The first production Cessna Citation Encore light business jet, Model 560, serial number 539, was rolled out of the manufacturer's Wichita, Kansas, assembly facility at the beginning of this month.
Certification of the Encore is planned for this quarter, with customer deliveries to follow in the fourth quarter, both later than originally planned due to design changes incorporated early in the test programme (Flight International, 13-19 October, 1999).
During flight tests, more than 950h have been clocked up on nearly 600 flights on a production conformed prototype aircraft.
More than half of the flight conditions required for certification have been completed, with systems operations, aircraft controllability and stalls completed and signed off by the US Federal Aviation Administration, says Cessna.
The tests are now focused on icing and cold weather operations testing.
Source: Flight International
