Industry | Aerospace |
---|---|
Founded | 2014 |
Headquarters | , U.S. |
Key people | CEO: Ronald Draper (2018) |
Products | General aviation and military aircraft Brands: Beechcraft Cessna Hawker Pipistrel |
Owner | Textron |
Website | www |
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 unit includes the Textron-owned Cessna. Textron Aviation sells Beechcraft and Cessna-branded aircraft. While no longer selling new Hawker airplanes, Textron Aviation still supports the existing Hawker aircraft fleet through its service centers. [1] [2]
The CEO of Cessna, Scott Ernest, was named as the first CEO of Textron Aviation. [1] [2] In October 2018, Ronald Draper succeeded Ernest to become its second CEO. [3]
Textron completed its purchase of Beech Holdings in March 2014 for approximately US$1.4 billion in cash. The parent company, Textron, financed the equity purchase and the repayment of Beechcraft's debt in cash, plus its issue of US$600 million in senior notes and a new US$500 million five-year term loan. [1] [2]
Once the purchase was completed on March 14, 2014, Textron combined Beechcraft with its existing Cessna subsidiary to form Textron Aviation and brought all production under the new company name. The old companies became brands of the new company due to their historical significance and name recognition. [1] [2]
In January 2017, the company announced lay-offs as a result of falling business jet and turboprop sales and company profits. Textron CEO Scott Donnelly indicated that customers are seeking pricing levels that the company is not willing to support. [4]
In the first quarter of 2017 company revenues were down US$121 million compared to 2016, as a result of lower sales of military and commercial turboprop aircraft. The company made a first quarter 2017 profit of US$36 million, down from US$73 million in the first quarter of 2016. [5]
Sales of the Cessna 400 had been slow, with only 23 of the model being sold in 2017. In February 2018, the company ceased production of the aircraft. [6]
In April 2022, Textron purchased Slovenian manufacturer Pipistrel to form a new division called Textron eAviation, for electric aircraft development. [7] [8]
Textron Aviation's various lines of aircraft, including the Cessna single-engined piston and turboprop aircraft and jets, Beechcraft piston and turboprops are seen by the company as complementary to each other and not as competitors. Textron Aviation also produces the Beechcraft T-6 Texan II trainer and AT-6 light attack variant. The company does not produce the Hawker jets, but provides parts support for them. [9]
By 2015, Textron Aviation companies have delivered nearly 251,000 aircraft, exceeding 100 million flight hours, in over 170 countries. [10] It provides aircraft parts and engineering support for them.
Model name | Original first flight | Number built | Type |
---|---|---|---|
Beechcraft G36 Bonanza | 1945 | 17,000 | light general aviation aircraft, 6-seat |
Beechcraft G58 Baron | 1960 | 6,691 | light general aviation aircraft, twin piston |
Beechcraft King Air | 1963 | 3,100+ | light general aviation aircraft |
Beechcraft Super King Air | 1972 | 3,550+ | light general aviation aircraft |
Beechcraft T-6 Texan II/AT-6 | 2000 | 850 | military training aircraft/light attack aircraft |
Cessna 172 | 1955 | 43,000 | light general aviation aircraft, 4-seat, 145-180 hp |
Cessna 182 | 1956 | 23,237 | light general aviation aircraft, 4-seat, 227-235 hp |
Cessna 206 | 1962 | 8,509 | light general aviation aircraft, 6 seat |
Cessna 208 Caravan | 1982 | 2,500 | general aviation aircraft/commuter |
Cessna 408 SkyCourier | 2020 | general aviation aircraft/cargo | |
Cessna Citation Excel | 1996 | 575 | general aviation mid-size jet aircraft |
Cessna CitationJet | 1991 | 400 | general aviation light jet aircraft |
Cessna Citation Latitude | 2014 | general aviation mid-size jet aircraft | |
Cessna Citation Longitude | 2016 | general aviation super mid-size jet aircraft | |
Cessna Citation M2 | 2012 | general aviation light jet aircraft | |
Cessna Citation Mustang | 2005 | 425 | general aviation very light jet aircraft |
Cessna Citation Sovereign | 2002 | 300 | general aviation mid-size jet aircraft |
Cessna Citation X | 1993 | 330 | general aviation long range mid-size jet aircraft |
Cessna TTx | 2004 | light general aviation aircraft, 4-seat, low-wing | |
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 aviation, commercial, and military aircraft, ranging from light single-engined aircraft to twin-engined turboprop transports, business jets, and military trainers. Beech later became a division of Raytheon and then Hawker Beechcraft before a bankruptcy sale turned its assets over to Textron. It remains a brand of Textron Aviation.
Cessna is an American brand of general aviation aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of the Cessna Aircraft Company, an American general aviation aircraft manufacturing corporation also headquartered in Wichita. The company produced small, piston-powered aircraft, as well as business jets. 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 and Victor Roos and was purchased by General Dynamics in 1985, then by Textron, Inc. in 1992. In March 2014, when Textron purchased the Beechcraft and Hawker Aircraft corporations, Cessna ceased operations as a subsidiary company, and joined the others as one of the three distinct brands produced by Textron Aviation.
