Cessna and Beech

Yesterday I attended the Minnesota Business Aviation Association’s July luncheon sponsored by Textron Aviation, one of the new company’s early Cessna and Beechcraft integrated events. Representatives from both brands presented updates on some of the jet and turbo prop programs. Two Cessna jets, one Caravan, and one King Air were on display, along with a Cessna Citation mobile maintenance unit which is based at Anoka County Airport on the north side of the Twin Cities.

The new company logo shown on the screen had the words Beechcraft – Cessna – Hawker proudly displayed with Textron Aviation underneath, clearly preserving the individual brand identity of each aircraft line. During opening remarks, Mike Pierce commented on the new logo and pointed out to the audience the importance of highlighting the three distinct aircraft brands above the Textron Aviation name. The tagline was impressive, “Gaining Altitude Together”.

Aviation history buffs will know this is not the first time the names Cessna and Beech worked together in this business. In the mid 1920s Clyde Cessna, Walter Beech along with Lloyd Stearman founded the Travel Air Manufacturing Company in Wichita, KS. A few years later Clyde Cessna left to work on a new high wing monoplane design, and in the early 1930s Walter and his wife Ann Beech formed Beech Aircraft Company.

Nearly 90 years later these iconic names in general and business aviation are back together and another chapter in the aviation history books begins.

Ron