Textron Aviation is showcasing its complete line of business jets and turboprops here at NBAA 2014, with all 12 models on display at Orlando Executive Airport, led by the debut appearance of the Cessna Latitude, its midsize jet currently undergoing certification.

“It’s a product family that really has come together well,” said president and CEO Scott Ernest, alluding to the merger of the Hawker, Beechcraft and Cessna product lines after Textron, parent company of Cessna Aircraft, purchased Hawker Beechcraft earlier this year and created Textron Aviation. “Our focus for the last six months has been on integration.”

Since the last NBAA, Textron has also certified four new aircraft: the Citation CJ3+, certified in September, which has “a good backlog” of orders, Ernest said (one delivered); the M2 (43 delivered); the Sovereign + (27 delivered); and the Citation X+, the world’s fastest business jet, with a top cruise speed of Mach 0.935 (five delivered).

The company has high hopes for its midsize Latitude, the widest Citation and the first midsize jet with a six-foot cabin height, according to Textron. The development program is two thirds completed and certification is expected in 2015.

In turboprop news, the company announced an updated King Air C90GTx, available in the 4th quarter of this year. Textron also announced for the King Air 250 an enhanced payload option (920 pounds) that effectively extends the range 490 nm with six passengers and two crewmembers.

Brad Thress, senior v-p of customer service, announced that the company is extending ProAdvantage, its guaranteed-cost maintenance program, to the King Air line, noting that more than 40 percent of Citation owners are members, which “speaks to the value customers see” in the program. In coming months, the program will be extended to cover the Hawker line of business jets as well, he said. In emphasizing its global customer service network and its reach, Textron also has one of its mobile service unit vehicles on static display.

Ernest said results of the first three quarters show the company is “off to a really good start this year.” During Textron’s third-quarter earnings call on October 17, the company revealed third-quarter revenues up $526 million to $3.4 billion, which includes $398 million contributed by the Beechcraft acquisition. During the quarter, Textron Aviation delivered 33 jets and 30 King Airs, up from 25 jets in last year’s third quarter (Beechcraft delivered 26 Kings in that quarter). The Textron Aviation contribution included revenues up $497 million compared to the same quarter last year and a profit of $62 million compared to last year’s loss of $23 million. Backlog at the end of the third quarter is flat compared to the second quarter at $1.4 billion.

“We’ve seen a pretty significant uptick in terms of the demand,” said Textron chairman and CEO Scott Donnelly, “a lot of activity up here, and it’s pretty much across the board. We feel probably [we] have seen one of the strongest September/October levels of activity that we’ve seen in quite some time.”

Textron also announced that its TRU Simulation + Training unit will open a new Citation training facility in Tampa, Fla., as well as a Bell training center in Valencia, Spain.

NBAA Convention News 2014

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