NetJets Order for 50 Sovereigns

Makes for Instant Cessna Success

Executive Jet has ordered 50 Cessna Sovereigns and optioned 50 more in a deal valued at $650 million before options.

The Sovereigns will be placed into Executive Jet's NetJets fractional ownership program beginning in 2002. Executive Jet also has purchased 78 Citation Ultras, 29 Citation VIIs, 52 Citation Excels and 36 Citation Xs in the past few years, mostly for NetJets customers.

The midsize Sovereign is positioned between the successful Citation Excel and the Citation X. It will have a seats-full range of 2,500 nmi and a 4,080-foot takeoff field length. Base price for a Sovereign is $11.95 million.

The Sovereign will be powered by two FADEC-equipped Pratt & Whitney Canada PW306C turbofans rated at almost 5,700 pounds of thrust for takeoff to ISA +15 degrees. The appeal of the Sovereign to NetJets customers includes its spacious cabin, according to Richard Santulli, Executive Jet chairman. The Sovereign has the largest cabin of any midsize jet, according to Cessna. The aircraft can fly coast-to-coast carrying eight passengers at 400 kts. Certification is scheduled for mid-2002.

The conventional-construction Sovereign will have about a 30,000-pound maximum takeoff weight, initial cruise altitude of 41,000 feet and a high-speed cruise of 430 kts at typical cruising altitudes. Its new 510-square-foot, natural laminar flow wing will have a modest 12-degree sweep. Front office instrumentation includes a four-display Primus Epic CDS system with a Terrain Alerting and Warning System. RVSM certification is standard.

By Paul Proctor