Cessna SkyCourier Marks Five Years Since First Flight of Clean-Sheet Aircraft, Bringing High Payload, Versatile Mission Capability to Customers Around the World
Article content
WICHITA, Kan. — Textron Aviation today celebrated the five-year anniversary of the first flight of the versatile Cessna SkyCourier, the company's clean-sheet twin-engine, high-wing utility turboprop. This is a significant milestone for this high-performing aircraft which has become a trusted asset for operators worldwide.
Article content
Article content
The Cessna SkyCourier is designed and produced by Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company.
Article content
To support growing flight activities of the SkyCourier, the company is investing in a 52,000-square-foot expansion of a production flight test hangar in Wichita, Kansas. The expansion will add an additional six hangar bays to the north side of a facility on Textron Aviation's East Wichita Campus.
Article content
'The versatility of the Cessna SkyCourier enables operators to tackle diverse mission profiles and operate in some of the most challenging environments in the world,' said Lannie O'Bannion, senior vice president, Sales & Marketing. 'With two variants of the aircraft and the optional gravel and combi conversion kits, the SkyCourier has brought innovative solutions to our customers around the globe.'
Article content
The Cessna SkyCourier prototype first took flight on May 17, 2020. Since then, it has become a reliable solution for air freight, passenger, humanitarian and other special mission needs across the world with its ability to land on unimproved runways and transport passengers and cargo simultaneously.
Article content
Recent program milestones include the first order from the Marshall Islands and first delivery to Canada. See below for additional milestones.
Article content
About the Cessna SkyCourier
The twin-engine, high-wing turboprop offers a combination of performance and lower operating costs for air freight, commuter and special mission operators.
Article content
The freighter variant is sized to handle up to three LD3 shipping containers with an impressive 6,000 pounds of payload capability. The 19-passenger variant includes crew and passenger doors for smooth boarding, as well as large cabin windows for natural light and views. Both configurations offer single-point pressure refueling to enable faster turnarounds.
Article content
The SkyCourier is powered by two wing-mounted Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65SC turboprop engines and features McCauley Propeller Systems' C779 propeller, a reliable 110-inch aluminum four-blade propeller, which is full feathering with reversible pitch, designed to enhance the performance of the aircraft while hauling tremendous loads. The SkyCourier is operated with Garmin G1000 NXi avionics and has a maximum cruise speed of more than 200 ktas and a 900 nautical-mile maximum range.
Article content
About Textron Aviation
We inspire the journey of flight. For more than 95 years, Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. company, has empowered our collective talent across the Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker brands to design and deliver the best aviation experience for our customers. With a range that includes everything from business jets, turboprops, and high-performance pistons, to special mission, military trainer and defense products, Textron Aviation has the most versatile and comprehensive aviation product portfolio in the world and a workforce that has produced more than half of all general aviation aircraft worldwide. Customers in more than 170 countries rely on our legendary performance, reliability and versatility, along with our trusted global customer service network, for affordable and flexible flight. For more information, visit www.txtav.com | www.defense.txtav.com | www.scorpionjet.com.
Article content
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pipistrel, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, and Textron Systems. For more information, visit: www.textron.com.
Article content
Certain statements in this press release may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Article content
Article content
Article content
Article content
Article content
Contacts
Article content
Article content
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Globe and Mail
20 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Better Energy Stock: TotalEnergies vs. Chevron
For investors, choosing between two similar companies to add to a portfolio can be a challenging process. Chevron (NYSE: CVX) and TotalEnergies (NYSE: TTE) offer a great example of this. Both are integrated energy giants. Both stocks offer high yields. But they have slightly different positive and negative attributes. So which one might be the better fit for your dividend portfolio? What do Chevron and TotalEnergies do? As integrated energy companies, Chevron and TotalEnergies have operations in the upstream segment (oil and natural gas production), the midstream segment (energy transportation), and the downstream segment (chemicals and refining). Each part of the energy industry operates a little differently from the others, and having exposure across all of them helps soften the impacts that volatile commodity prices can have on their results. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Learn More » Oil and natural gas prices are still the main driver of each company's financial results, and have huge impacts on their stock prices. But compared to pure-play drillers or chemical companies, Chevron and TotalEnergies tend to get through the typical energy cycle more easily. Each of these companies also has material geographic diversification. That said, Chevron is a U.S. company and it tends to have more exposure to its home market. TotalEnergies is a French company and it tends to have more exposure to Europe. Overall, however, the energy businesses are fairly similar. But these two companies are not interchangeable. That is highlighted by the fact that at their current share prices, Chevron's dividend yield is 4.8% and TotalEnergies yield is 6.5%. And the differences matter here. How are Chevron and TotalEnergies different? If you are an income investor, you'll be interested to know that Chevron has increased its dividend annually for 38 consecutive years. That's an impressive record given the inherent volatility of the energy sector. TotalEnergies's track record isn't as impressive, but it has gone through different dividend policies. Like most European companies it was a semi-annual payer before more recently shifting to quarterly payments. And for a stretch it targeted a set percentage of free cash flow, which meant its dividend varied. However, it has paid dividends for decades and more recently has focused on a progressive dividend, meaning it has been steadily increasing its payouts of late. Notably, however, when its European peers BP and Shell cut their dividends in 2020, TotalEnergies maintained its dividend, with management specifically stating that it was aware of the importance of the payment to its shareholders. On dividend reliability, Chevron wins, but TotalEnergies isn't exactly a bad deal. Chevron's balance sheet is among