Just in time for the holidays, Cessna told ANN Thursday the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted type certification (TC) to Cessna’s Citation Encore+, the latest derivation of the highly successful Citation line.

The seven- to eleven-passenger Encore+ succeeds the Encore, offering increased payload capability, a new integrated avionics suite, more standard equipment, and new interior styling features like LED indirect cabin lighting. Full-fuel payload will be 1,170 pounds, 340 pounds more than the Encore. Takeoff distance was certified as 3,520 feet, time to climb to 45,000 feet as 27 minutes, range (with NBAA IFR reserves) as 1,762 nautical miles, and maximum true airspeed as 428 knots (nearly 500 miles per hour).

Propulsion for the Encore+ is generated by twin FADEC-controlled Pratt & Whitney Canada PW535B engines rated at 3,400 pounds of thrust each.

Cessna says the avionics package on the Encore+ is the most advanced available on this class of business jet. The integrated Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite encompasses many of the same features as the Citation CJ3 and CJ1+ and CJ2+. The heart of the integration resides in the File Server Unit (FSU) serving as a portal to display electronic charting, graphical weather, and enhanced mapping in the cockpit. 

Flight data is presented on three 8-inch by 10-inch active matrix color liquid crystal displays -- two Primary Flight Displays (PFD) and one enhanced Multi-Function Display (MFD).  

Other integrated avionics features include Pro Line 21 Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance (CNS) radios, and Collins FMS-3000 with performance database.  The Encore+ is equipped with standard Terrain Collision Avoidance System (TCAS II), Mark VIII Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS), and XM Broadcast Graphical Weather including Next Generation Doppler Radar (NEXRAD) information, Meteorological Terminal Aviation Routine Weather Report (METARs), and textual Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF).

Based on unit sales, Cessna Aircraft Company is the world's largest manufacturer of general aviation airplanes. In 2005, Cessna delivered 1,157 aircraft and reported revenues of about $3.5 billion. Since the company was originally established in 1927, more than 187,000 Cessna airplanes have been delivered to nearly every country in the world.

FMI: www.cessna.com