Textron Aviation’s Cessna Citation Longitude made its debut in European skies to attend last week’s EBACE show in Geneva. We spoke to Rosa Lee Argotsinger to find out more.
Textron Aviation’s Cessna Citation Longitude made its debut in European skies to attend last week’s EBACE show in Geneva.
The display aircraft is the first to have the full production cabin interior to give potential customers the opportunity to see exactly what they get for their $26 million.
While the super-midsize jet is designed to cross the Atlantic in a single hop, while under test flight restrictions it took three-days to get to Switzerland from its Wichita, Kansas base.
Early days
These are still early days for the programme. It was only seven months ago that the Longitude entered flight tests.
Following delays with the Silvercrest engine, Cessna had switched to Honeywell and selected the HTF7700L turbofans as part of a revamp of the design, reducing the maximum range from 4,000nm to 3,400nm.
The 7,550-lb.-thrust powerplant are the most powerful engines ever fitted to a Citation. Indeed, the Longitude is the largest aircraft Cessna has designed. It includes Cessna’s first application of fly-by-wire control technology, with an electronically-actuated rudder and spoilers.
On board
With space for a crew of two plus up to eight passengers and one optional additional crew member seat, the Citation Longitude features a stand-up 6-foot (1.8 meter) high, 31-foot (9.4 meters) flat floor passenger cabin. Cessna’s intelligent cabin technology developed specifically for the Citation line, Clairity, will be standard on the Longitude to provide each passenger the ‘ultimate connectivity experience.’ From his or her armrest, each passenger will enjoy touch-screen control of cabin lighting, window shades, temperature, digital audio and video, and dynamic real-time maps.
Cabin seat configuration options include a dual-club eight-seat arrangement and a four-place forward club with a three-place couch and entertainment credenza.
A fully operational galley has an oven and cold storage along with a pressurised water system. The aircraft features a large lavatory equipped with a vacuum-assist toilet. The cabin also features in-flight access to a spacious baggage storage area.
