stateaviationjournal.com
• Kim Stevens
Brian Rohloff will succeed Ron Draper as Textron Aviation president and CEO on Aug. 31, 2026. Draper, who has led the Cessna and Beechcraft maker for eight years and spent more than 27 years at Textron, will remain through year-end to support the transition as Textron pursues a pure-play aerospace and defense structure.
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Brian Rohloff has become president and CEO of Textron Aviation, succeeding longtime chief Ron Draper. Rohloff has spent 29 years at the Wichita-based aircraft manufacturer and most recently led customer support, bringing deep operational and customer-facing experience to the company’s top role.
Michael Graham, a former F/A-18 pilot and Textron Aviation safety chief who has served on the National Transportation Safety Board since 2020, is retiring from the agency. His departure will create a leadership transition at the federal body responsible for investigating aviation accidents and issuing safety recommendations.
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Brian Rohloff will succeed Ron Draper as Textron Aviation president and CEO on Aug. 31, 2026. Draper, who has led the Cessna and Beechcraft maker for eight years and spent more than 27 years at Textron, will remain through year-end to support the transition as Textron pursues a pure-play aerospace and defense structure.
Textron Aviation has delivered the 500th Cessna Citation CJ4, a CJ4 Gen2, to a customer in the Philippines. The milestone comes 16 years after the light business jet entered service, as Textron prepares the next-generation CJ4 Gen3 and its associated support requirements.
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Canada is advancing uncrewed aviation across military, commercial and emergency-response missions: the Royal Canadian Navy has deployed a Textron Aerosonde on an Arctic patrol vessel, while Voyageur ordered Airbus U030 Flexrotors and Volatus announced partnerships for sovereign intelligence and heavy-lift wildfire aircraft.
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The NTSB attributed the February 2025 crash of Bering Air Flight 445 near Nome, Alaska, to inadequate airspeed management during severe icing while the Textron Aviation 208B was above its maximum gross weight. All 10 people aboard the commuter flight were killed.
Textron Aviation’s CEO outlined a plan to ramp jet production by tackling longstanding factory issues, alongside a significant workforce refresh. The company said half its employees joined in the past five years, underscoring the scale of its post-pandemic staffing and capability reset.
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Textron Aviation’s Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen3 prototype flew for the first time in Wichita as the light-jet program moves further along the FAA certification path. The CJ3 Gen3 joins the CJ4 Gen3 and M2 Gen3 in flight testing, with Garmin Emergency Autoland and customer-driven enhancements included.
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