|
Friedrichshafen, Germany, April 19, 2007 – Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, is highlighting its participation in AERO Friedrichshafen trade show with a display of three of the aircraft that helped the company maintain its position as the world’s leading supplier of single-engine propeller aircraft – and with a scale model of its new Light Sport Aircraft proof-of-concept aircraft.
Three of its top-selling single-engine propeller aircraft are on display at the company’s exhibit here in Hall A-3 – a Skylane 182 Turbo, and Stationair 206 and Grand Caravan. The operational Cessna LSA aircraft is the United States at another event, so the company produced the 1.4-meter scale model especially for the show in Germany. “We think the LSA market in Europe, particularly in Germany, will be very robust should Cessna move forward to produce the aircraft,” said John Doman, Cessna vice president of Propeller Sales. “We are still evaluating the business issues of entering the market – both aircraft-related and production-related – but we are encouraged by the work we’ve done so far.” Doman said the company still is looking at a number of aircraft issues including engine, avionics, and aerodynamic configuration. Cessna first announced it was considering producing an LSA model at last year’s annual EAA Airventure general aviation trade show in Oshkosh, Wis. Cessna expects to make a decision about entering the market in the coming months. The newly-emerging Light Sport Aircraft category is the highest growth sector of general aviation. Light Sport Aircraft are defined as having a maximum gross weight of 1,320 pounds, maximum level-flight speed of 120 knots, and no more than two seats. The three real aircraft on display in Germany represent the 932 single-engine piston and turboprop aircraft Cessna delivered in 2006, more than any other company in the world. New for 2007 on the 182 and 206 is a significant enhancement to the Garmin G1000 integrated avionics suite with the introduction of the Garmin GFC 700 Automatic Flight Control (AFCS) and Flight Director (FD) system as standard equipment. “The Garmin GFC 700 autopilot on the 182 Skylane and 206 Stationair will fully integrate the avionics system making this our most sophisticated single engine piston cockpit to date – many of these capabilities were only found in jets before now,” Doman said. “Every component of the now fully-integrated all-Garmin system has been engineered to work seamlessly together. The autopilot functions will be located on the G1000 flight displays, and more information than ever will be available to the pilot because the GFC 700 is capable of using all of the data available to the Garmin G1000 avionics system, thereby adding new navigational features that increase functionality and safety and reduce pilot workload.” The GFC 700 autopilot will offer many new elements, including the following:
•All-digital, dual-channel, two-axis flight control – this system features an attitude-based (versus rate-based) autopilot, including fail-safe mode, which prevents or eliminates autopilot malfunctions, such as hardovers or trim runaways.
•Flight Director – this offers pitch and roll guidance to show the pilot the attitude for a standard climb or turn.
•Flight Level Change – this ensures the aircraft maintains airspeed while climbing or descending to a pre-selected altitude.
•Go-Around Mode – This engages the Flight Director in a wings-level, seven-degree pitch-up attitude to help the pilot safely navigate an aborted landing.
•Pitch Hold – this mode, in conjunction with the Flight Director, maintains a constant pitch attitude. Cessna is celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2007 with a number of company celebrations and promotions. Since 1927, Cessna has delivered more than 189,000 aircraft, making it the world’s most prolific aircraft manufacturer. Based on unit sales, Cessna Aircraft Company is the world's largest manufacturer of general aviation airplanes. In 2006, Cessna delivered 1,239 aircraft, including 307 Citation business jets, and reported revenues of about $4.2 billion and a backlog of $8.5 billion. Since the company was originally established in 1927, more than 189,000 Cessna airplanes have been delivered to nearly every country in the world. The global fleet of almost 5,000 Citations is the largest fleet of business jets in the world. More information about Cessna Aircraft Company is available at www.cessna.com. Textron Inc. is an $11 billion multi-industry company operating in 32 countries with approximately 40,000 employees. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, 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, Fluid & Power, Textron Systems and Textron Financial Corporation. More information is available at www.textron.com. Original Release
Related Items:
|
