The 7000th Single-Engine Piston Aircraft Is Built Independence

Cessna celebrated the 7000th single-engine piston airplane manufactured at its facility in Independence, KS in October. In total, Cessna has manufactured more than 152,000 single-engine piston aircraft in its nearly 80-year history.

The 7000th Independence-produced aircraft was a Cessna 182 Skylane. The airplane was presented to Frank Seymour with Sheltair Aviation Services, owner of eight fixed-base operations (FBOs) in Florida and New York.

"Cessnas are reliable and fun to fly," said Seymour, who also owns a Cessna 206 Stationair. "I need to fly between FBOs to ensure the customer service and facilities are meeting expectations, and I look forward to using this beautiful new airplane as my transportation."

The first Independence-produced single-engine piston came off the line in November 1996. This was following Cessna's 10-year hiatus from producing single-engine piston aircraft due to the rising cost of product liability and skyrocketing insurance costs.

The General Aviation Revitalization Act, signed in 1994, allowed Cessna to re-enter single-engine piston production. Within days of the act being signed, Cessna announced a search for the town where it would build a facility to manufacture single-engine pistons again. In December 1994, Cessna announced the selection of Independence, KS as the site for the assembly of its new generation model 172 Skyhawks, 182 Skylanes, and 206 Stationairs. Cessna broke ground for the facility in May 1995.

Cessna claims it has delivered more general aviation airplanes than any other commercial manufacturer. It says more than half the general aviation aircraft flying today are Cessnas.

Based on unit sales, Cessna is the world's largest manufacturer of general aviation airplanes. In 2005, Cessna delivered 1,157 aircraft and reported revenues of about $3.5 billion. Since the company was originally established in 1927, more than 187,000 Cessna airplanes have been delivered to nearly every country in the world.

FMI: www.cessna.com