(Editor’s Note: This presentation took place in early September 2024, three weeks prior to a strike by workers represented by the International Association of Machinists (IAM) in Wichita. That action may ultimately affect certain production, support, certification and operational timelines presented here.)
Day Two of CJP 2024 kicked off with a presentation from Ron Draper, CEO of CJP Platinum Plus Partner Textron Aviation. While he was quick to note he had no new aircraft to announce at this year’s Convention, Draper emphasized the company is prioritizing upgrades to its existing Citation light jet family.
That includes the CJ3 Gen2 and M2 Gen2 programs, both of which Textron Aviation expects to certify in 2025 along with the Model 560XL Citation Ascend. The turboprop-powered Beechcraft Denali is expected to receive FAA approval later this year.
“We’ve heard your demands loud and clear,” Draper said. “We work on one clean sheet airplane at a time, with upgrades to as many existing aircraft as we have engineers available.”
Textron has also invested in a new 180,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Wichita to consolidate spare parts. While supply chain issues are improving, “the situation is not healed,” Draper said. “We’re not having as many stock outs and line stops [as in 2021] in our factory, but we’re still having too many, from aluminum extrusions to engine suppliers still struggling with overhaul times.”
The company is also working to improve component and assembly quality through new training programs. “We’ve got our pilots, our engineers, our quality people [and] our production people pushing faster action, which has resulted in improved reliability across all our jet products,” he said.
That is particularly challenging, Draper continued, as skilled workers age out of the industry. “Five years ago, I would tell you that probably 80 percent of our factory workers had fifteen to twenty-plus years of experience,” he said. “Today we probably have half that, with the other half at less than five years. Other industries are facing the same problem: ‘how do we improve our quality in the face of newer workers that are more prone to make mistakes?’”
To answer that question, Textron Aviation recently revamped a 100,000 sq. ft. warehouse to become the company’s Career Learning Center. One-quarter of the facility is taken up with classrooms, with the remaining space devoted to a high bay simulating the factory floor.
“We’re going to have to take low-skilled people and make them high-skilled people,” Draper said. “Instead of a sheet metal assembler building a little riveted box, you’re going to work on a Citation wing or fuselage. You’re going to learn how to seal a fuel tank, or lay out composite components. You’re going to do hands-on in a factory with coaches and instructors, and in an environment where you can make mistakes and grow confident in your abilities.”
That speaks to Textron Aviation’s commitment to serving the Citation market. Toward the end of the discussion, CJP Chair Blake Curd asked Draper for his thoughts on the significance of CJP to that segment. “Our members usually buy just one airplane every few years,” Curd noted. “Why do CJP members matter to a corporation as large as Textron and a division like Cessna that sometimes sells hundreds of aircraft at a time?”
“Light jets have always been a very important segment to us from a business and financial [perspective] but the passion is equally important,” Draper responded. “We are all passionate about our products and [this segment] will always be a core part of our business. This group is passionate about aviation and passionate about our products.”