Cessna 850 Columbus Orders Climbing

Cessna VP Roger Whyte says the company has "taken orders" in addition to the 36 it reported for the $27 million Columbus 850 large-cabin business at the end of the first quarter of this year and it's hit the road in Europe with an elaborate display on the aircraft. At a news conference at EBACE 2008 in Geneva on Monday, Whyte also announced that Vought will build the wings on the 70-foot-long aircraft, adding to a long list of outsourced assemblies that Cessna has traditionally (although not exclusively) built itself. Spirit Aerosystems is building the fuselage and tail section. Meanwhile, the company continues to ride the wave of interest in private aviation and is reporting a record $14.5 billion order backlog.

There are now 930 Cessna jets flying in Europe and more than half the company's business is now outside the U.S. The big market in Europe is Germany with more than 200 Cessna jets in the air. Russia, the MidEast, Brazil and Canada are also growing markets.