Cessna has conducted the first flight of the Citation Longitude prototype less than one year after it first announced the project.
The Longitude took off from Beech Field in Kansas on Saturday 8 October and the flight lasted for just over two hours.
During the flight, the team tested the aircraft’s flaps, landing gear, pressurization systems, stability and control.
“I was extremely pleased with the performance of the Longitude during the first flight,” said Stuart Rogerson, senior flight test pilot.
“The level of maturity in flight characteristics is already very high. I was particularly impressed with how intuitive the flight systems are, validating the extensive integration work done by our development teams. We accomplished everything we wanted to do during this maiden flight, setting the pace for the flight test program.”
The prototype aircraft will continue to expand the performance envelope, focusing on testing flight controls and aerodynamics, while the first production model, set to fly in the coming weeks, will be primarily used for systems testing.
“Today’s successful first flight of the Citation Longitude was performed exactly as we anticipated,” said Scott Ernest, president and CEO, Textron Aviation.
“Our product development process is second to none and allowed us to move smoothly from unveiling the Longitude last November, to the first flight of the prototype in just 11 months. This milestone not only showcases our continued commitment to investing in new products to meet market demand, but also our focus on investing in our development and production processes to bring the aircraft to market quickly without compromise.”
The Citation Longitude has been designed specifically for passenger comfort and offers the lowest cabin altitude in its class at 5950 feet. With seating for up to 12 passengers, the Longitude features a stand-up, flat-floor cabin with a standard double-club configuration and a walk-in baggage compartment that can be accessed in flight.
Avionics include the next evolution of the Garmin G5000 flight deck and the aircraft is powered by FADEC-equipped Honeywell HTF7700L turbofan engines.
Projections have the Longitude's maximum cruise speed at 476 KTAS and a high-speed range of 3400 nm.