New 02 System In 400 TT, Optional A/C Delete

Hot on the heels of its renaming of the former Columbia 350 and 400, Cessna has announced 2009 model-year changes to the aircraft now referred to as the 350 Corvalis and 400 Corvalis TT.

In a posting on the Cessna Advanced Aircraft Club online forum, Cessna's brand manager for propeller aircraft, Scott Howell, detailed a number of feature changes and one major improvement to the aircraft's high-altitude capabilities.

A new oxygen system, exclusive to the 400 TT, replaces the old 3-bottle, wing-mounted system with a single large oxygen canister in the tail that offers 50 percent greater capacity. The new, composite bottle system also weighs less, and includes a dedicated fill port and gauge accessed through the aircraft's external baggage compartment.

"As you may know Cessna has been very busy in the past year with improving the 350 and 400 in many areas above and beyond manufacturing improvements," Howell wrote.

Both the 350 and 400 TT models also offer a 25-lbs increase in useful load, and feature Rosen sun visors as standard equipment. A new cold weather kit improves oil temperatures while operating in colder climates, while owners will also have the option of deleting the standard air conditioning system for a price credit, as well as a decrease in empty weight.

Howell also says Cessna is at work to incorporate the TKS inadvertent anti-ice system into the manufacturing process, though it appears Cessna will not follow rival Cirrus in developing a known-icing system for the Corvalis line-up, at least for now. Cessna is also working to incorporate the Garmin SVT synthetic vision system on Corvalis models.

Anyone purchasing a new 350 or 400 TT will also receive five hours of pre-paid flight training at a Cessna Pilot Center, while 400 TT owners will benefit from improved procedures for Lean Of Peak operations in the aircraft POH.

As ANN reported, Cessna announced last month the renaming of the former Columbia line, "inspired from the name of a picturesque Oregon town about 120 miles west of Cessna's Bend, OR manufacturing facility."

FMI: www.cessna.com/single-engine/cessna-400.html