Flagship Citation Model’s Popularity Endures
Textron Inc., the Providence, Rhode Island-based conglomerate and parent company of Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Bell Helicopter, Lycoming Engines, and Pipistrel, announced on 23 May 2023 that the one-hundredth production specimen of Cessna’s flagship Citation Longitude business jet had been completed and rolled out of the company’s Wichita, Kansas assembly plant.
The centesimal aircraft will be delivered later this year.
Cessna employees celebrated the milestone achievement with a celebration at Textron Aviation’s Wichita headquarters.
Textron Aviation president and CEO Ron Draper stated: “The Citation Longitude has redefined its category with class-leading performance, efficiency, and an unrivaled cabin experience. A milestone like this wouldn’t be possible without the owners and operators who love to fly our aircraft, or the extraordinary workforce that designs, builds, and maintains this legendary aircraft.”
Announced at 2012’s EBACE convention and FAA type-certified in 2019, Cessna’s Citation Longitude is a super-midsize business aircraft comprising design cues from numerous and proven Textron aircraft models. An evolution of Cessna’s Latitude business jet, with which it shares a fuselage cross-section, the Longitude sports new 28° swept wings incorporating moderate winglets, a T-tail empennage, and area-rule fuselage contouring. All told, the Longitude’s aluminum fuselage and wing are similar to those of the Hawker 4000—albeit longer and of greater span respectively.
The Citation Longitude’s design makes use of numerous up-to-the-minute technologies such as redundant integrated autopilot and auto-throttle systems with emergency descent mode (EDM). The aircraft is powered by a pair of FADEC-equipped Honeywell HTF7700L turbofans each producing 7,665 lbf-thrust. So motivated, the Longitude manages a Vne of 560-knot (0.84 Mach), a cruise speed of 483-knots (0.72 Mach), an unrefueled range of 3,500-nautical-miles, and a service-ceiling of FL450.
Longitude operators benefit from the model’s on-condition engine overhaul periods and best-in-class 18-months/800-hours (whichever occurs first) airframe service intervals. Textron Aviation's full-time diagnostics recording system (AReS) and 3D technical publications significantly reduce maintenance downtime and overall operating costs.
Cessna’s Citation Longitude is a moderately large aircraft, the fuselage of which measures 73-feet, two-inches in length; six-feet high; and six-feet, five-inches wide. The Longitude’s semi-super-critical wing spans 68-feet, 11-inches.
Type-certified for two-pilot operation, the Longitude may be configured to comfortably accommodate eight (standard) to 12 (maximum) passengers. The aircraft’s 39,500-pound Maximum Gross Take-Off Weight (MGTOW) includes 14,500-pounds of fuel and a full-fuel payload of 1,600-pounds. The Longitude’s spacious, 112-cubic-foot walk-in baggage compartment is in-flight accessible and has a capacity of 1,115-pounds.
At its service-ceiling, the Longitude’s pressurization system maintains a comfortable 4,950-foot cabin.
The Citation Longitude features Garmin’s G5000 Flight-Deck, which offers pilots complete touchscreen control of the aircraft’s navigation and communication systems. The avionics suite includes a trio of large, high-resolution LCD displays; four touchscreen controllers; Garmin Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT); synoptics for key systems; in-flight diagnostics reporting; fully-integrated auto-throttles; Required Navigation Performance Authorization Required (RNP AR) to 0.3-nautical-miles; ADS-B Out/In; and optional FANS 1/A and Link 2000+ CPDLC capabilities.
Parties interested in learning more about Cessna’s Citation Longitude business jet are invited to visit Textron Aviation via the FMI link below.
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