Originally Posted by
BoilerUP
...As far as Fatation goes...didn't Cessna finish that large building at the factory that was destined for Columbus production in ICT? The shell was up in early 2009 when we were taking delivery of our plane and I was told plans were to complete the facility.
The Columbus plant was never built. Cessna built several new buildings between 2005-08 since the small jet business was booming. You may be thinking about the interiors shop which is close to the runway at ICT. They added lots of new buildings and parking lots during that time. It was a strong growth period.
Put in <37°39'0.51"N, 97°24'52.80"W> in Google Earth. The dirt pad for the CE-850 building was built in 2008 and is visible in the G-E photo. That was to be the Columbus 850 plant, and nothing but the pad is there now. Heavy equipment built the pad in 2008 near Hoover Road. The bulldozers quit suddenly in late 2008 when the recession set in. They seeded it with grass, and that was the last of the Columbus 850 program. Engineers were dispersed to other programs and many thousands- 8,000 people in all including yours truly, half the entire company, were let go.
In the current Google Earth photo you can see what's left of the 30-something engineering trailers that were brought in just for the CE-850 project. In the G-E photo most of them are gone, and a few are still visible ready to be towed out. I remember that week clearly. Textron made them bail out and Cessna has never been the same. I wish them well.
