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Cessna’s Newest Single-Engine Models Popular in Brazilian Market


WEBWIRE

SÃO PAULO, Brazil.– Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, has found immediate success in Brazil with the newest aircraft to join the best selling single-engine piston line in history.

Brazil is one of the top two international markets for the Model 162 SkyCatcher, the light sport aircraft that launched in July 2007 and will enter service in the second half of 2009.

Additionally, Cessna has already delivered a number of Model 350 and 400s to Brazilians, who have quickly embraced the high-performance, low-wing composite aircraft that joined the company’s product line when Cessna acquired certain assets of the Bend, Ore., operation in December 2007.

The Cessna 400 – the fastest fixed-gear single-engine piston aircraft on the market – is on display through Aug. 16 at the Latin American Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition. Also representing Cessna’s single-engine piston aircraft is a six-place Cessna 206 Stationair.

“The combination of comfort, range and speed in the Cessna 350 and 400 models is ideal for the Brazilian business traveler,” said Bob Gibbs, Cessna’s director, International Sales, single-engine aircraft. “Another trend we are seeing is Brazilians finding that the Stationair offers the speed and volume of our Cessna 210, which has always been extremely popular in Brazil. The response here to the SkyCatcher has been impressive, as well, making this and Germany the top two international markets for the light sport aircraft.”

All current Cessna single-engine models feature the all-glass Garmin G1000 avionics suite with the GFC 700 autopilot – as do the Cessna Caravan turboprop and the Citation Mustang entry-level business jet.

Two weeks ago at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture 2008 in Oshkosh, Wis., Cessna unveiled to the public the first production Model 162 SkyCatcher complete with a production interior and finished in the production paint scheme. Gibbs noted that Cessna sold four SkyCatchers to walk-up Brazilian customers at AirVenture 2008.

Cessna has three SkyCatcher airframes currently in ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) flight testing, which will be completed later this year. Priced at $111,500 in 2007 dollars, the 162 is expected to cruise at speeds up to 118 knots with a maximum range of 470 nautical miles. Preliminary design parameters for the SkyCatcher include a maximum gross weight of 1,320 pounds, a service ceiling of 15,500 feet, a useful load of 490 pounds and a usable fuel capacity of 24 gallons. It has a cabin width at shoulder height of more than 44 inches, equaling that of the much-larger Cessna Stationair. It features two top-hinged cabin entry doors and forward pivoting seats giving access to a baggage compartment.

At the top-end of Cessna’s single-engine piston line, the 350 and 400 have dual carbon fiber reinforced wing spars, dual horizontal stabilizer attach-points and multiple hinge points for all control surfaces. The airframes, including the control surfaces, are constructed entirely of fiberglass and carbon fiber, with the landing gear and engine mount being the only primary structures made of steel. The design strength of these two models is demonstrated by their certification in the Utility Category under FAR Part 23, Amendment 46.

Equipped with a 310-horsepower Teledyne Continental TCM IO-550N, the Cessna 350 has a certified ceiling of 18,000 feet and a maximum cruise speed of 191 knots. The twin turbocharger equipped, intercooled TCM TSIO-550C installed in the Cessna 400 enables it to reach a maximum cruise speed of 235 knots and to cruise as high as 25,000 feet while its pilot and passengers enjoy the convenience of the 400’s standard four-place, built-in oxygen system.



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