So why did Cessna buy Columbia?

[Darkwing]

Is Cessna looking at it as a huge shortcut to building (and just adding
overnight) composite aircraft to their piston single lineup? I personally
like the Columbia line, if I had an extra half million laying around I would
love to have a 400.

------------------------------
DW

[Ron Natalie]

Darkwing wrote:
> Is Cessna looking at it as a huge shortcut to building (and just adding
> overnight) composite aircraft to their piston single lineup? I personally
> like the Columbia line, if I had an extra half million laying around I would
> love to have a 400.
>
I expect mostly that Textron thought they could make a go of it.
Textron (parent of Cessna, Lycoming, Bell Helicopter, Macauley,
EZ GO, Greenlee, Jacobson Lawm Mowers, and a whole slew of little
guys including my company) is the original conglomerate. They're
very acquisition minded of companies with earning and growth
potential especially when it fits in with areas they think
are gaps in their capabilities.

[C J Campbell[_1_]]

On 2007-11-17 07:54:38 -0800, "Darkwing" <theducksmail"AT"yahoo.com> said:

> Is Cessna looking at it as a huge shortcut to building (and just adding
> overnight) composite aircraft to their piston single lineup? I personally
> like the Columbia line, if I had an extra half million laying around I would
> love to have a 400.
>
> ------------------------------
> DW

Cessna likes the Columbia, too, and they will continue producing the
aircraft. The interesting thing is that the Columbia production
facility is bigger than the Cessna piston facility in Independence. Yet
it is producing far below capacity, while the Independence facility has
been almost completely taken over by the Mustang. Cessna has only one
production line left open for piston singles despite the fact that they
have a backlog of several years' worth of orders.

You do the math and see what conclusion you come to. Personally, if I
worked at Cessna building piston singles, I would be house-hunting in
Oregon already, before things become a little tight.
--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

[Darkwing]

"C J Campbell" > wrote in message
news:2007111710230750073-christophercampbell@hotmailcom...
> On 2007-11-17 07:54:38 -0800, "Darkwing" <theducksmail"AT"yahoo.com> said:
>
>> Is Cessna looking at it as a huge shortcut to building (and just adding
>> overnight) composite aircraft to their piston single lineup? I personally
>> like the Columbia line, if I had an extra half million laying around I
>> would
>> love to have a 400.
>>
>> ------------------------------
>> DW
>
> Cessna likes the Columbia, too, and they will continue producing the
> aircraft. The interesting thing is that the Columbia production facility
> is bigger than the Cessna piston facility in Independence. Yet it is
> producing far below capacity, while the Independence facility has been
> almost completely taken over by the Mustang. Cessna has only one
> production line left open for piston singles despite the fact that they
> have a backlog of several years' worth of orders.
>
> You do the math and see what conclusion you come to. Personally, if I
> worked at Cessna building piston singles, I would be house-hunting in
> Oregon already, before things become a little tight.
> --
> Waddling Eagle
> World Famous Flight Instructor
>

Very good point, I didn't know that the piston line and building was so
small.

----------------------------
DW

[Newps]

Cessna is building a plant in Georgia.



C J Campbell wrote:
> On 2007-11-17 07:54:38 -0800, "Darkwing" <theducksmail"AT"yahoo.com> said:
>
>> Is Cessna looking at it as a huge shortcut to building (and just adding
>> overnight) composite aircraft to their piston single lineup? I personally
>> like the Columbia line, if I had an extra half million laying around I
>> would
>> love to have a 400.
>>
>> ------------------------------
>> DW
>
>
> Cessna likes the Columbia, too, and they will continue producing the
> aircraft. The interesting thing is that the Columbia production facility
> is bigger than the Cessna piston facility in Independence. Yet it is
> producing far below capacity, while the Independence facility has been
> almost completely taken over by the Mustang. Cessna has only one
> production line left open for piston singles despite the fact that they
> have a backlog of several years' worth of orders.
>
> You do the math and see what conclusion you come to. Personally, if I
> worked at Cessna building piston singles, I would be house-hunting in
> Oregon already, before things become a little tight.

[Ron]

On Sat, 17 Nov 2007 10:23:07 -0800, C J Campbell
> wrote:

>On 2007-11-17 07:54:38 -0800, "Darkwing" <theducksmail"AT"yahoo.com> said:
>
>> Is Cessna looking at it as a huge shortcut to building (and just adding
>> overnight) composite aircraft to their piston single lineup? I personally
>> like the Columbia line, if I had an extra half million laying around I would
>> love to have a 400.
>>
>> ------------------------------
>> DW
>
>Cessna likes the Columbia, too, and they will continue producing the
>aircraft. The interesting thing is that the Columbia production
>facility is bigger than the Cessna piston facility in Independence. Yet
>it is producing far below capacity, while the Independence facility has
>been almost completely taken over by the Mustang. Cessna has only one
>production line left open for piston singles despite the fact that they
>have a backlog of several years' worth of orders.
>
>You do the math and see what conclusion you come to. Personally, if I
>worked at Cessna building piston singles, I would be house-hunting in
>Oregon already, before things become a little tight.


That, and the fact that Cessna needs a fast four place piston airplane
to compete in the market these days. Also, it's much cheaper to buy
into a completed flying aircraft than develop one from scratch.

