Wed, May 01, 2013
Two-And-A-Half Hour Flight Tested Systems, Avionics
Cessna's new Citation Sovereign recently made its first production flight. The flight of the new Sovereign lasted a little more than two and a half hours and included tests of the Garmin G5000 avionics with auto throttles, autopilot, engine system, aircraft systems and instrument approaches. The airplane took off and landed at Wichita, KS, Mid-Continent Airport (KICT) where Cessna's main manufacturing facility is located.
"The aircraft handling characteristics and performance were exceptional, just as we had anticipated after flying more than 1,300 hours in three test flight articles. The Garmin G5000 avionics system provides a sense of control and situational awareness that any pilot will appreciate," said Matt Freund, Cessna production flight test pilot. "The new Sovereign makes a great airplane even better and continues to shows the confidence and reliability of our Citation brand — this is a terrific milestone for the new Sovereign and Cessna."
The new Sovereign will have a range of 3,000 nm. It features improved cabin cooling, Garmin G5000 avionics with auto throttles and a new cabin management system. Winglets have been added to the new Sovereign ensuring its capability of reaching a top speed of 458kts and contributing to the increased range and enabling a direct climb to 45,000 feet while still being renowned for taking off and landing on short runways. The new Sovereign is fitted with Pratt & Whitney turbofan engines allowing for 5,852 lb of thrust.
"This milestone first flight shows the heritage of the strong Citation brand is embedded in all we do instilling confidence in our customers that Cessna has, yet again, taken customer feedback and combined it with Cessna engineering and craftsmanship to make a trusted Citation aircraft even better," said Kelly Reich, Cessna business leader for the new Citation Sovereign. "Our team designing, building and flying Cessna's next generation of aircraft is excited today knowing our customers will soon experience the new Citation Sovereign."
(Image provided by Cessna)
More News
Takeoff Roll The process whereby an aircraft is aligned with the runway centerline and the aircraft is moving with the intent to take off. For helicopters, this pertains to the act>[...]
“We’re proud of the hard work that went into receiving this validation, and it will be a welcome relief to our customers in the European Union. We couldn’t be mor>[...]
Also: 1800th E-Jet, Uncle Sam Sues For Landing Gear, Embraer Ag Plane, Textron Parts A friend of the family reported that Lt. Col. (Ret.) Richard Glenn Rutan flew west on Friday, M>[...]
Also: Virgin Galactic, B-29 Doc to Allentown, Erickson Fire-Fighters Bought, FAA Reauthorization After dealing with a big letdown after the unexpected decision by Skyreach to disco>[...]
"Aircraft Spruce is pleased to announce the acquisition of the parts distribution operations of Wag-Aero. Wag-Aero was founded in the 1960’s by Dick and Bobbie Wagner in the >[...]