Combined Cessna/Beechcraft Makes First Public Appearance
The piston lines at the companies "mesh well, with no overlap," said Joe Hepburn, Textron's v-p for pistons.
Textron Aviation vice president for pistons Joe Hepburn is in charge of combining the piston lines at Cessna and Beechcraft. While the product line-up has no overlap, he is working to rationalize the production lines while developing new products such as the diesel-powered Cessna 182 JT-A. (Photo: Chad Trautvetter)
Textron Aviation vice president for pistons Joe Hepburn is in charge of combining the piston lines at Cessna and Beechcraft. While the product line-up has no overlap, he is working to rationalize the production lines while developing new products such as the diesel-powered Cessna 182 JT-A. (Photo: Chad Trautvetter)

Cessna Aircraft and Beechcraft are making their first public appearance as sister companies under the Textron Aviation banner this week at the Sun ’n’ Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Fla., less than three weeks after Textron closed a $1.4 billion deal to acquire Beechcraft. Still, the companies have separate static display areas at the show because, as a spokeswoman explained, there wasn’t enough room at either space to display a combined Cessna/Beech lineup of piston and turboprop aircraft, ranging from the Cessna 172 to Beechcraft King Air 350i.