Good Week for Cessna; 100th Mustang Delivered, and CJ4 Progressing Well

Thai businessman Supap Puranitee ordered his Cessna Mustang on the day it was announced at NBAA 2002. He took delivery of his VLJ, the 100th Mustang off the production line, last week at the Cessna plant in Independence, Kansas. Cessna delivered 45 Mustangs in its first partial year of production last year, and expects to deliver 100 more this year. For 2009, the company expects to increase production by another 50 percent to 150. There are currently more than 500 Mustangs on order. Concurrently, the first production CJ4 midsize jet made its maiden voyage, all the way from the factory airport across town to Cessna's Mid-Continent Airport headquarters. The first flight lasted some 41 minutes. With the prototype having completed approximately 60 flights since it first flew in May, certification of the CJ4 is expected late next year. First customer deliveries are currently scheduled for early 2010.