Textron closing $1.4 billion purchase of Beechcraft Corp

Textron announced that they "expect to close mid year [2014]". Looks like it's moving forward.....
 
It's almost certainly curtains for the Bitchjet and Premiere (and, really, who would miss the Premiere?), but I wonder whether or not they could keep the Hawkersaurus to fill a "niche market" of people who want a cheap midsize that goes really slowly and has no baggage space whatsoever, but is built like a brick outhouse and has "ramp presence". Sort of like how your average rich guy will buy a Ferrari or Maybach, but there are still a sizable number of weirdoes who instead buy a 60s Land Cruiser and pay someone $200k to rip it to shreds and put a 450hp engine and Brembos on it.

In any case, it offers the prospect of factory support for all those Hawker products out there flying around held together by speed-tape or just languishing in the back of the hangar. Winning!
 
It's almost certainly curtains for the Bitchjet and Premiere (and, really, who would miss the Premiere?), but I wonder whether or not they could keep the Hawkersaurus to fill a "niche market" of people who want a cheap midsize that goes really slowly and has no baggage space whatsoever, but is built like a brick outhouse and has "ramp presence". Sort of like how your average rich guy will buy a Ferrari or Maybach, but there are still a sizable number of weirdoes who instead buy a 60s Land Cruiser and pay someone $200k to rip it to shreds and put a 450hp engine and Brembos on it.

In any case, it offers the prospect of factory support for all those Hawker products out there flying around held together by speed-tape or just languishing in the back of the hangar. Winning!
I'm surprised the Chinese didn't step up and grab the jet biz.
 
The drop in sales for Cessna may be misleading. Many of them may be Skycatchers, which I hear Cessna may be stopping production of entirely. The loss of sales of a Skycatcher isn't comparable to a Citation, for example.
 
Someone told me a few years ago when I was in ICT that they saw a very "CJ'ish" looking airframe with a single turboprop on it. Anyone?
 
It's almost certainly curtains for the Bitchjet and Premiere (and, really, who would miss the Premiere?), but I wonder whether or not they could keep the Hawkersaurus to fill a "niche market" of people who want a cheap midsize that goes really slowly and has no baggage space whatsoever, but is built like a brick outhouse and has "ramp presence". Sort of like how your average rich guy will buy a Ferrari or Maybach, but there are still a sizable number of weirdoes who instead buy a 60s Land Cruiser and pay someone $200k to rip it to shreds and put a 450hp engine and Brembos on it.

In any case, it offers the prospect of factory support for all those Hawker products out there flying around held together by speed-tape or just languishing in the back of the hangar. Winning!
Brutal but accurate description.
 
..........
In any case, it offers the prospect of factory support for all those Hawker products out there flying around held together by speed-tape or just languishing in the back of the hangar. Winning!
My bet is that whomever buys Hawker/Beech will NOT revitalize the Hawker line. Beech has already published their intent to flush the Hawker line and not support it in the future. At this point, the Hawker would be a white elephant for any buyer

Someone told me a few years ago when I was in ICT that they saw a very "CJ'ish" looking airframe with a single turboprop on it. Anyone?
It's actually a turboprop on a Citation Mustang airframe. It's been flying around in "test mode" for a couple of years now (gathering data for it and for a future project not yet announced).
 
In addition to the Skycatcher, don't forget that we didn't deliver any JT-As in 2013 and the TTx barely started in Q2. 2014 is going to be a great year!
 
Well, it's official, Textron announced yesterday the completed aquisition of Beechcraft Aviation.
Textron formed a new company called Textron Aviation that will "own" both Cessna and Beachcraft. the current CEO/President of Cessna is now the CEO of Textron Aviation.
It will be interesting to see which airframes they continue to build/support and which ones they do not.....

EDIT: Sp
 
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Well, it's official, Textron announced yesterday the completed aquisition of Beechcraft Aviation.
Textron formed a new company called Textron Aviation that will "own" both Cessna and Beachcraft. the current CEO/President of Cessna is now the CEO of Textron Aviation.
It will be interesting to see which airframes thay continue to build/support and which ones they do not.....
Not going to help my 4000.
 
I say it's time for Beech to bring back both the V tail and the Skipper.

Oh, and make a few more 56TCs, plz (for you young'ins, that's the B55 airframe with big a$$ Duke engines on it...it would pull your teeth right off their fillings).

Richman
 
Cessnas are much better! They also have a lot more aftermarket options.

Not for the REALLY expensive items.

Ask a Cessna single RG owner of what keeps him or her up at night. My bet is the answer is "saddles, actuators, and swivel fittings". A guy over on the CPA forum reported that Cessner wanted over 14k for a new gear actuator assembly for his 182RG... for ONE side. And that was 3 years ago. Some of those parts are beyond the economic reality of those airplanes, which, of course, may be the whole point.

Richman
 
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