Cessna's Big News: The Sovereign

Make way for the Sovereign. In a return to its business jet roots, Cessna is adding one of the most back-to-basics, sensible Citations to its product lineup since the Citation 500 was introduced to NBAA members three decades ago.

The Sovereign is positioned between the Citation Excel, the most successful new Citation yet introduced, and the 500-plus kt Citation X, the fastest business jet yet certificated. The Sovereign will offer eight passengers virtually the same cabin volume as the top-of-the-line X. It will have a seats-full range of 2,500 miles and a 4,080-foot takeoff field length.

The Sovereign will be the first new midsize aircraft introduced since the Citation III was certificated 16 years ago, claim Cessna marketers. Not included in Cessna's historical analysis are the Citation VI/VII derivatives of the Citation III, the Citation Excel, which is a large, light jet, and the Citation X, an aircraft Cessna classifies as super-midsize.

Not surprisingly, Cessna is taking aim at the Raytheon Hawker 800XP, the most successful, traditional midsize business jet. However, considering the Sovereign's range and payload, it also will be an attractive alternative to the Citation VII, albeit closer to the Hawker in long-range cruise speed.

Sensible won't mean spartan in the case of the Sovereign. At a base price of $11.95 million for a completed airplane, standard equipment will include: four, large-format, Primus Epic CDS flat-panel EFIS/EICAS displays linked to a Primus 100 avionics system; dual FMS; a terrain alerting and warning System (TAWS) and TCAS II. RVSM certification also will be included. Options will include CVR/FDR, an ELT, AFIS and SELCAL. A multi-channel, low-Earth orbit, satcom system is another likely option.

The Sovereign will be fitted with FADEC-equipped, Pratt & Whitney Canada PW306C turbofan engines, rated at 5,686 pounds of thrust for takeoff to ISA+15 degrees. The initial HSI interval is 3,000 hours and TBO will be 6,000 hours. Cessna officials won't talk weight, but Cessna vice chairman Gary Haye said Sovereign's MTOW should be between 28,000 and 31,000 pounds.

Sensible won't mean sluggish either, as a result of the projected 2.73 weight-to-thrust ratio. The Sovereign will soar to an initial cruise altitude of FL 410 in 20 minutes eastbound and FL 430 in 26 minutes westbound.

As with other Citations, conventional aluminum alloys will be used for the Sovereign's primary airframe structure. A new-design, 510-square-foot, natural laminar-flow wing with a modest 12.7 degrees of wing sweep at quarter chord, will give the Sovereign a high-speed cruise of 430 kt at typical cruising altitudes in the low- to mid-forties. However, if operators want to fly eight passengers 2,500 nmi, the speed will drop to just over 400 kt.

Other design features include manual flight controls, fully modulated speed brakes, roll spoilers, hydraulically powered flaps and a standard APU. The aircraft will be fitted with a bleed-air anti-ice system, a trailing-link main landing gear, single-point pressure refueling and fuel heaters that eliminate the need for anti-ice fuel additives.

Cessna expects to achieve type certification in the second quarter of 2002 and customer deliveries about 90 days later.

By Fred George