Cessna reached a new milestone Aug. 30 with its 6,000th customer delivery since the company's Independence, Kan., facility opened in 1996.

"We've taught the world to fly - more people have learned to fly in a Cessna than any other manufacturer's airplane," said Roger Whyte, Cessna's senior vice president of sales and marketing.

"A majority of those people learned through our global network of more than 300 certified Cessna Pilot Centers. So, I think it's fitting today's 6,000th aircraft goes to Dana Atkinson, president of Anson Air, a Cessna Pilot Center, in Sugar Land, Texas."

Atkinson purchased a Garmin G1000-equipped 182T Skylane in December, and now will add his new 172S Skyhawk NAV III with the G1000 to his fleet of 11 airplanes.

"We've had a tremendous amount of student interest in the new Skyhawk with the Garmin avionics suite," Atkinson said.

"Our clients are very demanding and expect modern aircraft with modern technology, and the first-class service that goes with it.  I think our new Skyhawk is right in line with our mission to stay on the cutting edge of technology and meet our clients' needs.  I anticipate more G1000-equipped Cessnas in our future."

Being the 6,000th single engine customer since Cessna restarted single engine piston production in 1996 was meaningful to Atkinson both professionally and personally, as he learned to fly in a Cessna 152 in 1981.

During the delivery ceremonies, he said his long relationship with Cessna aircraft has fostered an appreciation of the company's history and tradition of building safe, pilot-friendly airplanes.

"I'd like to tell the Cessna Independence Team they've done a great job with my airplane and with the past 5,999 aircraft they've produced," he said.

"On our delivery flight, this airplane was virtually perfect." 

Cessna discontinued single engine production in Wichita, Kan., in 1986. The company re-entered the single engine piston aircraft market after the 1994 passage of the U.S. General Aviation Revitalization Act (GARA). Production line flow of the first Cessna piston engine commenced July 10, 1996, in Independence. Throughout Cessna's 78-year history, more than 150,000 single engine piston airplanes have been delivered, making Cessna's single engine fleet the largest in the world.

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