2004 Citation X Provides Additional Comfort & Style

Cessna's Citation X will have an all-new interior beginning in 2004. The interior of the 2004 Citation X has been upgraded to provide increased passenger comfort, style, and maintainability. One of the most notable interior upgrades is new passenger seats. Customers will now have four inches of additional seated hip room. Cessna has utilized its award-winning computer simulated design method to develop and certify the new passenger seats. On the flight deck, all new crew seats from Goodrich Aerospace will be standard. These seats articulate in several positions for maximum comfort on both long and short flights.

The contemporary interior furniture features pin-in/pin-out attachment hardware that improves maintenance and fit and finish. The latest LED technology in interior cabin controls and lighting has been incorporated to operate lighting, cabin temperature, window shades and audio/video equipment. LED lights produce less heat and are more reliable than traditional cabin lighting.

New options on the 2004 Citation X include the Max-Viz Enhanced Vision System (EVS) and Aircell satellite telephones. The 2004 Citation X upgrades will be incorporated at serial number 225. Cessna anticipates certification and first customer deliveries in 2004.

Cessna announced the Citation X at the 1990 NBAA convention. It received type certification in 1996, and first customer deliveries occurred the same year. In 2002, Cessna began delivery of an upgraded Citation X that included increased gross weight, engine thrust, and substantially expanded standard equipment list. Currently, 216 Citation Xs are in service with over 424,000 fleet hours.

Citation X's Enhanced Visibility System Featured At NBAA

The 2004 Citation X's new Enhanced Vision System (EVS) will be featured at Cessna's static display at the 2003 National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Convention. The Citation X's EVS will provide greatly enhanced situational awareness to flight crews and increase safety of flight.

The EVS-2000 was designed specifically for Cessna by Max-Viz, and offers one-of-a-kind advantages to Citation operators. Most simply defined, the EVS-2000 system combines short and long wave infrared sensors to provide a fused image that increases situational awareness. The short wave sensors detect high-intensity airport and approach lighting, and the long wave sensors distinguish obstacles and terrain by detecting minute differences in thermal energy. When combined, a pilot is able to see a single, real-time image that shows terrain and runways in times of reduced visibility conditions, such as darkness, haze, smoke, smog and rain.

This option is available on all new Citation Xs. The EVS-2000 sensors are installed on top of the nose of the Citation X, and the image will be displayed on the second FMS.

Max-Viz, Inc., a Portland, Oregon based company founded in 2001, is the industry leader in the design, development and manufacture of Enhanced Vision Systems for aviation, covering a broad range of aircraft categories and types, including helicopters, business jets and commercial air transports. EVS, using a Max-Viz patented image processing technology, improves situational awareness and safety in the air and on the ground using state-of-the-art, real-time, infrared sensor technologies.

Citation CJ3 Begins Certification Flight Test

October marks the beginning of flight test certification for Cessna's Citation CJ3.  The CJ3 program was announced one year ago at the 2002 NBAA convention. Over 150 CJ3 orders were placed by the end of the 2002 NBAA convention. At the 2003 NBAA, Cessna debut'd the first production CJ3, serial number 001, with a full interior.

In the 13 months since its announcement, the CJ3 continues to make steady progress towards certification.  The two CJ3 airplanes currently in the certification program have accumulated 198 hours in over 120 flights.  As planned, Cessna will add a third aircraft to its flight test program, serial number 002, in the upcoming months. CJ3 serial number 002's airframe was recently completed, and engine installation is in progress.  Certification flights will be done on all three units: prototype, serial number 001, and serial number 002.

Other CJ3 milestones include the start of the production line at Cessna's main manufacturing facility in Wichita, Kansas. The production line began in late July and serial numbers 003 and 004 are being manufactured. Additional units will begin moving down the line at regularly scheduled intervals. 

