by Melissa Scheffler
KWCH 12 Eyewitness News
(WICHITA, Kan.)—
Cessna opened the door on its latest achievement. It is the 400th CJ3, a business jet in the Citation line.
"There are over 1,600 Citation jets flying around the world today," Ron Draper, Cessna Senior Vice President of Integrated Supply Chain, said.
Cessna invited its employees and the media to the roll-out celebration. However, when we asked, Cessna execs declined to comment on the future of the aviation industry. Draper only offered brief comments to employees. "If there's one thing we build here at Cessna, it's confidence. We build confidence with our customers," Draper said.
Confidence is something that might be lacking in the aviation industry. We sat down with Congressman Mike Pompeo to talk about its future in the Air Capital.
"I'm hopeful we've turned the corner in that a year or six months ago we actually hit bottom. And those businesses will actually start growing and people will start buying propeller aircraft and jet aircraft again. And we [will] get folks back to work here in south central Kansas," Pompeo said.
The congressman says business is getting better. But it's not improving as quickly as the aircraft makers would like. "I'm optimistic in the coming months things will get better. I just wish they moved more quickly," Pompeo said.
So Cessna, and its counterparts, can hold ceremonies like this more often. "It's you that deliver the value to the customer. You build the high-quality aircraft that leaves Wichita, Kansas and goes all around the world," Draper said.
Congressman Pompeo also talked about Beechcraft's battle for a military contract. Beechcraft has filed a lawsuit to fight the air force awarding a large contract to the Sierra Nevada Corporation. Pompeo says the Air Force doesn't reverse its course often. But, it's not unheard of. He hopes the Air Force will re-consider its decision and buy its planes from Beechcraft.
Source: http://www.kwch.com
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