Cessna CEO Talks About His Aviation Roots (Part One of Two)

Jack Pelton, CEO of Cessna, is a happy guy. And he's surrounded by happy people who work with him to build a remarkable line of airplanes unparalleled in the industry. There are companies that build a full line of business jets. And there are companies that build a full line of piston singles, from trainers to sophisticated business machines.
Cessna does both, and additionally makes the unique and remarkable Caravan turboprop.

And no company has Jack Pelton. Bruce Keller, a Cessna rep and one of the company's larger-than-life characters, has a bunch of Jack Pelton stories. And everyone who proudly wears a Cessna shirt or flies a Cessna seems to have a Jack Pelton story. Today's crop of manufacturing CEO's are, of course, a personable bunch. But Pelton is surrounded by a phalanx of people who work every day with, and generally, truly, like the guy.

The word is, he loves to fly. In this crowd, that counts for something.

As we settle down to start the interview with Pelton and Cessna PR flack Jessica Myers, we're briefly interrupted by... a fan. He works for Rolls-Royce in Indiana, and he asks politely to have his photo taken with The Man. Pelton is gracious, genuinely friendly, and poses, smiling, with the gentleman. In a way, that says as much about Pelton as anything he said in the following interview. He's generally interested in the people around him.

So... let's talk to Jack Pelton, shall we?

Aero-News: Bruce Keller told us, last year you flew in in the 182? From Wichita?

Jack Pelton: Yep, the G1000 [equipped 182], before it was certified.

Aero-News: That's a pretty neat thing to do. You're the CEO, you could take a Citation. Why the 182?

Jack Pelton: I've been in general aviation my entire life, ever since I was a kid. My Dad had a 140, so I grew up flying in the right seat of a small airplane, and I just [emphasis in his voice] really enjoy flying.
Not only have I been able to make a career out of it, but it's also a hobby and a passion for me. So that's all... my whole life has been around airplanes.

Aero-News: You and your wife are life members of EAA.

JP: Yes, we are.

Aero-News: How long have you been life members, or members in general?

JP: We became life members, I think it was last year? But I've been a life member... (thinking)

Aero-News: That's a good deal, life membership, if you're planning to live more than a few years.

JP: It sure is. But I've been an EAA member... hmmmmmmmmm... since I've been about 16.

Aero-News: No kidding.

JP: Out in California.

Aero-News: What did you learn to fly, and when?

JP: I learned to fly right out of high school, and it was in a Cessna 140, my Dad's airplane.

Aero-News: Did he teach you, or did -

JP: No, he was not an instructor. I learned to fly from... actually...
Stansbury was his last name and his brother was the head of the AOPA, I think it's his twin brother. I don't know if he's even still alive, but it was many years ago.

We had a momentary interruption when another Cessna 172 owner stopped by, and promised to "stop by later today." Pelton was just as pleasant to him as he is to all his company's legions of owners and pilots. Of course, this 172 owner was Phil Boyer, but my point is the affability that Boyer gets, we all get.

JP[back to reminiscing about his first instructor]: Many, many years ago.

Aero-News: Since then you've flown just about everything then? [Pelton made a face, indicating he was about to disagree] Well, up to what Cessna builds?

JP: Yeah, if anybody would let me fly it, I'd fly it.

Aero-News: Do you still fly for pleasure as well as...

JP: Yes, I do.

Aero-News: And what do you fly when you're flying for recreation?

JP: [Laughs easily, and hesitates] Everything.

Aero-News: That's OK. I got Alan & Dale Klapmeier to tell me about his Brand X experiences, so now it's your turn.

JP: [Laughs again then suddenly gets serious, genuinely interested]:
What are they flying?

Aero-News: Alan has just bought a Chipmunk in England...

JP: Ooh!

Aero-News: ... and brought it back, and he has wonderful stories about European bureaucracy.

JP: I fly a Citabria frequently, and I'm restoring an Aeronca L3.

Aero-News: Oh really! That's a rare plane? [your humble writer was confusing the L3 with another Aeronca]. There were only...

JP: No, no, no, no. There were in the... they actually built...

Aero-News: What, fifty of them?

JP: I don't know, it was in the hundreds. It was an observation airplane... similar to a J3 Cub...

Aero-News: Oh, OK, I'm sorry. I had that confused...

JP: Yeah, 65 horsepower. Low and slow!

Aero-News: Basically a militarized Champ, isn't it?

JP: Yeah!

Aero-News: How long have you been working on that?

JP: Ooh. Year and a half?

Aero-News: Yeah

JP: And there's no official end date.

Aero-News: You're ninety percent done with ninety percent to go?

JP[laughing]: Yeah. It's a project.

Aero-News: Have you ever considered doing a homebuilt?

JP: No, I haven't... I... [shrugs] Certainly, time constraints would be the biggest issue. Certainly, there are a lot of very interesting homebuilts that are out there.

Aero-News: Now, how does your wife feel about flying? Does she fly with you?

JP: Yes, she does.

Aero-News: Is she a pilot?

JP: She's not a pilot, but she's an aviation enthusiast. As a matter of fact, she was kind of upset she wasn't at Sun-n-Fun. But she had another obligation, somewhere she had to be.

She loves to go to the Saturday morning pancake breakfast with the local EAA Park City.

Aero-News: I guess that becomes a social event, too...

JP: Yeah.

Aero-News: You get to know people... are there a lot of [Cessna] employees in that?

JP: Quite a few. We have a very active flying club at work. It's one of the things that makes Cessna special, that we have a single engine flying club with very good rates, which attracts an awful lot of people to Cessna.

Aero-News: It's like a benefit?

JP: In a way, it is. Half the going rate!

That seemed like a good place to wrap up the part of the interview that talked about Jack Pelton, the man, and it may give a little insight into why the Cessna CEO is so well-regarded by the troops in his trenches, and indeed, by his peers and other industry opinion makers.

We spoke some more about Cessna products, why piston twins haven't come back, why my Dad's beloved T210N isn't back in production (and Pelton has a suggestion to those with 210 envy) and what's holding Cessna back from new piston designs as innovative as, to name one, the Citation Mustang very light jet.

But I hope you have a better idea of what makes Jack Pelton tick.

He just loves to fly.

To be continued...

FMI: www.cessna.com