Cessna has completed approximately 25% of the CJ3's static testing. Most recently, tests were conducted for the _ultimate and maximum dynamic load cases. The CJ3 builds upon the best selling features of the CitationJet series, while adding more comfort, speed and range.  Designed for single pilot operation, the maximum cruise speed is 417 knots at 33,000 feet.  With two pilots, full fuel, four passengers and baggage, the CJ3 offers an NBAA IFR range of 1,771 nm and a VFR range of 1,900 nm.  Service ceiling is 45,000 feet and the maximum gross takeoff weight is 13,870 lbs.  The time to climb directly to 45,000 feet at maximum gross takeoff weight is 35 minutes.  The CJ3's standard seating is in a six-seat, center-club configuration. 

It is powered by dual channel full authority digital electronic controlled (FADEC) Williams International FJ44-3A engines that provide 2,780 pounds of thrust. The engines utilize next generation component aerodynamics, and a new compound sweep, wide chord fan that allow for exceptional fuel efficiency. The Collins Pro Line 21 avionics system's primary flight displays and enhanced multi-function display are presented on three 8-inch by 10-inch active matrix color liquid crystal displays.  In order to meet RVSM requirements, Cessna has included the co-pilot's primary flight display with second air data computer as standard equipment.  Other integrated avionics features include a file server system with cursor control panel and enhanced map overlays, Pro Line 21 CNS radios, and Collins FMS-3000.

Wichita Citation Service Center Is On Schedule

Cessna's Wichita Citation Service Center is on schedule for its November 2004 grand opening. The 447,259 square foot building will be the largest general aviation/business jet aircraft maintenance facility in the world.

Since concluding site work and commencing construction in mid-2003, construction has progressed rapidly. To date, the apron, taxiway, and run-up areas have been completed. Over 800,000 square feet of nine inch concrete was used to complete these areas. Work is currently underway on steel framing the buildings, laying underground utilities, and completing a fuel farm. The new Citation Service Center will house five complete aircraft service bays that provide 250,000 square feet floor footage. Cessna will have the capacity to service up to 120 aircraft a day in these five service bays. It is estimated that 70% of the facilities capacity will immediately be utilized upon completion of the facility.

The facility is located on a 124-acre site leased to Cessna by the Wichita Airport Authority. The Service Center will operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Cessna announced the Wichita Citation Service Center in November 2001, and in May 2003, The Law Company, Inc., was awarded the contract to build the facility.

Cessna Simplifies Flight Planning

Cessna Aircraft Company has developed an exclusive FAA an approved electronic performance program that will simplify flight planning for Citation operators. The Citation Performance Calculator is a Windows-based program that will allow pilots to perform detailed flight planning in approximately 3-5 minutes, versus the current method using paper Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) tables. This user-friendly calculator determines takeoff, climb, and landing data for any given conditions. The operator simply enters the airport identifier, current weather conditions and aircraft configuration. With the click of a button, the calculator provides the pilot with the takeoff performance, takeoff speed, climb gradients, landing distance, and landing speeds for the specified weather conditions, airport location and aircraft configuration. To accommodate the differences between Citation X aircraft, Cessna is offering two unique programs: one for pre unit 0173 aircraft and another for units 0173 and on.

An example of the performance that may be gained by using the Citation Performance Calculator is as follows: A customer using his paper AFM tables for calculating his maximum takeoff weight from Aspen on a 15* C day with a 7,006 ft long runway and 2% downhill gradient would determine the maximum weight to be 31,000 pounds by using the next higher altitude, temperature and weight as listed. In comparison, by using the Citation Performance Calculator and identifying the specific weather and field conditions, the operator will be given a precise maximum weight of 33,390 pounds. This exact calculation lets the operator know they have a potential of 2,390 pounds more useful load than calculated using the paper AFM method.

The Citation Performance Calculator is currently available on the Citation X. It is unique because it is FAA approved and meets guidelines for the certification, airworthiness and operational approval of devices such as electronic flight bag computing devices. Cessna anticipates that the Citation Performance Calculator will be available to all in-production Citations by the end of 2004. The introductory purchase price for the Citation X Performance Calculator is $350, with an annual subscription fee of $250. Future functional additions will likely include weight and balance calculations, as well as the possibility of enroute flight planning.

FMI: www.cessna.com, www.textron.com, https://support.cessna.com/techpubs/calculator/Index.htm