Thu, Feb 27, 2014
Milestones Reached In The Aircraft's Third Test Flight
Cessna's Citation Latitude has reached another testing milestone. In only the aircraft’s third flight, the Latitude prototype has successfully achieved full envelope performance for maximum speed (440 KTAS, 506 mph), Mach speed (0.80) and altitude (45,000 ft). The aircraft was cleared for a direct climb to 45,000 ft with a gross takeoff weight of 29,000 pounds.
“Following last week’s first flight, we are seeing the Citation Latitude’s high-speed capabilities," said Scott Ernest, Cessna president and CEO. "The Latitude is an aircraft that delivers a lot of firsts from Cessna – the wide fuselage, the stand-up cabin with a flat floor, auto-throttles, the electric door and the improved cabin environment. All these achievements stem from listening to the voice of the customer and getting down to the business of delivering what customers need and desire. Cessna’s Citation Latitude is a breakthrough aircraft in many ways, and these successful flights are a testament to our rigorous testing procedures. The Citation Latitude is a clear and resounding affirmation of Cessna’s commitment to new product development, and we feel it delivers an incredible amount of performance and style to the mid-size category.”
“From an engineering perspective, I am very proud our team has designed an aircraft that is proceeding in a very predictable, reliable manner and displaying characteristics of a very mature system in its first few flights,” added Michael Thacker, Cessna senior vice president of engineering.
The next tests for the Latitude will focus on low-speed performance. Certification for the Citation Latitude is expected in the second quarter of 2015.
(Image provided by Cessna)
More News
Touchdown Zone Lighting Two rows of transverse light bars located symmetrically about the runway centerline normally at 100 foot intervals. The basic system extends 3,000 feet alon>[...]
“Discovery and innovation are central to our mission at Virgin Galactic. We’re excited to build on our successful record of facilitating scientific experiments in subor>[...]
"We are reaching out to you today on behalf of the Popular Rotorcraft Association because we need your help. We are dangerously close to losing a critical resource that if lost, wi>[...]
UAS Traffic Management (UTM) The unmanned aircraft traffic management ecosystem that will allow multiple low altitude BVLOS operations and which is separate from, but complementary>[...]
Aero Linx: Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) SAFE is a member-oriented organization of aviation educators fostering professionalism and excellence in aviation through>[...]