First Up: Building The SkyCatcher

Cessna announced Monday the planemaker has appointed Mike Shih to lead the company's China operations.

As director of Cessna China Operations, Shih will oversee the production of the Cessna Model 162 SkyCatcher and support other business development opportunities in China. He will be based at Textron's Shanghai, China, office, and will report to David Brant, Cessna's senior vice president of Product Engineering.

Shih joined Cessna in 1989 and has held various engineering leadership positions, most recently director of Aircraft Structural Integrity for all Cessna models.

The planemaker says Shih has experience with detail structural analyses and certification, support for global sourcing and program management. He has also been integral is Cessna's activities in China to date, including customer support, certification support and supplier assessment.

All those qualities will come in handy, as Shih oversees the launch of production of the first Cessna aircraft ever assembled in China. As ANN reported, Cessna announced in November 2007 that Shenyang Aircraft Corporation would build the upcoming light-sport aircraft, with Cessna overseeing production.

Shih has a bachelor's and master's degree in Aerospace Engineering from Wichita State University. He is fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese.

FMI: www.cessna.com