Cirrus indeed understands how it is done and they are doing an outstanding job. The SR series success benefits all of us in GA. Competition in the marketplace, to the extent that some out there might survive, will benefit the current and future Cirrus owners too by keeping Cirrus behaving well for Cirrus buyers.

Cessna’s failure to be successful with the Columbia/TTx is more of an indictment of Textron/Cessna than anything. I’m on my second Columbia, so I believe strongly in the airplane. I also like strawberry ice cream. Either way, with the failure of any brand, we all generally lose in GA.

No one is ever going to revive anything piston powered including the 210T.

The money is just not there.

I think Cessna could do a lot to improve its piston sales, but it and Textron have no pressing desire to do so.

Even if they got ALL the piston aircraft business as a result.

They simply do not appear to be interested in. Market too small, liability too high or just plain old corporate group think and career preservation.

Especially this. Spot-on, Larry.

Mark

Liability too high is probably a huge concern... it stands to reason that they have almost as much exposure with a TTx as they do a Longitude. Considering they probably generate more profit with one big jet than the TTx sells for, it’s a corporate no brainer.

Hurts my heart. Lance Neibauer is a personal friend. That airplane was his crowning achievement.

This is what is left when all the people who got into the business of designing and building light aircraft for the general public have died off, only to be replaced by businessmen and corporations. For general aviation to flourish again, we will need the next William Piper, Dwane Wallace, Al Mooney, Don Luscombe, Giuseppe Bellanca, Walter and Olive Ann Beech (and others) to emerge and start marketing piston engine aircraft and flying to the general public.

Some of that next generation have tried (with considerable success): Lance Neibauer, Alan and Dale Klapmeier, Richard VanGrunsven, etc.

I will never understand why Textron hasn’t started to invest into certifying the Bonanzas and Cessnas for BRS CAPS long ago. I’d have done it and I would now be selling the Bonnies and the Cessnas, maybe fewer variants, but with chute.

Selling a product sometimes means it needs to be upgraded to be successful. Cirrus has disrupted the SEP market by introducing the chute. It’s the new standard.

As Textrons management I’d have started the certification process instead of letting those guys take my business. The money IS there, as everybody can see from the Cirrus sales figures.

It’s called investment. Its called lifecycle management. The profit margins gone to Cirrus over the last 2 decades or so would have amortised the cert cost long time ago.

This is what happens when slowpokes are managing companies. Businessmen ? ROFL

"As Textrons management I’d have started the certification process instead of letting those guys take my business. The money IS there, as everybody can see from the Cirrus sales figures." -EN

Not really. Textron's bottom tier is now the KingAir & Mustang II, different ballgame. Their money is on the Latitude etc. If you read the CEO's recent interviews entry-level marketing actively targets not Baron or 210 but Cirrus owners to move into Mustangs, not a G36 or updated twin. From there on to bigger jets.

There's no pride of workmanship promoted as in the past @ Beech & Cessna that would improve a TTX or modernize an old Beech airframe. The "Beechcrafters" are gone. Textron's focus is vertical integration in pursuit of small & midsize bizjet sales & they're moving into larger jets. They might just as easily sell Lycoming and let the piston lines quietly die off as they did the TTX.

If that is true, then why they didn't they sell the business when it was still an asset; grow it or sell it, up or out, nothing else makes sense. Keeping a business that's not strategically in focus, you sell it and don't let it die. But since these companies are run by "executive committees", they can alway blame the guys that were in charge yesterday.

Probably no one willing to buy the piston line at a value that made textron’s internal ROI targets

The advantage that they all had was that the environment was different. There was a need to fill a void, it was a time of growth, becoming a pilot was easier and cost less money but mostly they were all innovative designs taking advantage of the technology of the time. Cirrus did the same but no-one has mentioned Pipistril Panthera.

"Keeping a business that's not strategically in focus, you sell it and don't let it die. But since these companies are run by "executive committees", they can alway blame the guys that were in charge yesterday." -EN

They may sell the piston business when it reaches the point of diminishing returns as has the TTX. Who knows? Since decreasing resources are being devoted to it that point may be postponed while it pays its own way. But their energies are focused on market segments with a much higher return; turbines & jets. New development $$ are going to a TBM/ Pilatus competitor and mid sized jets which yield real profits. They have to sell 4 or 5 Barons to clear an equivalent to one KA or M2 with no economies of scale to come.

Textron looks to be run by its current CEO, not by committee. He's not blaming anyone for holding onto pistons but slotting the company further up the industry where pistons are superfluous. That's where he came from & presumably where he was hired to take the company. While I agree with your wisecrack about "these companies," airline consolidations for example, Textron doesn't seem to be one of those.

As far as the Cirrus parachute goes, it would not have been a factor in my decision to buy the 400. I’d rather have two engines than a parachute any day. Flew a twin for about a decade. Would do so again.

However, more proactive involvement by the manufacturer in the secondary market did and a newer SR22T in the certified pre-owned program was strongly considered.

Van Bortel does a great job on the Columbia/TTx with their buyers program. Textron could really take a lesson from them.

Textron did not want to be bothered selling the TTX. They gave Van Bortel their TTX inventory to sell last fall with the agreement not to announce the end of production until they were sold.

Textron knows exactly what they are doing. For good or bad.