Textron Aviation brings new upgrades to iconic piston product lineup

LAKELAND, Fla. (April 4, 2022) - Textron Aviation this week is announcing a range of enhancements to its top-selling, legendary piston aircraft lineup. From utility to luxury, these upgrades to the Beechcraft Baron, Beechcraft Bonanza and all Cessna piston aircraft will provide operators with more functionality and comfort.

Cessna and Beechcraft aircraft are manufactured by Textron Aviation Inc.,  a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company.

The new production Beechcraft Bonanza G36 will now offer a 155-pound increase to the maximum takeoff weight, giving the aircraft a maximum useful load of 1,213 pounds in its standard configuration with six seats.  

In addition to the increased gross weight, new production Bonanzas, along with Beechcraft Baron G58 aircraft, will offer three new interior schemes and a new cockpit layout with a standalone autopilot controller. New Bonanzas and Bonanzas will also include a Garmin GI 275 electronic standby, a carbon monoxide detector integrated in the Garmin avionics system, USB ports at every seat, powered headset plugs in the cockpit, and updated LED exterior lighting for improved visibility. New models of each aircraft are anticipated to be delivering in mid-2022.

All new production Cessna high wing piston aircraft will also include a Garmin GI 275 electronic standby. The standby modernizes the cockpit panel by eliminating three analog standby instruments and providing additional flight data. The interior of Cessna high-wing piston aircraft also feature refreshes with the addition of Alcantara inserts in the seats along with a backlit USB A/C port in the cockpit.

“These are upgrades that will truly enhance the flying experience for our customers,” said Chris Crow, vice president, Piston Sales. “Customers will experience a noticeable change when they’re inside each of these aircraft.”

This week at the Sun ‘n Fun International Fly-in & Aerospace Expo, Textron Aviation is displaying a Beechcraft Bonanza G36 and Beechcraft Baron G58, as well as a Cessna Caravan, Cessna Turbo Stationair HD and a Cessna Skylane. Sun ‘n Fun, which is at Lakeland Linder Airport in Lakeland, Fla., begins Tuesday, April 5 and runs through Sunday, April 10.

A Lycoming engine for the recently announced Cessna Turbo Skylane will be on display next to the aircraft. Visitors can also view a mockup of the new Beechcraft Denali, equipped with McCauley’s new composite, 5-blade propeller. McCauley will also be showcasing its new 4-blade propeller for the Beechcraft King Air B300 series.

“This is an ideal opportunity for us share the significant advancements we are making with our piston products,” Crow said. “Each of the aircraft we will have on display is an example of our continued focus on our customers’ needs. Sun ‘n Fun is always a great event to interact with passionate aviators, and we’re pleased to have so many announcements for our iconic Beechcraft and Cessna brands.”

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About Textron Aviation

We inspire the journey of flight. For more than 95 years, Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. company, has empowered our collective talent across the Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker brands to design and deliver the best aviation experience for our customers. With a range that includes everything from business jets, turboprops, and high-performance pistons, to special mission, military trainer and defense products, Textron Aviation has the most versatile and comprehensive aviation product portfolio in the world and a workforce that has produced more than half of all general aviation aircraft worldwide. Customers in more than 170 countries rely on our legendary performance, reliability and versatility, along with our trusted global customer service network, for affordable and flexible flight.

For more information, visit www.txtav.com | www.defense.txtav.com | www.scorpionjet.com.

About Textron Inc.

Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, Textron Systems, and TRU Simulation + Training. For more information, visit: www.textron.com.

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements which may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the efficacy of research and development investments to develop new products or unanticipated expenses in connection with the launching of significant new products or programs; the timing of our new product launches or certifications of our new aircraft products; our ability to keep pace with our competitors in the introduction of new products and upgrades with features and technologies desired by our customers; changes in government regulations or policies on the export and import of our products; volatility in the global economy or changes in worldwide political conditions that adversely impact demand for our products.