Cessna Aircraft is recalling close to 200 laid-off workers as it prepares to resume production of its Citation Sovereign business jet and ramp up production of the new Citation CJ4, the company said.
The workers will return in January, said Cessna spokesman Doug Oliver.
Cessna halted production of the Sovereign during the economic downturn that hit the business jet market. Cessna will resume building the Sovereign in January, Oliver said.
The callbacks are not an indication that business is picking up at Cessna, Oliver said.
“This is simply a resumption of a product line that’s been shuttered for a while,” he said. “It’s not an indication that business has changed nor is it an indication that we’re hiring.”
Rose Pelton, the wife of Cessna Aircraft’s chairman and CEO Jack Pelton, will be the first customer to take delivery of Cessna’s new light sport aircraft, the Skycatcher.
She’ll receive the plane before the end of the year. Rose Pelton plans to use the two-place, single-engine aircraft to pursue her private pilot’s license.
“I couldn’t be more excited to own the first Skycatcher,” she said in a statement.
Go Rose!
Cessna Aircraft officials report this week that they’ve seen a spike in piston aircraft sales over the past two months. They credit the increases to sales programs the company has put in place and to tax incentives that are set to expire at the end of the year.
That’s a positive development, officials said.
Through bonus depreciation, business-related aircraft acquisitions may qualify for accelerated depreciation under a provision in the federal stimulus package passed earlier this year.
Cessna also has extended two of its sales program through the end of the year.
One is a “Deal of the Decade” program that gives buyers a $10,000 fuel card and free synthetic vision technology for certain Corvalis models. A “Deposit Amplifier” program adds $30,000 to a deposit for a new Cessna 182 or T182 Skylane and a choice of one of three technology upgrades for the Garmin G1000 technology package.
Cessna Aircraft plans to help the City of Greensburg with environmental issues as the city works to rebuild itself as one of the first “green” cities.
Greensburg Mayor Bob Dixson and Cessna chairman and CEO Jack Pelton are signing a memo of understanding this afternoon, the company said. Cessna and the city will work together on developing and starting energy management programs, adopting clean and efficient sustainable resources and reducing the overall environmental impact.
The two will create a list of areas to explore and will then mobilize employees to provide expertise for a variety of projects, including green airport development and coordination of aviation activities in the Greensburg community with general aviation industry associations, the company said.
Greensburg was decimated by a deadly tornado on May 4, 2007.
Greensburg has become a living laboratory for research on sustainable design and community development, Dixson said in a statement. Teaming with Cessna shows the commitment Kansas people and businesses have to work together to better the environment.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association will participate in certain aspects of the effort that pertain to general aviation.
The first production Cessna 162 
SkyCatcher has arrived from Shenyang, China, and is now at the Cessna factory.
There, the plane is being reassembled and modified to incorporate design changes to the tail. The changes were the result of flight testing, specifically from the spin-testing tests following the crash of two test aircraft.
The second SkyCatcher will be shipped to Yingling Aviation in Wichita for reassembly. The first 10 aircraft will need to be modified before they’re delivered to customers. Then, the changes will have been made into the production line in China.
ORLANDO — Cessna Aircraft drew a standing-room-only crowd to its news conference at NBAA this afternoon.
There’s some encouraging developments out there to suggest that the business jet market might be starting to move in a positive direction, said Cessna CEO Jack Pelton.
Financing is more readily available, used aircraft inventory is declining and prices for used aircraft have risen for the first time in several quarters. Usage for the Citation fleet has stopped dropping and bookings for maintenance work are moving upward.
In addition, single-engine retail sales have been strong in recent weeks.
Still, it will take time for the market to return. Cessna projects lower deliveries next year over 2009.
Pelton said he thinks the company is sized correctly for the next three years of deliveries. Cessna has cut half of its work force in the past year, the most painful development of the economic crisis, Pelton said.
Cessna Aircraft is offering help for customers buying new Cessna 182 or Turbo 182 Skylane single-engine piston aircraft.
The company is offering a “deposit amplifier” program through the end of the year that adds $30,000 to a deposit on a retail order.
Depending on the circumstances, the purchase may also qualify for accelerated depreciation that lets you depreciate the aircraft at a faster pace if the plane is bought by the end of this year.
CitationShares, a fractional ownership company, is getting a new name and brand.
CitationShares was founded in 2000 and is majority owned and operated by Cessna Aircraft. The company is holding a press conference in New York on Friday to discuss its new vision and the future of private aviation. The event will be attended by CitationShares CEO Steve O’Neill, Cessna Aircraft chairman and CEO Jack Pelton, and Textron president and CEO-elect Scott Donnelly.
We’ll keep you updated on the announcement.
Cessna Aircraft just released a new training program for sport pilots and private pilots at its Cessna Pilot Centers.
The program is in anticipation of the delivery of Cessna’s new light sport aircraft, the 162 SkyCatcher.
The course is a web-based system that tracks customer training and allows access to training materials anywhere the Internet is available.
Cessna Pilot Centers are flight training centers that use Cessna proprietary training curriculum and Cessna aircraft.
Lewis Campbell, the chairman and CEO of Cessna’s parent company, Textron Inc., will retire Dec. 1. Textron president Scott Donnelly will assume his position, the company said Thursday.
Campbell, who is 63, will remain as a non-executive chairman of the board at least until the 2011 annual meeting of shareholders, it said. The change is the culmination of a multi-year succession planning process. Campbell has been with Textron 17 years, including 11 years as CEO.
Donnelly joined Textron is June 2008 as chief operating officer and was named president in January. He is the former president and CEO of General Electric’s aviation unit.
