Cessna Aircraft announced the first flight of its new Citation Ten business jet on January 17. The Ten is the prototype of the follow-on to Cessna’s popular and successful Citation X, the fastest commercial jet in production, which first flew in 1990.
According to previous press releases on the Cessna website, the Ten will feature a larger cabin, new G5000 avionics by Garmin, autothrottles, a new electrical system, and a new fiber-optic cabin management system that will undoubtedly include wireless internet. The most obvious change to most observers is the addition of winglets.
The new Ten will be faster than the old X, which cruised at a maximum of 0.92 Mach, 92 percent of the speed of sound. New Rolls-Royce AE 3007C2 engines give more power at greater fuel efficiency. This translates into better time to climb and faster cruise speeds as well as increased range. Cessna estimates the top speed at 527 knots (606 mph) and a range of 3,242 nautical miles (3,728 miles).
Cessna plans to certify the Citation Ten with the FAA next year. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in the second half of 2013.
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