Cessna Citation Latitude makes maiden flight in Wichita
The prototype Cessna Citation Latitude taking-off on it's maiden flight
Cessna Aircraft celebrates the first flight of its Citation Latitude mid-size business jet.
The prototype Cessna Citation Latitude taking-off on its maiden flight.
Cessna’s prototype of the Citation Latitude made its maiden flight from the company’s headquarters in Wichita.
The test flight reached an altitude of 28,000 ft, flying at speeds of 230 mph. Cessna flight engineers said all systems are performing as expected.
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Aaron Tobias, Cessna senior flight test pilot, said: “I feel fortunate to be able to fly for a living and it is a privilege to be part of the crew piloting the Cessna Citation Latitude on its maiden flight. The Citation Latitude was great today, which is to say it behaved just as anticipated.”
Type certification for the Latitude is expected in the second quarter of 2015, with the Latitude becoming the 19th aircraft certified by Cessna over the past 10 years.
Brad Thress, Cessna senior vice president of business jets, said: “The Latitude team engineered a game-changing mid-sized jet in a very efficient and accelerated manner, using proven Cessna technologies and mature systems. The result is an aircraft with incredible operating efficiencies at an unmatched price point in this category of business jet.”
With a range of 2,500 nm (4,630 km), the Latitude will be able to connect cities such as Los Angeles and New York and Rome and Dubai.
Looking at the aircraft in more detail, Tobias said: “The Garmin G5000 avionics are an enormous leap forward in flight management. When combined with the widest Citation cabin and the flat cabin floor, the improved cooling system, the electrically operated door and the lower cabin altitude, you have in the Latitude an amazing aircraft that we believe sets very high benchmarks for performance, capability and comfort.” Tobias.
The Latitude’s first flight was watched by students attending Wichita State University on a Cessna-funded engineering scholarship.