The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II is a single-engine turboprop aircraft built by Textron Aviation. A trainer aircraft based on the Pilatus PC-9, the T-6 replaced the United States Air Force's Cessna T-37B Tweet and the United States Navy's T-34C Turbo Mentor during the 2010s.
Textron Inc. is an American industrial conglomerate based in Providence, Rhode Island. Textron's subsidiaries include Arctic Cat, Bell Textron, Textron Aviation, and Lycoming Engines. It was founded by Royal Little in 1923 as the Special Yarns Company. In 2020, Textron employed over 33,000 people in 25 countries. The company ranked 265th on the 2021 Fortune 500 of the largest United States corporations by revenue.
The Cirrus Design Corporation, doing business as Cirrus Aircraft, is an aircraft design, manufacturing, maintenance and management company, as well as a provider of flight training services, that was founded in 1984 by Alan and Dale Klapmeier to produce the VK-30 homebuilt aircraft. The company is headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota, United States, with operational locations in six other states across the US including North Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Arizona, Florida and Michigan, and additional sales locations in France and the Netherlands. It is majority-owned by a subsidiary of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).
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 until December 2007. From 2013, the aircraft was built as the Cessna TTx Model T240.
The Hawker 400 is a light business jet. Initially designed and built by Mitsubishi, it has been further developed and updated by the Beech Aircraft Company, now part of Textron Aviation. A military version, the T-1 Jayhawk was also produced. In total, over 900 Hawker 400s have been delivered. In 2017, Hawker began to offer a manufacturer supported upgrade package known as the Hawker 400XPR. The new modifications are intended to reduce fuel consumption and improve range.
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 training and personal use.
The Cirrus Vision SF50, also known as the Vision Jet, is a single-engine very light jet designed and produced by Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth, Minnesota, United States.
Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) was an American aerospace manufacturing company that built the Beechcraft and Hawker business jet lines of aircraft between 2006 and 2013. The company headquarters was in Wichita, Kansas, United States, with maintenance and manufacturing locations worldwide. The history of Hawker Beechcraft originated in 1994 when Raytheon merged its Beech Aircraft Corporation and Raytheon Corporate Jets units.
The Beechcraft Super King Air family is part of a line of twin-turboprop aircraft produced by Beechcraft. The Model 200 and Model 300 series were originally marketed as the "Super King Air" family; the "Super" designation was dropped in 1996. They form the King Air line together with the King Air Model 90 and 100 series.
Epic Aircraft is a general aviation aircraft manufacturer headquartered in Bend, Oregon. The company produces the Epic E1000 GX single engine turboprop design.
Jack J. Pelton is an American aviation businessman who currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) since 2012 and CEO of EAA since 2015. He also served as CEO of the Cessna Aircraft Company from 2004 to 2011, a subsidiary of Textron Inc and now a brand of Textron Aviation. Before becoming Cessna's CEO, Pelton was its Senior Vice President of Product Engineering since 2000 and prior to that, was Senior Vice President of Engineering and Programs at Fairchild Dornier. Previous to Fairchild, he worked at McDonnell Douglas for over two decades.
The Eclipse 550 is a very light jet initially built by Eclipse Aerospace and later One Aviation of Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. The aircraft is a development version of the Eclipse 500, which was produced by predecessor Eclipse Aviation. Like the 500, the 550 is a low-wing, six seat, twin engine jet-powered aircraft. The Eclipse 550 is certified for single-pilot operation.
Nextant Aerospace is a United States–based company specializing in the remanufacturing of business jets. Founded in 2007, Nextant is the first company to introduce the concept of aircraft remanufacturing to the business jet market.
The Textron AirLand Scorpion is a jet aircraft manufactured in the United States proposed for sale to perform light attack and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) duties. It is being developed by Textron AirLand, a joint venture between Textron and AirLand Enterprises. A prototype was secretly constructed by Cessna at their Wichita, Kansas facility between April 2012 and September 2013 and first flown on 12 December 2013.
The Beechcraft Denali, also known as the Model 220 and previously the Cessna Denali and Textron "Single Engine Turboprop" (SETP), is an American single engine turboprop aircraft under development by Textron Aviation. Announced at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015, the aircraft is a completely new design, not derived from any existing aircraft. It should compete primarily with the nine-passenger Pilatus PC-12 as well as slightly faster and smaller single-engine turboprops such as the Epic E1000, Piper M700 Fury, and SOCATA TBM.
Wheels Up is a provider of "on demand" private aviation in the United States and one of the largest private aviation companies in the world. It was founded in 2013 by Kenny Dichter, using a membership/on-demand business model. Wheels Up members can book private aircraft from the company fleet and third-party operators using a mobile application.
LunaJets is a private jet broker with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, where it has been based since it was founded in 2007 by former Ogilvy advertiser Eymeric Segard. Additionally, they have opened offices throughout the years in London, Paris, Monaco, Riga and Dubai.
The Cessna 408 SkyCourier is an American utility aircraft designed and built by the Cessna division of Textron Aviation. It was launched on November 28, 2017, with an order for 50 from FedEx Express, with the aircraft designed for the needs of its FedEx Feeder service. It made its first flight on May 17, 2020, and was type certified on March 11, 2022. FedEx took delivery of the first production model on May 9, 2022.