Bill Boisture is embroiled in the challenge of his career. As chairman and CEO of Hawker Beechcraft (HBC), Boisture leads a manufacturing company at a time when a confluence of debilitating events has decimated the general aviation industry. Every manufacturer is suffering from reduced sales and smaller backlogs due not only to the state of the economy but also buyers having difficulty borrowing money to purchase aircraft and a glut of available young used aircraft.
HBC’s problems have resulted in massive layoffs of production and management personnel, including the August announcement of 800 more union jobs lost, and an unavoidable recalibration of production volume to meet the current ability of the market to absorb new aircraft. HBC faces another problem, which is challenging other manufacturers, too. The economic downturn has favored large-cabin, long-range aircraft, and smaller jets have not fared as well. Boisture recently made the decision to suspend Hawker 400XP production, and this is not surprising considering not only that the jet is long overdue for an upgrade but also that deliveries of new 400XPs dropped to four through the third quarter of 2010. During 2009, 400XP deliveries totaled 11.
