Textron Aviation celebrates ten years of Top Hawk Program with four new recipients, including first in the U.K.

Textron Aviation 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.

Lannie O'Bannion, senior vice president, Sales & Marketing commented: "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. 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.

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.