"Dude" wrote in message
...
It seems to me that there must be a lot of risk in the small piston plane
market.

This means that a company without a high degree of ability to accept risk
will eventually fail a critical gut check. The question is - Can a public
company stand the risks it takes to be number one?

I believe Cessna simply will not do what it takes to win in this business
because it has become too risk averse. It may survive, but I don't see it
thriving. Strangely, its the same attitudes that kept them in business
all
this time, that may now be their downfall. Until the recent entries of
new
players, Cessna was king.

Cirrus has done well, and much of it is due to the passion of the
founders.
I may be mistaken, but I believe that the investors are likewise
passionate.
They are not presently trading the stock on an exchange, are they? If
not,
then the company is still reasonably closely held.

Cirrus is riding the new plane bubble. Time will tell ahow they do and they
will need to come out with something new when the market for the present
model becomes saturated. Certainly one would rather be in Cessnas financial
position than that of Cirrus. Cirrus had to sell their soul to stay in
business.