Cessna Targets Entry-Level Market with Mustang

Cessna Aircraft unveiled a $2.295 million business jet Tuesday aimed at the turboprop and owner-flown piston market. Officials expect to be building up to 200 of the new entry-level jets annually by the latter part of the decade.

Russ Meyer, chairman and chief executive of Cessna and rarely at a loss for superlatives when describing the company's product line, labeled the Mustang "the most unique and significant product announcement in the 75-year history of the company."

Meyer said Cessna's worldwide marketing organization had signed up for nearly 100 of the Citation Mustangs within hours of being briefed on the new aircraft, which will have a gross weight of around 8,000 pounds and operate at speeds of 340 knots at FL 410. Cessna is attempting to prime the pump by offering the introductory price through the end of the year and permitting customers to secure a delivery position with a $10,000 deposit.

Meyer expects the Mustang to win FAR Part 23 certification before the end of 2006, permitting Cessna to deliver up to two dozen of the new model that year. Production is scheduled to ramp up rapidly after that, reaching a peak of 150 to 200 airplanes per year.

The Mustang program began five or six years ago, according to Meyer, but at that point officials were looking at a pair of turboprops, one single and one twin. About 18 months ago, the decision was made to transform the project into a turbofan twin. Yet to be decided is the powerplant provider. A competition between the Williams FJ33 and the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW 615 is expected to be concluded, and a winner selected, by the end of the year. Williams provides the powerplants for Cessna's successful lines of CitationJets-including the newly announced CJ3-while P&WC produced the JT15Ds that powered the original Citation models in the 1970s. Meyer said the engine selected will produce 1,350 to 1,450 pounds of thrust.

Also to be decided is the avionics supplier, which will be asked to provide an integrated glass cockpit with multiple displays.

Meyer sees a market for thousands of Mustangs, based on the existing population of King Airs, Conquests, Cheyennes, MU-2s and large twin pistons. Meyer said he believes most Mustangs will be flown by professional pilots, pegging the owner-flown segment of the market at about 30%. Because Cessna considers flight training to be critical, Meyer said the purchase price will include a comprehensive training package. A provider has not been selected, but it will probably be FlightSafety International, with which Cessna recently signed a 15-year renewal of their long-standing training pact.

Cessna plans to keep the price of the Mustang down by severely limiting the number of equipment options and interior configurations available, and by doing interior and completion work on the primary assembly line rather than in a post-production completion facility the way most other Citation models are finished.

By David Collogan