Cessna Will Build LSA Outside The USA

An announcement by the Cessna Aircraft Company, saying it will build its new light sport aircraft outside of the US, is expected this week.

The Model 162 SkyCatcher will be built in one of six countries in an effort to keep the price competitive, Cessna CEO Jack Pelton told The Wichita Eagle.

To keep the price affordable, "a major part of that content has to be built someplace else," Pelton said.

Countries on Cessna’s short list are: Argentina, Australia, China, the Czech Republic, India and Poland -- where company officials have looked at outsourcing, said Cessna spokesman Bob Stangarone.

"We have looked literally everywhere in the world," Pelton added.

The company has 850 orders for the Light Sport aircraft since launching the program in July at AirVenture 2007, as reported by ANN.

The SkyCatcher garnered the orders on a marketing scheme that has the first 1,000 aircraft selling for $109,500 before the price increases to $111,500.

The two-place SkyCatcher’s first flight is scheduled for the first half of 2008 with deliveries to start in the second half of 2009. Cessna plans to produce up to 700 of the aluminum planes a year, when in full production in 2011.

Cessna has called the new light sport plane category "simple low-performance aircraft" and will represent aviation's biggest growth sector -- but Pelton was quick to add the SkyCatcher won't be a breadwinner for the planemaker, no matter where its ultimately built.

"While we wanted the light sport to stimulate new pilot starts and stimulate flight training, with this low cost we aren't going to let it become distractive," Pelton said, adding demand for the Citation business jet is far more profitable -- so much so, Cessna plans to expand its workforce by 1,500 jobs in 2008 to meet demand.

"We have so much growth in front of us today in the Citation," Pelton said.

FMI: www.cessnaskycatcher.com/