Mon, Oct 09, 2017
Amended In August To Include The Entire Sovereign Fleet
The FAA has granted STC approval to Wichita, Kansas-based Winglet Technology for the installation of their Transitional winglet design on the Cessna Citation Sovereign. The STC was initially issued on June 20, 2017 and subsequently amended on August 31 to include the entire Citation Sovereign fleet. To date, Duncan Aviation has completed two installations and Textron Aviation has completed one.
The Sovereign upgrade provides higher maximum cruise speeds at high altitudes, greater range for a given payload throughout the operating envelope, and higher weight/altitude/temperature (WAT) limits. That translates into more flexibility when operating from high/hot airports and improved climb performance that leads to higher initial cruise altitudes. The Transitional winglet upgrade will increase the Sovereign’s wingspan from 63’ 4” to 69’ 6”.
Flight testing has confirmed a 35 KTAS speed increase at FL450 and direct climb to FL450 at the higher Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW). It also increases the Sovereign’s range by 340 nautical miles (NM) range for payloads over 1,780 pounds. “Extensive back-to-back flight testing confirmed anticipated performance benefits,” said Bob Kiser, President and Managing Member of Winglet Technology, LLC. “The Transitional winglet design provides outstanding high altitude performance to complement the Sovereign’s best in class short field performance.”
Work is underway to increase the Sovereign’s MTOW from 30,300 to 30,475 lbs. by the end of the year. Flight testing and structural testing have been completed and submission of revisions to the Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM) and Weight and Balance (W&B) Supplements are expected by the end of the month. Additionally, work is underway to revise the Takeoff and Landing database (TOLD) to cover the MTOW increase. The TOLD database will include second segment climb improvement along with take-off distances for weights from 30,300 to 30,475 pounds.
(Source: Winglet Technology news release. Image from file)
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