Cessna progresses on relocating Corvalis final assembly to Independence

Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, said today it expects to begin line flow for final assembly of the Corvalis high-performance single-engine piston aircraft in Independence, Kan., by Oct. 1.

Both aircraft - the Cessna Corvalis TT (twin turbo) and Corvalis (normally-aspirated) - are on display at the Experimental Aircraft Association's annual week-long conference - AirVenture 2009.

Cessna acquired certain assets of Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Co. in December 2007. Since then, in addition to making a number of significant improvements to the aircraft and its global product support, Cessna renamed these aircraft. The Corvalis TT is the world's fastest fixed-gear single-engine piston aircraft with a top speed of 235 knots (435 km/hr) and a service ceiling of 25,000 feet (6,620 m).

"It was a very hard decision to close the facility in Bend, Ore., and the world class people there have been over the top in their commitment to help train others to produce the aircraft," said Rod Holter, vice president of Mustang/ Single-Engine Piston and Outlying Operations. "We expect approximately 40 current Bend employees to transfer to Kansas - production experts to Independence and engineers to Wichita. Our focus is on ensuring the same quality product is delivered from our world class facility in Independence. The investment we're making in time and in people will make sure the tradition continues."

A dedicated portion of the Independence factory has been cleared and readied for the Corvalis assembly and the relocation of all tooling and equipment is complete. Spare parts are in stock for availability to existing customers throughout the transition process.

In June, Cessna began Corvalis customer deliveries from Independence's new delivery center, where the company also delivers the Cessna Skyhawk, Skylane, Stationair and the Citation Mustang.