Two of Cessna’s business jet programmes reached development milestones in late July, as they move towards certification and service entry over the coming 12 months.
The second production-conforming Citation Latitude – serial 002 – took to the skies on 25 July for a 2h 42min flight. During the sortie, the midsize business jet reached an altitude of 45,000ft and a maximum speed of 305kt (656km/h) at Mach 0.80, Cessna says.
Two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW306D-powered Latitudes – a prototype and a production example – have logged over 330h in more than 150 flights, the Textron Aviation subsidiary adds.
The nine-seat twinjet is scheduled for certification and service entry next year, featuring an all-new fuselage with a 1.8m (5.9ft)-high cabin, a Garmin G5000 avionics suite and Cessna’s Clarity cabin management system.
According to Flightglobal’s Ascend Online Fleets database, Cessna has orders for 27 Latitudes to date
Meanwhile, the first production-conforming CJ3+ made its maiden flight on 28 July. The type “[performed] as expected” during its 73min flight above Cessna’s Wichita, Kansas base.
The Williams International FJ44-3A-powered CJ3+ is a revamped version of the ten-year-old CJ3, and features Garmin’s G3000 avionics suite, a new interior and a redesigned cabin and cockpit. Ascend’s data shows orders for 20 $8 million CJ3+s so far.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
