Cessna closing Bend plant
Thursday, April 30, 2009 10:24 AM PDT
PORTLAND (AP) — Cessna Aircraft Co. plans to close a plant in Bend that it bought nearly 18 months ago for $26 million, its hopes for a turnaround dashed as buyers canceled orders and put off purchases.
Cessna and its parent company, Textron Inc., bought the plant from Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Co. in December 2007. It builds the high-performance, single-engine Cessna 350 and 400 Corvalis TT models priced from $500,000-$600,000 meant for entrepreneurs, small-business owners and some high-end flight schools.
In June 2008, the Bend plant was still hiring workers and had increased its production goal to 150 planes by the end of the year.