Textron Aviation

Textron Aviation began the week on uplifting news of Saturday’s successful 2-hour and 2-minute first flight of the company’s new Longitude super midsize business jet. The Longitude, announced four and a half years ago and unveiled at last year’s NBAA Convention in Las Vegas, departed Beech Field on the east side of Wichita, with experimental […]

Textron’s Beechcraft subsidiary has received full FAA certification for all program elements of its Beechcraft/Hawker 400A upgrade. All upgrade work is completed either in Wichita, Kansas, or at a Textron Aviation service center. The completed effort transforms the old 1980s-era airframe into a Hawker 400XPR that offers improved climb and takeoff performance, as well as […]

Cessna Aircraft Company this week announced it will be the exclusive provider of new, non-complex single-engine trainers for Pan Am International Flight Academy. The companies signed a multiyear deal that includes sales of Cessna trainers, including the Skyhawk 172, as well as service support, parts discounts and training. Miami-based Pan Am International Flight Academy trains […]

Textron Aviation announced it will move production of the Cessna Caravan to its Independence, Kansas, facility to make room for production of its newest business aircraft offerings at its headquarters factory in Wichita. The manufacturer didn’t specify when the move would happen, but it did say the shift isn’t expected to affect employees’ jobs. The […]

The first flight of what will be Cessna’s largest business jet is just weeks away, the manufacturer says. Cessna this week successfully completed ground engine tests on the Citation Longitude’s Honeywell HTF7700L turbofan engines. “The engine run tests are one of the final major milestones as we prepare for first flight,” said Textron president and […]

Industry analysts this week pointed to signs of a possible acquisition in Learjet’s future. Bombardier financial analyst Cai von Rumohr says the sale of the Bombardier subsidiary is “increasingly possible,” with Textron Aviation as the likely buyer, the Wichita Eagle reports. The speculation comes after Bombardier’s second-quarter 2016 earnings call Friday, in which Bombardier executives […]