News Releases
Cessna Recruiting Citation Owners for Special Olympics Airlift
ORLANDO, Fla. Oct. 19, 2009 - Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, is recruiting Citation owners to help transport more than 2,000 athletes and coaches from across the nation to the 2010 Special Olympics USA National Games in Lincoln, Neb.
Corporations and individual Citation owners and operators throughout the United States are needed to donate their Citation business jet(s), pilots and fuel for the airlift on two Saturdays: July 17 and July 24, 2010. Registration is exclusively on line at www.airlift.cessna.com.
“While Cessna may be out front promoting the event, the Citation Special Olympics Airlift wouldn’t happen without our Citation owners making a commitment to provide a safe way for the athletes and coaches to travel to the games,” said Cessna Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Jack J. Pelton. “Now more than ever, our industry and the athletes need the lift that can be provided by this unique event.”
This is the sixth time Cessna will organize the Citation Special Olympics Airlift. Cessna launched this campaign at the 2008 National Business Aviation Association Meeting and Convention, where the company introduced actor and Citation owner Harrison Ford as the event’s honorary chairman.
“It might seem early for Cessna to ask for a commitment to an event in July 2010, but organizing the world’s largest peacetime airlift takes enormous pre-planning. The most important element of our planning is determining how many aircraft we can count on and where those aircraft are based,” said Rhonda Fullerton, Cessna Community Relations manager and director of the Citation Special Olympics Airlift.
The first Citation Special Olympics Airlift in 1987 involved more than 130 Citations carrying nearly 1,000 athletes to and from South Bend, Ind. The last airlift, in 2006, included 235 Citations transporting 1,500 athletes to and from Des Moines, Iowa.
Special Olympics is an international organization that provides people with intellectual disabilities continuing opportunities to realize their potential, develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage and experience joy and friendship. Special Olympics offers year-round athletic training and competition in Olympic-type sports, including the USA National Games.
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Based on unit sales, Cessna Aircraft Company is the world's largest manufacturer of general aviation airplanes. In 2008, Cessna delivered 1,301 aircraft, including 467 Citation business jets, and reported revenues of about $5.662 billion. Since the company was originally established in 1927, some 192,000 Cessna airplanes have been delivered around the world, including more than 6,000 Citations, making it the largest fleet of business jets in the world. More information about Cessna Aircraft Company is available at www.cessna.com.
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 Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, and Textron Systems. More information is available at www.textron.com.
Forward-looking Information: Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements and 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 forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the statements, including but not limited to the following: [a] changes in worldwide economic and political conditions that impact demand for our products, interest rates and foreign exchange rates; [b] the interruption of production at our facilities or at our suppliers’ facilities; [c] the timing of new product launches and certifications of new aircraft products; [d] the occurrence of slowdowns or downturns in customer markets in which our products are sold or supplied; [e] changes in aircraft delivery schedules or cancellation of orders; [f] the launching of significant new products or programs which could result in unanticipated expenses; [g] changes in national or international government policies on the export and import of commercial products; and [h] bankruptcy or other financial problems at major suppliers that could cause disruptions in our supply chain.
Corporations and individual Citation owners and operators throughout the United States are needed to donate their Citation business jet(s), pilots and fuel for the airlift on two Saturdays: July 17 and July 24, 2010. Registration is exclusively on line at www.airlift.cessna.com.
“While Cessna may be out front promoting the event, the Citation Special Olympics Airlift wouldn’t happen without our Citation owners making a commitment to provide a safe way for the athletes and coaches to travel to the games,” said Cessna Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Jack J. Pelton. “Now more than ever, our industry and the athletes need the lift that can be provided by this unique event.”
This is the sixth time Cessna will organize the Citation Special Olympics Airlift. Cessna launched this campaign at the 2008 National Business Aviation Association Meeting and Convention, where the company introduced actor and Citation owner Harrison Ford as the event’s honorary chairman.
“It might seem early for Cessna to ask for a commitment to an event in July 2010, but organizing the world’s largest peacetime airlift takes enormous pre-planning. The most important element of our planning is determining how many aircraft we can count on and where those aircraft are based,” said Rhonda Fullerton, Cessna Community Relations manager and director of the Citation Special Olympics Airlift.
The first Citation Special Olympics Airlift in 1987 involved more than 130 Citations carrying nearly 1,000 athletes to and from South Bend, Ind. The last airlift, in 2006, included 235 Citations transporting 1,500 athletes to and from Des Moines, Iowa.
Special Olympics is an international organization that provides people with intellectual disabilities continuing opportunities to realize their potential, develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage and experience joy and friendship. Special Olympics offers year-round athletic training and competition in Olympic-type sports, including the USA National Games.
###
Based on unit sales, Cessna Aircraft Company is the world's largest manufacturer of general aviation airplanes. In 2008, Cessna delivered 1,301 aircraft, including 467 Citation business jets, and reported revenues of about $5.662 billion. Since the company was originally established in 1927, some 192,000 Cessna airplanes have been delivered around the world, including more than 6,000 Citations, making it the largest fleet of business jets in the world. More information about Cessna Aircraft Company is available at www.cessna.com.
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 Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, and Textron Systems. More information is available at www.textron.com.
Forward-looking Information: Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements and 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 forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the statements, including but not limited to the following: [a] changes in worldwide economic and political conditions that impact demand for our products, interest rates and foreign exchange rates; [b] the interruption of production at our facilities or at our suppliers’ facilities; [c] the timing of new product launches and certifications of new aircraft products; [d] the occurrence of slowdowns or downturns in customer markets in which our products are sold or supplied; [e] changes in aircraft delivery schedules or cancellation of orders; [f] the launching of significant new products or programs which could result in unanticipated expenses; [g] changes in national or international government policies on the export and import of commercial products; and [h] bankruptcy or other financial problems at major suppliers that could cause disruptions in our supply chain.
