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Cessna Sovereign Makes NBAA Debut
Cessna's midsize Sovereign business jet is on show here for the
first time, sharing the limelight with the newly launched CJ3 and
the Mustang project.
The Sovereign program "is moving along ahead of schedule,"
Citation X marketing manager Joe Hepburn told Show News.
Sales are north of 100 at this point, he said. "The two planes
flying in the certification test program have accumulated 220 flight
hours, and we estimate the program will be 2,000 flight hours long."
The testing has so far centered on stability and control, and
the test articles have climbed to 43,000 feet and sped beyond Mach
0.80. In the couple of weeks before NBAA, the aircraft completed
max dive testing and center of gravity envelope testing.
Cessna has brought the second flying airplane to Orlando with
a complete interior. There are also two full-size static test articles
of the Sovereign.
The Sovereign will compete with midsize jets like the Hawker 800XP,
Learjet 60 and Continental. Regarding those competitors, Hepburn
said, "The advantages of the Sovereign over the primary competition
are field performance, technical edge over older designs, and cost
of operation and reliability."
First customer delivery of the Sovereign is planned for January
2004, with FAA/JAA certification expected fourth quarter 2003.
Moving on, very quickly, is the new derivative of the high-speed
Citation X, which will be available at the beginning of 2003 with
Serial Number 173.
The Citation X's maximum takeoff weight will be increased by 400
pounds, from 35,700 pounds to 36,100 pounds. The gross weight change
delivers an increase in passenger capacity at full fuel payload.
Citation X operators will be able to carry up to seven passengers
with full fuel in a typically equipped airplane.
The company will also introduce a 5% increase in the Roll-Royce
AE 3007C-1 engines, which will reduce required takeoff field lengths,
thereby opening up additional airports to Citation X operators.
Takeoff thrust on the engines will go from 6,442-pounds-thrust per
side to 6,764-pounds-thrust.
By Barry Rosenberg
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Cessna Sets Wichita Completions Center
To handle the additional completions that will be necessary
for the Sovereign, the X and others like the CJ2-which tallied
its 100th delivery last week-Cessna is adding completions
capacity. The company is building a new Citation service center-the
Citation Sovereign Completion and Delivery Center-on the east
side of Mid-Continent airport in Wichita, and it should be
open for business fourth quarter 2004.
With Sovereign deliveries expected to begin before that
center is operational, Cessna will have to finish the first
25 Sovereigns in its existing completion centers, said marketing
manager Joe Hepburn.
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