CERTIFICATION OF the Cessna Citation X high-speed business jet has been pushed back from August to November, but the manufacturer still plans to deliver the first customer aircraft in April 1996.
Flight-test hold-ups will delay delivery of the first two Citation X demonstrators to late November or early December, says marketing-support director Mike Fuhrman.
Three aircraft are now being flown - the prototype and first two production aircraft - and more than 600h have been logged on 410 flights so far. US Federal Aviation Administration pilots will begin certification flight-testing of the Citation X in March, Fuhrman says.
An increase in maximum Mach number (Mmo) is expected to be announced shortly, he says, Cessna having dive-tested the Citation X to Mach 0.98. The current Mmo is 0.9 at 37,000ft (11,000m), but the aircraft is flying faster at higher altitudes than predicted.
The Mmo is likely to be increased to 0.92 at 37,000-39,000ft, 0.91 at 41,000ft and 0.9 at 41,000-43,000ft, Fuhrman believes. The reduced fuel burn at the higher altitudes will enable operators to take advantage of the time saving possible with the increased Mmo, he adds.
Fuhrman says that Citation X sales continue to be "slow but steady" and that production is sold out to mid-1997, representing an order total "well into double digits", he indicates. o
Source: Flight International
