Cessna began when a farmer-mechanic cranked life into the engine of a fragile looking wood-and-fabric airplane, and took off on his first successful flight. With this flight, 30-year-old Clyde V Cessna became the first person to build and fly an airplane west of the Mississippi and east of the Rocky Mountains, and he set in motion events that created a company of great significance to the area, the nation, and the world. On the last day of the year in 1927 he formed the Cessna Aircraft Company in Wichita KS.

Since its founding, Cessna Aircraft Company has delivered more than 177,800 aircraft, including 24,000 twin-engine airplanes, 2,000 military jets, and more than 2,100 Citations. Cessna is the largest, most successful, and most experienced aircraft builder in the world—its design, manufacturing, and support facilities now cover more than seven million square feet—and the company sells more light and mid-size business jets annually than all other manufacturers combined.

Today, Cessna is not just making history, it is making technology advancements that are reshaping the entire future of aviation, utilizing state-of-the-art equipment and procedures. From engineering's CAD/CAM computers, to the five-axis milling machine in their tool and die department, to one of the world's few composite pattern cutters, to numerous other tools that represent the highest level of aircraft technology. Sophisticated business management systems also exist in all areas to analyze and process information for correct business decisions. Overall, Cessna has invested more in aviation research, designed more new aircraft, and amassed more experience than any other manufacturer in the industry. In 1986 Cessna became the first general aviation manufacturer ever to be awarded the Collier trophy for Aeronautical excellence. This recognition was a result of the design and manufacturing philosophy Cessna has followed from the beginning. It was earned by a history of millions of hours of safe flight.

When Cessna introduced the first Citation, it also introduced something else—a group of company-owned Citation Service Centers. The industry's only factory-direct service network. The network now includes a growing number of Centers strategically located all across the USA, plus more than two dozen around the world—the largest service organization of any business jet in the world.

In addition to the Citation line, Cessna manufactures a single-engine turboprop utility aircraft that can carry large cargo loads or up to 14 people. This plane, the Caravan, is in service with Federal Express, and is the only single-engine aircraft approved by the US Postal Service to carry the mail, and recently received Canadian certification to carry passengers during commercial IFR and night operations.

Cessna is the only general aviation company with its own finance subsidiary, Cessna Finance Corporation, which has underwritten financing for more than 140,000 aircraft valued at more than $7 billion.

In 1992 Cessna became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Textron Inc, a diversified manufacturing and financial services company serving markets all over the world. Its newest manufacturing plant opened in Independence KS on July 4, 1996, as home for the single-engine piston line.