Making Progress Toward Completion

Officials from Cessna Aircraft Co., a Textron Inc. company, announced that the production for the Citation Latitude aircraft, first announced in October 2011, is on schedule and making progress toward completion of full airframes this year. 

The next generation in business travel, the Latitude, with a maximum range of 2,500 nautical miles (4,630km), is designed to provide the most open, spacious, light, and refined cabin environment in this category of aircraft. The aircraft will deliver a clean, contemporary environment for a crew of two plus up to eight passengers, will have a maximum altitude of 45,000ft (13,716m), and a maximum cruise speed of 440 knots (815kph). It will climb to 43,000ft (13,106m) in just 23 minutes. 

"We have started building engineering test articles. The first prototype is expected to fly in Q1 2014," states Terry Shriner, business leader for the Citation Latitude. "We have moved from engineering, analysis, and modeling to cutting metal and driving rivets. The team is always energized when we see an airplane begin to take shape for the first time." 

To build experimental units for testing, Cessna is using production tooling. During this phase, improvements will be identified and incorporated into the tooling and assembly methods before line production begins in 2014 to continue to ensure on-schedule deliveries and support the expectation of high-quality finished aircraft. The first airframe is planned for testing cyclic fatigue; the second for static testing. 

Beginning this month, the Citation Latitude mockup will take off for visits in 19 cities including: 

• Atlanta, Ga., April 12
• Charlotte, N.C., April 15
• Teterboro, N.J., April 18
• White Plains, N.Y., April 19
• Columbus, Ohio, April 23
• Chicago, Ill., April 26
• Louisville, Ky., May 2-5
• Dallas, Texas, May 9
• Houston, Texas, May 13 and 15
• Fredericksburg, Texas, May 17
• Van Nuys, Calif., May 22
• Napa, Calif., May 25-26
• San Jose, Calif., May 29
• Seattle, Wash., June 3
• Denver, Colo., June 7
• Minneapolis, Minn., June 11
• Oklahoma City, Okla., June 14

"Customers are already excited to get a glimpse of the Citation Latitude," Shriner states. "The Latitude's value is outstanding, especially in a coast-to-coast mission."

A video highlighting the Latitude's features can be viewed on Cessna's YouTube channel.