chord plain flaps then in use.
*Land-O-Matic – In 1956, Cessna introduced sprung-steel
tricycle landing gear
Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle g ...
on the 172. The marketing department chose "Land-O-Matic" to imply that these aircraft were much easier to land and take off than the preceding
conventional landing gear
Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Term ...
equipped Cessna 170. They even went as far as to say pilots could do “drive-up take-offs and drive-in landings”, implying that flying these aircraft was as easy as driving a car. In later years, some Cessna models had their steel sprung landing gear replaced with steel tube gear legs. The
206 retains the original spring steel landing gear today.
![Cessna 150E (C-GFAU)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Cessna_150E_%28C-GFAU%29.jpg)
*Omni-Vision – The rear windows on some Cessna singles, starting with the
182
Year 182 ( CLXXXII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sura and Rufus (or, less frequently, year 935 ''Ab urbe condita'') ...
and
210
Year 210 ( CCX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Faustinus and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 963 ''Ab urbe condita ...
in 1962 and followed by the
172
Year 172 ( CLXXII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Scipio and Maximus (or, less frequently, year 925 '' Ab urbe condita ...
and
150 150 may refer to:
*150 (number), a natural number
*AD 150, a year in the 2nd century AD
*150 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC
*150 Regiment RLC
*Combined Task Force 150
See also
* List of highways numbered 150
The following highways are numbered ...
in 1963 and 1964 respectively. The term was intended to make the pilot feel visibility was improved on the notably poor-visibility Cessna line. The introduction of the rear window caused in most models a loss of cruise speed due to the extra drag, while not adding any useful visibility.
*Cushioned Power – The rubber mounts on the cowling of the 1967 model 150, in addition to the rubber mounts isolating the engine from the cabin.
*Omni-Flash – The flashing beacon on the tip of the fin that could be seen all around.
*Open-View – This referred to the removal of the top section of the control wheel in 1967 models. These had been rectangular, they now became “ram’s horn” shaped, thus not blocking the instrument panel as much.
*Quick-Scan – Cessna introduced a new instrument panel layout in the 1960s and this buzzword was to indicate Cessna’s panels were ahead of the competition.
*Nav-O-Matic – The name of the Cessna autopilot system, which implied the system was relatively simple.
*Camber-Lift – A marketing name used to describe Cessna aircraft wings starting in 1972 when the aerodynamics designers at Cessna added a slightly drooped
leading edge
The leading edge of an airfoil surface such as a wing is its foremost edge and is therefore the part which first meets the oncoming air.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 305. Aviation Supplies & Academics, ...
to the standard
NACA 2412
The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was a United States federal agency founded on March 3, 1915, to undertake, promote, and institutionalize aeronautical research. On October 1, 1958, the agency was dissolved and its assets ...
airfoil
An airfoil (American English) or aerofoil (British English) is the cross-sectional shape of an object whose motion through a gas is capable of generating significant lift, such as a wing, a sail, or the blades of propeller, rotor, or turbine.
...
used on most of the light aircraft fleet. Writer Joe Christy described the name as "stupid" and added "Is there any other kind
f lift"
[Christy, Joe: ''The Complete Guide to the Single Engine Cessnas – Third Edition'', page 119. TAB Books, 1979. ]
*Stabila-Tip – Cessna started commonly using wingtip
fuel tanks
A fuel tank (also called a petrol tank or gas tank) is a safe container for flammable fluids. Though any storage tank for fuel may be so called, the term is typically applied to part of an engine system in which the fuel is stored and propelled ...
, carefully shaped for aerodynamic effect rather than being tubular-shaped. Tip tanks do have an advantage of reducing
free surface effect
The free surface effect is a mechanism which can cause a watercraft to become unstable and capsize.
It refers to the tendency of liquids — and of unbound aggregates of small solid objects, like seeds, gravel, or crushed ore, whose behavior ap ...
of fuel affecting the balance of the aircraft in rolling manoeuvres.
Aircraft models
![cessna](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Cessna.560xl.citation.excel.arp.jpg)
In October 2020, Textron Aviation was producing the following Cessna-branded models:
*
Cessna 172 Skyhawk
The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is an American four-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company.[Cessna 182 Skylane
The Cessna 182 Skylane is an American four-seat, single-engined light airplane built by Cessna of Wichita, Kansas. It has the option of adding two child seats in the baggage area.
Introduced in 1956, the 182 has been produced in a ...](_blan ...<br></span></div> – high-wing, single piston-engined, four-seat aircraft in production since 1956<ref></ref>
*<div class=)
– high-wing, single piston-engined, four-seat aircraft in production since 1956
*
Cessna 206 Stationair
The Cessna 205, 206, and 207, known primarily as the Stationair (and marketed variously as the Super Skywagon, Skywagon and Super Skylane) are a family of single-engined, general aviation aircraft with fixed landing gear, used in commercial air ...
– high-wing, single piston-engined, six-seat utility aircraft in production since 1962
*
Cessna 208 Caravan
The Cessna 208 Caravan is a utility aircraft produced by Cessna.
The project was commenced on November 20, 1981, and the prototype first flew on December 9, 1982.
The production model was certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA ...
– high-wing single-turboprop utility aircraft in production since 1984
*
Cessna 408 SkyCourier
The Cessna 408 SkyCourier is an American utility aircraft designed and built by Textron Aviation.
It was launched on November 28, 2017 with an order for 50 from FedEx Express.
It made its first flight on May 17, 2020, and was type certified o ...
– high-wing twin-turboprop utility aircraft in production since 2022
*
Cessna Citation family
The Cessna Citation is a family of business jets by Cessna that started in 1972 with the entry into service of the first model. In the fifty years following the 1969 first flight, more than 7,500 Citations were delivered, forming the largest ...
– twin-engined business jets
**
Cessna Citation 525 M2/CJ series – in production since 1991
**
Cessna Citation 560XL Excel – in production since 1996
**
Cessna Citation 680 Sovereign – Out production 2021
**
Cessna Citation 680A Latitude – in production since 2014
**
Cessna Citation 700 Longitude – in production since 2019
References
External links
*
*
*
*
Mort Brown Cessna Special Collection– Personal collection of documents belonging to a former chief test pilot
{{Authority control
Aircraft manufacturers of the United States
Manufacturing companies based in Kansas
General Dynamics
Textron
Companies based in Wichita, Kansas
American companies established in 1927
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1927
1927 establishments in Kansas
Collier Trophy recipients
1985 mergers and acquisitions
1992 mergers and acquisitions