In a call to Cessna HQ, made a short while after landing, Cessna has confirmed that the Cessna Mustang flew, for the first time, landing successfully at 1247, local time, Saturday. The first flight lasted nearly 2 and a half hours.

The PW615F powered bizjet, Cessna's contender in the much vaunted VLJ sweepstakes, is the fourth conforming flight test VLJ to fly, after Eclipse Aviation put its third E-500 in the air on Thursday (though flying, Adam's A700 is not a conforming vehicle for purposes of FAA certification).

Piloted by Scotty Jergenson and Dave Bonifield, the Citation Mustang prototype rolled onto the tarmac and departed from McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas, at 10:26 a.m. (CDT). The 141-minute flight began with a climb to 11,000 feet where various stability and control tests were performed, including cycling of the landing gear, flaps, and speed brakes.

The first flight (shown below) concluded at 12:47 p.m. (CDT) when the Citation Mustang landed at Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport and was greeted by a crowd of excited Cessna team members.

"When we initially entered the business jet market, we expanded the market by providing customers with an entry level jet that was quieter, simpler, safer and less expensive than any other business jet on the market at that time," said Jack J. Pelton, Cessna's Chairman, President and CEO. "The Citation Mustang builds upon this legacy and opens the base of the business jet market further than before. The Citation Mustang will fill a void in the turbine aircraft market by offering customers a cabin-class, single pilot business jet aircraft with impressive performance and an exceptional price point."
The Citation Mustang prototype is one of three airframes dedicated to certification efforts. The Citation Mustang prototype will primarily be used for aerodynamic and system tests. The first production Citation Mustang (serial number 001) will be used for avionics development and certification.

The second production Citation Mustang (serial number 002) will primarily be used for function and reliability tests and post certification service tests. Cessna anticipates first flights of the first and second production Citation Mustangs later this year. "The Citation Mustang program is progressing on schedule," said Citation Mustang Program Manager Russ Meyer III. "We are extremely pleased with the results of today's flight. The crew completed all test conditions, and everything went just as planned."

Currently, the Citation Mustang is being assembled at Cessna's Wichita facility. However, the Citation Mustang is the first Citation that will be built at Cessna's Independence, Kansas, facility. Cessna will begin locating Citation Mustang tooling at its Independence facility this summer, and will move full production to Independence in the fourth quarter of 2005.

The Citation Mustang was announced at the 2002 National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention. The Citation Mustang will be certified as a FAR Part 23 aircraft, with an anticipated cruise speed of 340 knots, and maximum operating altitude of 41,000 feet.

The two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW615F dual-channel FADEC engines each provide 1,350 lbs of thrust flat rated to ISA+10*C. The fully integrated, all-glass Garmin International G1000 avionics suite features three glass displays - two 10-inch PFDs and one 15-inch MFD at the heart of the panel.

FMI: www.cessna.com