Private jets are an easy target. Angry shareholders and members of Congress have been self-righteously shaking their fingers at them as examples of corporate waste and greed. Taking a lesson from the auto chiefs (who were excoriated for daring to drop into Washington, looking for a handout, via their Gulfstreams and Learjets), big bank CEOs who testified before Congress last week wisely traveled by more humble means.

Three cheers for Cessna, which is taking out full-page ads in major newspapers headlined, “Timidity didn’t get you this far. Why put it in your business plan now?” Jack Pelton, Chairman and CEO of Cessna, is concerned about the future of his company and others like it that employ thousands of blue collar workers who wouldn’t relish being laid off at the moment. “We think it’s time the other side of the story be told,” he says.

Pelton and his company are demonstrating boldness borne of knowing whom they serve. Instead of being preoccupied with congressional blowhards or unfair public stereotypes, Cessna knows who its customers are and is boldly directing its message towards them. Is the company taking a risk? Sure, but that’s what’s to be admired. While the ads may be provocative to average people like you and me, Cessna isn’t aiming at us. The company needs to speak to its customers, and needs to do so boldly. Give them credit for having the nerve to do so.