What on earth has Cessna or Piper done in the last 20 years?

I agree, they've been late to the game -- but at least they're starting
to get the hang of it.

Cessna is especially exciting, with their new LSA and composite planes.
Piper is shaking itself out of its old union mentality, and actually
looking at new things -- like jets. (When I heard Chuck Suma, Piper's
old CEO, making fun of Cirrus' "plastic planes" at the Cherokee Pilots
Association dinner in 2005, I knew he was history. 3 months later, he
got the axe.)

Raytheon/Beech still hasn't figured it out. Maybe the new owners will?


Cirrus, Katana, Columbia, and the like are the future of GA today.

No argument there -- although it may not be too late for Piper/Cessna
to recover. The fact that they've survived is a sign of underlying
strength.

Assuming there is any future left in GA :-(

Whether GA itself survives is a political, not economic, decision. If
the political class decides to tax it out of existence, as they've done
in Europe, GA will die.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"