Ron Kelley

[Thomas Borchert]

Darkwing,

Has the deal gone through yet?

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[Darkwing]

"Thomas Borchert" > wrote in message
...
> Darkwing,
>
> Has the deal gone through yet?
>
> --
> Thomas Borchert (EDDH)
>

They have to get through the bankruptcy first from what I understand but
Cessna has positioned themselves to buy it.

[Thomas Borchert]

Darkwing,

> They have to get through the bankruptcy first from what I understand but
> Cessna has positioned themselves to buy it.
>

As I understand it, there are several other bidders, Cirrus among them.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[C J Campbell[_1_]]

On 2007-11-18 13:33:02 -0800, Thomas Borchert
> said:

> Darkwing,
>
>> They have to get through the bankruptcy first from what I understand but
>> Cessna has positioned themselves to buy it.
>>
>
> As I understand it, there are several other bidders, Cirrus among them.

The last thing Cirrus wants is for Cessna to buy Columbia, so they have
been acting as 'spoilers' attempting to disrupt the deal. They don't
really want Columbia for themselves.
--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

[Dan Luke[_2_]]

"C J Campbell" wrote:

> The last thing Cirrus wants is for Cessna to buy Columbia, so they have
> been acting as 'spoilers' attempting to disrupt the deal. They don't really
> want Columbia for themselves.

Maybe they'd want to buy it and close it down. That would leave them all
alone in the hi perf, plastic SE piston market until Cessna could begin
producing their next gen design.

Would the economics of that work out for Cirrus?

--
Dan
T-182T at BFM

[C J Campbell[_1_]]

On 2007-11-19 09:26:58 -0800, "Dan Luke" > said:

>
> "C J Campbell" wrote:
>
>> The last thing Cirrus wants is for Cessna to buy Columbia, so they have
>> been acting as 'spoilers' attempting to disrupt the deal. They don't really
>> want Columbia for themselves.
>
> Maybe they'd want to buy it and close it down. That would leave them all
> alone in the hi perf, plastic SE piston market until Cessna could begin
> producing their next gen design.
>
> Would the economics of that work out for Cirrus?

Not necessary. All they need to do is to hold up any sort of competent
management of the company until the only thing that can be done is to
sell the assets at auction.
--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

[Roger (K8RI)]

On Sat, 17 Nov 2007 10:54:38 -0500, "Darkwing"
<theducksmail"AT"yahoo.com> wrote:

>Is Cessna looking at it as a huge shortcut to building (and just adding
>overnight) composite aircraft to their piston single lineup? I personally
>like the Columbia line, if I had an extra half million laying around I would
>love to have a 400.

Good, proven, efficient design tht makes the competetion nervous and
gets them into the new advanced aircraft designs.

Roger (K8RI)
>
>------------------------------
>DW
>

[Jay Honeck]

> I expect mostly that Textron thought they could make a go of it.
> Textron (parent of Cessna, Lycoming, Bell Helicopter, Macauley,
> EZ GO, Greenlee, Jacobson Lawm Mowers, and a whole slew of little
> guys including my company)

Hey, do you get an "employee discount", Ron?

;-)

(If we see you at OSH '08 in a Columbia 400, we'll know the answer...)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[C J Campbell[_1_]]

On 2007-11-19 09:26:58 -0800, "Dan Luke" > said:

>
> "C J Campbell" wrote:
>
>> The last thing Cirrus wants is for Cessna to buy Columbia, so they have
>> been acting as 'spoilers' attempting to disrupt the deal. They don't really
>> want Columbia for themselves.
>
> Maybe they'd want to buy it and close it down. That would leave them all
> alone in the hi perf, plastic SE piston market until Cessna could begin
> producing their next gen design.
>
> Would the economics of that work out for Cirrus?

Apparently not. Cirrus has just announced that they will not be bidding
for Columbia's assets.
--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

[Ron Natalie]

Jay Honeck wrote:
>> I expect mostly that Textron thought they could make a go of it.
>> Textron (parent of Cessna, Lycoming, Bell Helicopter, Macauley,
>> EZ GO, Greenlee, Jacobson Lawm Mowers, and a whole slew of little
>> guys including my company)
>
> Hey, do you get an "employee discount", Ron?
>
Actually, they said I could get it at cost (I asked if that meant
I had to pay more than a regular customer).

Actually, I have no need for a Cessna. I want to know where my
employee discount is on an EZGO golf cart for the airport house
in NC.

[Margy Natalie]

Jay Honeck wrote:
>>I expect mostly that Textron thought they could make a go of it.
>>Textron (parent of Cessna, Lycoming, Bell Helicopter, Macauley,
>>EZ GO, Greenlee, Jacobson Lawm Mowers, and a whole slew of little
>>guys including my company)
>
>
> Hey, do you get an "employee discount", Ron?
>
> ;-)
>
> (If we see you at OSH '08 in a Columbia 400, we'll know the answer...)
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"
Hey, Don't get him thinking! He does get a Cessna discount (which we
don't need). He's really not a good Textron employee, we don't fly a
Cessna, we don't have a Lycoming engine, we don't have a Macauley prop,
I won't get off my John Deere. If we ever get the airport property
built we might get an EZ GO (especially if he can get a good price on one).

Margy