Textron delivers 10,000th Independence-built single-engine aircraft

A Cessna Skyhawk from Textron Aviation. (Textron Aviation) — A Cessna Skyhawk that was the 10,000 single-aisle aircraft delivered by Textron’s Independence facility. (Textron Aviation)

Textron Aviation has delivered its 10,000th piston single-engine aircraft from its Cessna production facility in Independence, Kansas.

The aircraft, a Cessna 172 Skyhawk, was delivered to Liberty University.

The company’s Independence facility delivered its first aircraft in June 1996, ending Cessna’s decade-long hiatus in building piston singles due to crippling US product liability laws. Today the Independence factory builds the Cessna 172, Turbo Skylane JT-A, Stationair and TTx piston singles, as well as the Citation Mustang and the recently-certified Citation M2 business jets.

Cessna parent company Textron created the ‘Textron Aviation’ business unit after it finalised its acquisition of Beechcraft earlier this year.