Cessna has received US certification for the Citation X Mach 0.92 business jet, after an almost 30-month, 3,000h, flight-test programme involving three aircraft. Deliveries are to begin late this month, and the US manufacturer plans to deliver "11 or 12" aircraft by year-end. European certification is scheduled for July 1997.
The Citation X, Cessna's most ambitious project to date, was launched in 1990, with certification originally scheduled for August 1995. The company says that delays resulted from its "too aggressive" schedule, additional testing required by the FAA and a redesign to add a split rudder and third hydraulic system, to meet jammed-control requirements.
The $15.3 million aircraft exceeds design projections. Maximum cruise speed is up from Mach 0.9 to M0.92. Full-fuel payload is up from six to seven passengers, with no change in field performance at the higher gross take-off weight.
Cessna says that the order book is sold out into 1997, with positions sold for deliveries in late 1998. The first six production Citation Xs have been flown and are having their interiors fitted at Cessna. A further 12 aircraft are in assembly at Wichita, Kansas. Early deliveries include aircraft for customers in Argentina and Mexico.
Source: Flight International
