Textron Aviation Celebrates Ten Years of Top Hawk Program With Four New Recipients, Including First in the U.K.

WICHITA, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 2, 2025--

Textron Aviation today announced the tenth anniversary of the company’s innovative Top Hawk program designed to provide students with access to the world’s most popular trainer aircraft, the Cessna Skyhawk. As part of this milestone, which coincides with the 70th anniversary of the iconic aircraft, 2025 participants include United Flight Systems, Lunken Flight Training Center, Flex Air and VNE Aviation, the program’s first UK recipient.

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The Cessna Skyhawk is designed and manufactured by Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company.

"With a demand for more than 200,000 new pilots globally in the next decade, it's vital to support young people pursuing aviation opportunities," said Lannie O'Bannion, senior vice president, Sales & Marketing. “The Skyhawk provides students with a technologically advanced flight training platform, ensuring that students at Top Hawk organizations are equipped with high quality equipment as the cornerstone of their careers.”

Since the program launched in 2015, Textron Aviation has placed nearly 50 Cessna Skyhawks with participating Top Hawk organizations around the world to inspire the journey of flight and support the industry with a robust pipeline of skilled aviators. As a Top Hawk participant, each organization receives a factory-new, custom-branded Cessna Skyhawk to use for the duration of the program for student pilot training and to promote pilot training at air shows, aviation contests and recruiting events.

Celebrating 70 years of the Cessna Skyhawk inspiring the journey of flight

The Skyhawk is considered the aircraft of choice for pilot training, and it is the most popular single-engine aircraft in aviation history. Since the aircraft first took flight in 1955, more than 45,000 Cessna 172 aircraft have been delivered to customers around the world — a greater number than any other aircraft in the industry. Known for its simplicity, ruggedness and reliability, the Skyhawk quickly became a favorite among flight schools and private pilots alike.

The single-engine four-seat, high-wing Skyhawk is renowned for offering a combination of modern features, including the Garmin G1000 NXi avionics with wireless connectivity, a standard angle-of-attack display system and proven dependability. The Cessna Skyhawk's new and modern interior includes features such as power headset plugs at each seat, USB charging ports and upgraded seats for enhanced comfort. The aircraft also features McCauley's aluminum fixed pitch propeller, providing greater reliability and operating time and a Lycoming IO-360-L2A engine with 180 horsepower.

About Textron Aviation
We inspire the journey of flight. For more than 95 years, Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. company, has empowered our collective talent across the Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker brands to design and deliver the best aviation experience for our customers. With a range that includes everything from business jets, turboprops, and high-performance pistons, to special mission, military trainer and defense products, Textron Aviation has the most versatile and comprehensive aviation product portfolio in the world and a workforce that has produced more than half of all general aviation aircraft worldwide. Customers in more than 170 countries rely on our legendary performance, reliability and versatility, along with our trusted global customer service network, for affordable and flexible flight. For more information, visit www.txtav.com | www.defense.txtav.com | www.scorpionjet.com.

About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pipistrel, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, Textron Systems, and TRU Simulation + Training. For more information, visit: www.textron.com

Textron Aviation celebrates ten years of Top Hawk program with four new recipients (Photo Credit: Textron Aviation).

TOKYO (AP) — Global shares were mixed Thursday as a wait-and-see attitude dominated in regional markets following the Federal Reserve's decision to keep its key interest rate unchanged.

That was expected, and Fed Chair Jerome Powell said interest rates look to be “in a good place” for now.

Gold jumped another 2%, trading at $5,543 per ounce. The dollar weakened against the Japanese yen and oil prices rose.

France's CAC 40 rose nearly 1.0% in early trading to 8,142.92, while Germany's DAX shed 0.3% to 24,748.68. Britain's FTSE 100 added 0.6% to 10,217.86. U.S. shares were set to drift higher with Dow futures up nearly 0.1% to 49,207.00. S&P 500 futures edged up 0.3% to 7,026.00.

In Asia, gains for some technology companies reporting strong earnings failed to give shares in Tokyo much of a lift as the Nikkei 225 rose less than 0.1% to 53,375.60.

Computer chip testing equipment maker Advantest surged 5.2% after it reported stronger than anticipated earnings. Some tech company shares, like Panasonic Holdings, fell, while others rose, like chips maker Kioxia Holdings Corp. and Sony Corp.

Earnings season is getting into full gear, with major Japanese companies like Toyota Motor Corp., Sony Corp. and Nintendo Co. due to report their earnings next week.

Elsewhere in Asia, South Korea's Kospi surged 1.0% to 5,221.25, hitting a fresh record as computer chip maker SK Hynix picked up 2.4% on a strong earnings report.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.5% to 27,968.09, while the Shanghai Composite index gained 0.2% to 4,157.98.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 shed nearly 0.1% to 8,927.50.

In Jakarta, the JSX sank 1.9%, following a decline after the MSCI, a U.S. provider of global equity, fixed income and real estate indices, warned about market risks in Indonesia.

In the foreign-exchange market, the U.S. dollar stabilized after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview on CNBC that the U.S. government is not intervening in the currency market and continues to want a “strong dollar.”

The dollar fell to 153.26 Japanese yen from 153.42 yen. The euro cost $1.1977, up from $1.1955.

“From Washington’s side, a slightly firmer yen is convenient for domestic manufacturing concerns. From Tokyo’s side, even symbolic Fed acknowledgement buys time and credibility,” Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management, said in a commentary.

The Fed cut rates several times last year to try to shore up the job market, but inflation remains stubbornly above its 2% target. Lower interest rates could worsen inflation while giving the economy a boost. Lower rates could also further undercut the U.S. dollar’s value, which would help U.S. exporters. Trump has been pushing aggressively for lower rates.

In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude gained 92 cents to $64.13 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 88 cents to $69.28 a barrel.

Associated Press Business Writer Stan Choe contributed.

Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Shanghai, Nikkei and New York Dow indexes at a securities firm Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

People stand in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A man stands near an electronic board displaying stock prices and Jakarta Stock Exchange Composite Index, at the Indonesia Stock Exchange in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

A man walks past an electronic board displaying stock prices and Jakarta Stock Exchange Composite Index, at the Indonesia Stock Exchange in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)