Cessna Rolls Out First Production Citation CJ4

Cessna Aircraft Company recently celebrated the first production Citation CJ4 rolling off the assembly line at the company’s primary design and manufacturing facilities in Wichita.

Photo Credit: Cessna

The first production unit will now go to paint and interiors, while three flight test aircraft continue to work toward type certification. Federal Aviation Administration certification is the final stages with deliveries starting in the first half of 2010.

The Citation CJ4 also offers an extensive standard equipment list including a four-screen Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite with electronic charts and graphical weather, TCAS II, EGPWS Class A TAWS, Dual Mode S Diversity transponders with ADS-B out capability, Multi-Scan weather radar, Emergency Descent Mode, and an essential electrical bus.

The aircraft will also debut the new Williams International FJ44-4A electronically controlled (FADEC) engines. The cabin can be configured for up to eight passengers, plus a standard, belted aft lavatory. The Citation CJ4 also features the Rockwell Collins Venue cabin management system that includes BluRay DVD with HD monitors and XM radio. To date, the CJ4 test aircraft have flown more than 1,000 flights and accumulated more than 1,600 flight hours.

Source: Cessna

Cessna Poised to Deliver First Skycatcher LSA This Year

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Cessna Aircraft Company recently announced it will deliver the first Model 162 Skycatcher Light Sport Aircraft to the first customer of the model later this year. The customer, Rose Pelton of Wichita, Kan., will use the aircraft to pursue her private pilot’s license.

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“When I first saw the Skycatcher mockup at Oshkosh in 2007, I knew that was the aircraft I wanted to learn to fly in,” Pelton said. “I couldn’t be more excited to own the first Skycatcher.” Rose is the wife of Cessna Chairman, President and CEO Jack J. Pelton. The Model 162 Skycatcher is a two-place, single-engine piston, high-wing aircraft in the Light Sport Aircraft category, defined in the United States as an aircraft with a gross weight under 1,320 pounds and with a top speed of no more than 120 knots. LSAs are built to ASTM International standards.

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The 162 is powered by a Continental O-200D 100-hp air-cooled, carbureted engine and a fixed-pitch propeller. The aircraft will cruise at speeds up to 118 knots and will have a maximum range of 470 nautical miles.

The Cessna 162 Skycatcher features a Garmin G300 avionics system. Information is presented in a single, split-screen primary flight display (PFD) and multi-function display (MFD), or as two full-screen displays with an optional second screen. The Skycatcher will be capable of Visual Flight Rules/Day/Night operations.

Photo Credit: Cessna

Cessna, in association with King Schools, has also developed a new Web-based training system for sport and private pilot certificates that will be available through the Cessna Pilot Center network of flight schools. Cessna launched its Skycatcher program at AirVenture Oshkosh in 2007 and has since amassed more than 1,000 orders.

Source: Cessna

Cessna Announces Preliminary Performance Increases for Citation CJ4

Cessna Aircraft Company recently released preliminary performance increases for the Citation CJ4.

According to Cessna, results of extensive engineering flight testing have validated significant performance enhancements including a maximum speed of 452 knots (838 kilometers per hour), a range of 1,963 nautical miles (3,638 kilometers) with two crew and five passengers, and a direct climb to 45,000 feet (13,716 meters) in just 28 minutes at maximum takeoff weight.

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“We are very pleased with these preliminary figures for the CJ4. Our customers have been eagerly awaiting the performance results after months of collecting data. We believe these performance increases will delight our customers as well as position the CJ4 in a class of its own,” said CJ4 Program Manager Norm Baker.

Photo Credit: Cessna

The Citation CJ4 also offers a “best in class” standard equipment list including a four-screen Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite with electronic charts and graphical weather, TCAS II, EGPWS Class A TAWS, Dual Mode S Diversity transponders with ADS-B out capability, Multi-Scan weather radar, Emergency Descent Mode, and an essential electrical bus.

The aircraft will also debut the new Williams International FJ44-4A electronically controlled (FADEC) engines. The cabin can be configured for up to eight passengers with a standard, belted aft lavatory. The Citation CJ4 also features the Rockwell Collins Venue cabin management system that includes BluRay DVD with HD monitors and XM radio. To date, the CJ4 test aircraft have flown more than 900 flights and accumulated more than 1,500 flight hours.

Cessna expects to begin deliveries as expected in the first half of 2010.

Source: Cessna