Beechcraft to celebrate King Air 50th anniversary at 2014 Sun ’n Fun Fly-In

LAKELAND, Fla., April 1, 2014 – Beechcraft Corporation, part of the Textron Aviation segment of Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT), announced today it will commemorate the 50^th anniversary of its line of King Air turboprops with attendees at this year’s Sun ’n Fun International Fly-In and Expo April 1-6 in Lakeland, Fla. The current production King Airs – the 350i, 250 and C90GTx – along with the Baron G58 and Bonanza G36 will be on display at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport throughout the event, and at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 2 the company will celebrate the anniversary with cake, refreshments and giveaways at its static display.

“We’re certain that among the 200,000 attendees expected in Lakeland, many will join us to honor 50 years of innovation in durability, utility and comfort while looking ahead to the future with all of our current production King Airs on display,” said Christi Tannahill, senior vice president, Turboprop Aircraft. “We’re also looking forward to joining in the celebration of the 40^th birthday of Sun ’n Fun, an event that always offers an excellent chance to connect with our many enthusiastic pilots and owners.”

Company pilots flew the first official flight of the conforming prototype of the King Air Model 90 on Jan. 20, 1964. Since then, Beechcraft has delivered nearly 7,200 King Airs with the worldwide fleet surpassing 60 million flight hours.

About Textron Aviation
The Textron Aviation segment is the leading general aviation authority and home to the iconic Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker brands which account for more than half of all general aviation aircraft flying. Textron Aviation includes the businesses of Cessna Aircraft Company and Beechcraft Corporation, bringing together decades of unmatched experience in designing, building and supporting airplanes. It provides the most versatile and comprehensive general aviation product portfolio in the world through five principal lines of business: business jets, general aviation and special mission turboprop aircraft, high performance piston aircraft, military trainer and defense aircraft, and a complete global customer service organization. Its broad range of products include such best-selling aircraft as Citation and Hawker business jets, King Air and Caravan turboprops and T-6 military trainer aircraft, all of which are backed by the industry’s largest global service network. For more information, visit textronaviation.com

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 Helicopter, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, and Textron Systems. For more information visit: www.textron.com