Ron Draper, who has spent the last eight years as president and CEO of Textron Aviation, announced his retirement earlier this week. Brian Rohloff, who has held several executive-level positions within the company, will step into those roles Draper has vacated as of August 31. Draper will continue to lead within the industry as chairman of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association Executive Committee through the end of his yearlong term.
“Ron Draper is an incredible leader who has done remarkable work for both Textron Aviation and GAMA,” said Jim Viola, president and CEO of GAMA, to AvBrief. “As a dedicated champion for strengthening and advancing the general aviation industry, GAMA is grateful for his passion and leadership on our Board, including as our current Chairman. I deeply appreciate all the sage advice and guidance that Ron has provided me, particularly since it came from a fellow rotor-head and Army veteran, as well as his commitment to ensuring that GAMA is well-prepared to continue its strong advocacy for general aviation into the future.”
Draper took on the top job at Textron Aviation in 2018 after about 12 years with the business unit, having joined Textron in 1999 and serving leading roles in supply chain at Textron Specialized Vehicles and director of procurement at Bell Helicopter’s V-22 Osprey program before joining TextAv. His tenure as CEO saw the introduction and ongoing development of the Cessna SkyCourier twin turboprop, Beechcraft Denali single-engine turboprop, and Cessna Citation Ascend, Citation M2 Gen3, CJ3 Gen3, and CJ4 Gen3 jets.
As a former colleague of Draper’s, and one who understands the CEO role intimately, Jack Pelton, chairman and CEO of the Experimental Aircraft Association and past head of Cessna Aircraft Company, complimented Draper on his career and encouraged Rohloff in the new role. “Ron did a great job leading growth at Textron Aviation with major new product introductions,” said Pelton to AvBrief. “He battled a lot of tough issues like supply chain disruptions, workforce development, and meeting the ever-increasing customer expectations. A truly great leader with a solid succession plan. Brian has all the experience and capabilities to lead the company on the same positive trajectory. As a result Textron Aviation will continue to thrive.”
Draper led the TextAv team into a renewed esprit-de-corps, which I witnessed in full force at the Special Olympics Airlift earlier this summer. I too wish him the very best in what is sure to be an active retirement and look forward to reporting on the future successes under Rohloff’s leadership.
Encouraging Young Pilots Matters Too
Last week, EAA also let us know that through its partnership with Sporty’s, more than 200,000 young people have enrolled in the company’s Learn to Fly course free of charge. As part of the association’s Young Eagles program—which coordinates through its chapters volunteer-provided initial discovery flights—participating youth can enroll in the course. “As we surpassed 2.5 million Young Eagles flown less than a month ago, having more than 200,000 of them enrolled in Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course showcases that the program is a true pathway to future aviation participation,” said David Leiting, EAA’s Eagles Programs manager, in a release.
The team at Sporty’s loves the mission as well: “It’s gratifying and humbling to know more than 200,000 young people have connected with our Learn to Fly Course to take their next steps in aviation,” said John Zimmerman, president and CEO of Sporty’s. Zimmerman volunteers as a Young Eagles pilot, too. If you’re interested in becoming one, check out the program’s site.
Triple Cert on the Phenom 300EV
And in other news from the business aviation world, score another one for our friends in Brazil: The Embraer Phenom 300EV has attained triple certification under FAA, EASA, and the Brazilian ANAC civilian aviation authority. In doing so, it becomes the first light jet to complete approval of the Garmin Autoland emergency landing system. To enable the Autoland functionality, including autobrakes and “rudder by wire” steering, the Phenom 300EV incorporates a proprietary Multi-Purpose Electronic Controller (MEC). Under leadership of Michael Amalfitano, Embraer’s Executive Jets division has maintained flagship status in the flexible segment, which offers options for both the single-pilot qualified owner, fractional operator, and private flight department wanting bespoke regional lift.
Hey, maybe Brian Rohloff can rein in Cessna and Lycoming’s absurd pricing. It’s killing the little guy. Engine parts that have been produced for more than half a century should benefit from the lessons of mass production. Instead they slowdown production, introduce unfair and absurd pricing structures, which serve only to fill the pockets of shareholders. And drive the cost out of reach. I’ll admit I’ve not purchased new cylinders due to cost, and instead I let the engine consume oil. Who benefits here? Answer: Nobody. I don’t and neither does Lycoming/Textron because I won’t pay $4000+ per cyl or $92,000 for a replacement 4 cylinder engine. Get that under control!
I also wanted to add that the fleecing we get from Textron is remembered when we, as aviation professionals choose and purchase larger corporate toys. There is a reason our very high end flight department shuns Cessna products.
I sincerely doubt, that a whole lot of fleeced GA hobby pilots (with obviously too much disposable income) have a lot of say or leverage in some high end flight departments aircraft procurement decisions. These decisions are barely ever emotional and the perceived best bang for the luxury/ mission profile gets the deal.
I’d be willing to bet, most “buyers” of Citation X or higher could not possibly care less about how much a little piston engine Cessna costs its owner ot if he/she/ it is happy or unhappy.
If you find one in a couple thousand of jet- owners telling Textron or whoever else to bugger off based on the overhaul cost of their small toy-plane, its another free option for someone with the proper wallet.
I, for one, am happy we can get parts at all. Take the 210 spar AD as an example. Textron stepped up and milled new spars to support an airplane that has been out of production for 40 years, The number of a/c needing spars is a small market, and it likely wouldn’t make a dent in Textron’s P&L statement if they sold 1 or 100 of them. Still, they stepped up to the plate and supported the fleet when they had no obligation to or financial incentive to do so. If you want cheap flying, buy a powered parachute.