Cessna Denali work could mean more jobs for local supplier

Work on Textron Aviation’s new Cessna Denali could provide a lift in employment at local aircraft supplier Ametek Power and Data Systems.

Keith Reazin, vice president and business unit manager at Ametek in Wichita, said Thursday that the company’s contract to manufacture parts for the new single-engine turboprop could mean additional jobs at the company’s plant at 4550 Southeast Blvd.

“We would expect that once it (Denali) goes into production, we would be adding employees,” he said, adding that it’s too early to say exactly how many new hires Ametek would make.

The Wichita plant employs about 110 people.

Ametek will manufacture the flap system for the clean-sheet Cessna airplane that will compete against Pilatus’ strong-selling PC-12 and Daher’s TBM 900.

Parts for the flap system developed by Ametek include eight mechanical actuators and a power drive unit for the flaps.

The power drive unit was originally developed for the Cessna Citation Mustang business jet. The mechanical actuators for the Denali will be a new design, Reazin said.

“We have a long history with Cessna,” he said. “They’re a very important customer for us.”

In Wichita, Ametek makes electromechanical products for business jets, turboprops and helicopters, and its products can be found on the HondaJet and Cirrus Aircraft’s new Vision SF50 light business jet.

Pennsylvania-based Ametek acquired the Wichita site in its 2007 acquisition of Advanced Industries. The Wichita operation is one of three sites that make up the Power and Data Systems business that operates under Ametek Aerospace & Defense.

Textron Aviation unveiled the Denali in July at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wis. The $4.8 million Denali will have cruise speeds of up to 285 knots – about 328 mph – a 1,600-nautical-mile range with a pilot and four passengers and a cargo door measuring more than 4 feet wide by nearly 5 feet high.

The Wichita-built airplane is expected to make its first flight in 2018.

This story was originally published November 17, 2016 at 11:08 AM with the headline "Cessna Denali work could mean more jobs for local supplier."