Tue, Apr 01, 2014
Will A Skycatcher On A Pole Show Up In Your Neighborhood?
ANN April 1 Special Edition
When Cessna decided to abandon their Skycatcher light sport aircraft they left about 80 airplanes completed and sitting in no man’s land. More than this, there were a number of partially completed airframes at the Shenyang Aircraft Company production facility located in China. Now it looks like the Panda Express Chinese fast food chain may put those airframes to use.
Panda Express has announced their intentions to start Chinese food home deliveries by using UAVs. It seems like everybody is jumping into the UAV delivery business so Panda Express sought a way to make their service appear unique. They have named their aerial delivery service PanEx; the similarity to the name FedEx is intentional. This is where the Cessna Skycatcher comes into the picture.
Twenty of the partially completed Skycatcher airframes will be shipped to an auto body repair shop located in Tijuana, Mexico to be completed into nonflying airframes. They will be painted in a livery similar to that found on FedEx airplanes, and an electric motor will be installed to slowly turn a simulated propeller. These “PanEx” airplanes will then be mounted on a pole in front of the Panda Express restaurants that offer the PanEx aerial home delivery via UAVs.
When then-Cessna CEO Scott Ernest, announced that the Skycatcher had “no future,” it’s obvious he wasn’t looking at the big picture. It has now been rumored that Ernest is considering reintroducing the Skycatcher as an arcade and carnival ride. After all, Cessna’s parent company, Textron, also produces golf carts, and a Skycatcher arcade ride would fit into this recreational market. Could an electric powered Skycatcher show up at Panda Express or Six Flags near you? We’ll keep you posted.
(Image Photoshopped by Nathan Cremisino)
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