Cessna following Tesla's lead

[Patrick W]

While Tesla is not mentioned their new plan for selling aircraft will sound very familiar to Tesla fans:

Textron Goes To Factory-Direct Sales - AVweb flash Article

 

[sandpiper]

While Tesla is not mentioned their new plan for selling aircraft will sound very familiar to Tesla fans:

Textron Goes To Factory-Direct Sales - AVweb flash Article

Great! Now Cessna should continue to follow Tesla's lead and build a compelling private aircraft. And stuffing a G1000 into a 1956 airframe with a 1956 technology engine doesn't count.

 

[Patrick W]

Great! Now Cessna should continue to follow Tesla's lead and build a compelling private aircraft. And stuffing a G1000 into a 1956 airframe with a 1956 technology engine doesn't count.

Actually I like steam gauges in my Cessnas and glass in my Tesla.

 

[hockeythug]

I always assumed you bought an aircraft directly from the manufacture.

 

[sandpiper]

Actually I like steam gauges in my Cessnas and glass in my Tesla.

After my first time shooting an approach to mins with SVT, I am forever corrupted. I can never go back to steam gages. It's like your first time in a Tesla. The old tech just never looks the same.

 

[Johan]

I always assumed you bought an aircraft directly from the manufacture.

This.

 

[SR22pilot]

While Tesla is not mentioned their new plan for selling aircraft will sound very familiar to Tesla fans:

Textron Goes To Factory-Direct Sales - AVweb flash Article

Cessna is following someone much closer to their business. They are following Cirrus.

 

[ElectricTundra]

Cessna is following someone much closer to their business. They are following Cirrus.

Who have hired a few engineers recently with knowledge of electrical powertrain systems. From Tesla to Cirrus to Cessna

 

[jbcarioca]

While Tesla is not mentioned their new plan for selling aircraft will sound very familiar to Tesla fans:

Textron Goes To Factory-Direct Sales - AVweb flash Article

Useful to keep in mind that Cessna has been factory-direct for decades, but for piston aircraft only, used dealers. They've never been purists si CE authorized service stations have always been in place for all Cessna turboprops and jets even though they sold direct. Cessna typically has built for inventory at the low end, mostly Pistons, but built only to order for turbine and jets. Only with turbines they have waffled between direct and dealer and sometimes had both at the same time (e.g. CE425 and CE208).

 

[jbcarioca]

I always assumed you bought an aircraft directly from the manufacture.

Except at the low end that has generally been true, but there are exceptions.
Dassault Falcon was originally sold in the US by PanAm. Small airplanes are typically sold through dealers even today, but some have never used dealers. All small airplane manufacturers do all third party service, though, as do all larger aircraft. Every Boeing, Airbus and Embraer has a large network of authorized services for every part of the aircraft.

Thus, there really is almost zero comparisn between aircraft and cars, not least of which is the overwhelming regulatory scrutiny that is part of the certified aircraft world, worldwide. If any aircraft builder could come anywhere close to Tesla in service quality the airplane world would be very different than it is.

When I listen to the woes of early model S buyers Ii compare that with my own experience with SN 41 of the Cessna CutationJet. There were more than 100 faults at delivery, the autopilot, primary navigation displays and deicing all failed simultaneously in IMC with freezing rain as I was conducting a single pilot approach to minimums at ZRH. I sold the monstrosity a few weeks later and bought a real jet instead of a "near jet". For decades Cessna has ignored quality while building to price and usually got away with it. Now there are Honda, Embraer and a few others gradually taking their segments away.

Sure, I'm opinionated. I've owned and operated lots if aircraft and lots of cars. I may be wrong, but never in doubt.

 

[aesculus]

After my first time shooting an approach to mins with SVT, I am forever corrupted. I can never go back to steam gages. It's like your first time in a Tesla. The old tech just never looks the same.

NDB and a stopwatch. What could go wrong?

 

[Patrick W]

While Tesla is not mentioned their new plan for selling aircraft will sound very familiar to Tesla fans:

Textron Goes To Factory-Direct Sales - AVweb flash Article

And now I see that another aircraft manufacturer, Piper, is becoming more "Teslaesque" by now only selling "made to order" aircraft.

 

[jbcarioca]

And now I see that another aircraft manufacturer, Piper, is becoming more "Teslaesque" by now only selling "made to order" aircraft.

Maybe there are tiny differences. Piper cannot convince dealers to stock inventory anymore. Their newest aircraft type evolved from a design introduced in 1982. They have been bought and sold a few times and bankrupt the first ime in 1937. Now they are owned by the Brunei Government.

They are known for producing old designs with modest updating, but now rewinged the venerable Malibu.
Technological, marketing and customer support are not known company strengths.
OT: Sadly, I once bought a new Piper Seneca IV. I got rid of it after only six months but bizarrely did not lose money.

 

[ggr]

In a strange reversal, the door handles on the Model 3 are very similar to the ones on my 1969 C177B Cardinal.

 

[jbcarioca]

In a strange reversal, the door handles on the Model 3 are very similar to the ones on my 1969 C177B Cardinal.

Do you imagine they might close the same way? I still remember my SE Commercial checkride in a C183RG when the Examiner didn't close his door properly and chastized me for failing to check. He still passed me.