the strongest of its closest peer group, with a debt-to-equity ratio of around 0.2. TotalEnergies' debt-to-equity ratio is 0.5. That's much higher, of course, but TotalEnergies carries more debt and more cash. For example, Chevron ended the first quarter of 2025 with around $4.6 billion in cash on its balance sheet while TotalEnergies had $29 billion. Having less debt is better than having more debt and more cash, but TotalEnergies is still a financially strong company. This point is probably a wash. TotalEnergies is making a public push to use its fossil fuel profits to expand into the electricity space, with a focus on renewable power. This part of the business made up around 10% of its adjusted net operating income in 2024. Chevron is sticking more closely to its core oil and natural gas operations. If you are looking for an energy company that is adjusting today for a future world that relies more on clean energy, TotalEnergies is the easy winner. To be fair, BP and Shell have both discussed doing something similar. But they each used a clean energy shift as the excuse for their 2020 dividend cuts. Then, they both walked back their clean energy plans. TotalEnergies actually made the change and didn't resort to a dividend cut. So it stands out from Chevron, BP, and Shell when it comes to renewable energy. Which one will you pick? Chevron is facing some company-specific issues right now, including an acquisition that isn't going as well as hoped and some geopolitical upheaval around its operations in Venezuela. That's why its yield is so attractive relative to U.S. peer ExxonMobil, which has a yield of just 3.8%. TotalEnergies' dividend yield isn't quite as good as it looks, meanwhile, because U.S. investors have to pay French fees and taxes on it (though some of that can be claimed back come April 15). All in all, there are a lot of positives and negatives to consider with these two high-yield integrated energy giants. My preference is to err on the side of clean energy since the world is clearly in the middle of an energy transition. Add in the lofty yield and management's dividend support during the pandemic, and it's clear that TotalEnergies is a better fit for my portfolio based on my general beliefs about the future of the energy sector and income desires. But there's a strong case to be made for investing in Chevron, too, particularly if you prefer to keep your taxes as simple as possible and if you prize dividend consistency as much as dividend yield. Should you invest $1,000 in Chevron right now? Before you buy stock in Chevron, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Chevron wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $649,102!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $882,344!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor 's total average return is996% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to174%for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025


CBC
32 minutes ago
- CBC
Why are there no jobs for Gen Z? Recent grads face worst job market since the 90s
Some young adults are pivoting or adjusting their expectations, with economic and demographic factors making finding entry-level jobs a significant challenge.


Globe and Mail
35 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Can Rivian Realistically Return to Growth in 2025?
When many investors turned to find the next Tesla, which is easier said than done, some turned to the young electric vehicle (EV) maker Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ: RIVN). The company had proven capable of manufacturing high-quality vehicles, impressed critics and consumers alike, and inked a massive deal for delivery vans (EDVs) with Amazon -- life was good. Exiting 2023 you could argue Rivian had more momentum than any EV maker out there, but that has since dissipated and left investors wondering if the automaker can return to growth in 2025. The harsh truth The harsh truth is that the automotive industry is extremely competitive, and it takes an automaker with a full lineup to be truly successful. That hampers Rivian's ability to post extreme growth as the company only offers the R1T, R1S, and EDVs. But what's worse is that Rivian's only offerings are aging, and demand for them is waning -- it's been a noticeable trend. So the question facing investors is: Can the automaker return to growth in 2025 before the highly anticipated R2 launch in 2026? Driving demand Investors in the know understand that Rivian has a small consumer base, but that it's a highly passionate base as well. There are Rivian adventure groups all across social media with consumers planning trips among other things. Rivian is attempting to tap into this passion with its first major marketing push, which the company could certainly use to help stoke demand for its vehicles. "This campaign is about celebrating the people who define what Rivian truly is," said Vice President of Marketing Denise Cherry on Rivian's blog. "Our vehicles are made to empower exploration and adventure, but it's the stories our owners create that give them real soul. For our first 360 brand campaign, we wanted to make sure our owners were the spotlight." Rivian has largely relied on word of mouth and organic growth to spread its brand awareness, but with demand waning over the past year, this marks the right time for the company to try to drive interest and demand for its R1 vehicles. The next step Then it'll be time for the R1 vehicles to hand the baton to the R2 in 2026, which starts at roughly $45,000, or about half the price of Rivian's R1 vehicles. With 155,000 production units annually the R2 will be able to nearly double production of the R1S and R1T. If demand is there, expect deliveries to take off and accelerate through 2026. Investors also can't forget Rivian's big-time move to swap initial production of the R2 from its Georgia plant, which is under construction, to its Illinois plant thanks to an expansion of the factory. It's a move that not only fills production capacity at its original plant, but that saved the company roughly $2.25 billion. What it all means The harsh truth is that Rivian is unlikely to return to growth in 2025, unless its marketing campaign works miracles to drive immense demand. The automaker is essentially all-in on its R2, which boasts a much lower-cost bill of materials and improved tech, and will rely on the R2, R3, and R3X to take the company into its next growth stage. The near-term environment for EVs is pessimistic, especially with the current administration pulling support for the EV industry, and Rivian lacks any visible catalysts for the stock in 2025. But investors would be wise to take the long-term approach with Rivian. The company just achieved two consecutive quarters of gross profit and if it executes the production ramp-up of the R2 in 2026, it will be a much better year for investors. Where to invest $1,000 right now When our analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, Stock Advisor's total average return is 996%* — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 174% for the S&P 500. They just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now, available when you join Stock Advisor. *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025