Yingling Aviation and the Cessna Aircraft Company have enjoyed a long relationship, with the Wichita company first affiliating with Cessna as a sales and service dealer upon its founding in 1942.

With the announcement by the aircraft manufacturer that Yingling would become the reassembly site for Cessna’s new SkyCatcher aircraft, the partnership has grown again. The personal aircraft will be manufactured in China, taken apart and shipped here.

Yingling Aviation, located at Mid-Continent Airport, will reassemble the aircraft, run checks and test-fly them before delivery to Cessna dealers. The first aircraft is set to arrive in early 2009, with the facility ultimately handling up to 700 annually.

“It’s a ramp-up,” says Lynn Nichols, president of Yingling Aviation, who notes the company will add to its 100-person staff throughout the process. “The first few we receive will take longer as we get our efficiencies in place.”

The new division is just the latest addition to the Yingling Aviation menu, which includes maintenance, avionics, parts, sales and flight training among its existing departments.