Cessna quietly cancels Columbus

[diggertwo]

http://www.pilotbug.com/?p=130

The previously suspended development of the Cessna Citation Columbus was canceled as reported in a recent Textron SEC filing. According to the document, Textron “decided to suspend the development of the Citation Columbus wide-body jet due to prevailing market conditions.” The aircraft, which was to compete in the already crowded “super midsize” cabin class, was previously suspended in April. Facilities and tooling built and produced in the program totaled $50M up until now, of which $43M has been declared unrecoverable. Development and construction of the aircraft were also to have employed 1000 jobs in Wichita, KS, home to Cessna Aircraft.

 

[BushwickBill]

Maybe they can come up with a less stupid name next time.

 

[tdwnds1]

Cessna is also retratcting a 1 BILLION dollar contract with Vought They were going to build the wings for the Columbus.
Thats gotta hurt.
Good thing they are being bought by Boeing.

 

[netjetwife]

'Bill, I think the name "Columbus" is fine. I don't know why you dislike it, but from a business perspective, it makes perfect sense that Cessna wanted to honor the company bringing them a big contract. Maybe they can come up with other work to replace those 1000 jobs and offset the $43M lost. Surely that's a bigger concern than the name?

Td, thanks for the info. The Vought employees/families must be relieved. I don't think most Americans reflected much on how far reaching the affects of private aviation can be on the economy. Alas, recessions have a way of educating citizens. When my husband first talked about the plans for the Columbus, I didn't even know where it'd be built, much less, see a connection between my family and those workers. We really are all in this together, aren't we? Good luck to us all! NJW

 

[o2bflyn]

'Bill, I think the name "Columbus" is fine. I don't know why you dislike it, but from a business perspective, it makes perfect sense that Cessna wanted to honor the company bringing them a big contract. Maybe they can come up with other work to replace those 1000 jobs and offset the $43M lost. Surely that's a bigger concern than the name?

Seriously? You can't be serious. You think that's where they got the name "Columbus"? Ever heard of a guy with the first name Christopher?

 

[netjetwife]

O2b, yes, I was serious. When I'm not I use to get my intentions across. NJASAP leaders interact with upper management (including RTS) so when they talk I listen, read the 411s, etc. I gathered that Cessna wasn't too concerned about name confusion because they expected the connection to be obvious since the Columbus was to be built for NJA of Columbus, Ohio (ever heard of that city...) and they wanted to give recognition to the company based there. As my husband noted, the double-meaning name would still work if Cessna sold the plane to other companies. For everyone's sake, I hope the economy revives enough for NJA to order new planes in the not too distant future. NJW

 

[jehtplane]

O2b, yes, I was serious. When I'm not I use to get my intentions across. NJASAP leaders interact with upper management (including RTS) so when they talk I listen, read the 411s, etc. I gathered that Cessna wasn't too concerned about name confusion because they expected the connection to be obvious since the Columbus was to be built for NJA of Columbus, Ohio (ever heard of that city...) and they wanted to give recognition to the company based there. As my husband noted, the double-meaning name would still work if Cessna sold the plane to other companies. For everyone's sake, I hope the economy revives enough for NJA to order new planes in the not too distant future. NJW

OH Brother, You seriosly need to get over yourself and NJ's influence over everything, gimme a break.

 

[o2bflyn]

O2b, yes, I was serious. When I'm not I use to get my intentions across. NJASAP leaders interact with upper management (including RTS) so when they talk I listen, read the 411s, etc. I gathered that Cessna wasn't too concerned about name confusion because they expected the connection to be obvious since the Columbus was to be built for NJA of Columbus, Ohio (ever heard of that city...) and they wanted to give recognition to the company based there. As my husband noted, the double-meaning name would still work if Cessna sold the plane to other companies. For everyone's sake, I hope the economy revives enough for NJA to order new planes in the not too distant future. NJW

Ok....if that's what you choose to believe.

 

[netjetwife]

Jeht, some posters here seriously need to practice fairness and good manners. I was simply sharing information. The limited NJ influence you perceived in my post was not exclusive to them. I think Cessna would do the same for any large account because it's smart business.

O2b, If you would rather believe that Cessna chose to honor a long-gone sailor, rather than a current aviation client, that's your prerogative, but I'll go with the info closer to the source. In the interest of accurate posting, I'll double-check with my husband when he calls home tomorrow. He's in Columbus for joint meetings...

 

[FLYLOW22]

O2b, yes, I was serious. When I'm not I use to get my intentions across. NJASAP leaders interact with upper management (including RTS) so when they talk I listen, read the 411s, etc. I gathered that Cessna wasn't too concerned about name confusion because they expected the connection to be obvious since the Columbus was to be built for NJA of Columbus, Ohio (ever heard of that city...) and they wanted to give recognition to the company based there. As my husband noted, the double-meaning name would still work if Cessna sold the plane to other companies. For everyone's sake, I hope the economy revives enough for NJA to order new planes in the not too distant future. NJW

Nah. They'd a called it the Santulli.