General Aviation Cessna Citation Longitude receives FAA type certificate

The flagship Citation has achieved its type certificate, which was issued by the FAA. This occasion is another milestone for Cessna and means that the super-midsize aircraft is cleared to be ready for customer deliveries.

Ron Draper, president and CEO at Textron Aviation said: “With the broadest line-up of business aviation platforms available worldwide, today Textron Aviation welcomes the Longitude into the esteemed Citation family of products and begins a new era of best-in-class solutions for our customers [...] The Longitude revolution starts now.”

Over the past month, the Cessna Citation Longitude test beds performed close to 6,000 hours of flight time. During these hours, the manufacturer performed a robust flight, structural and component qualification test programme. In addition, the Longitude completed a 31,000 nautical miles world tour, where the company was able to demonstrate the aircraft to possible customers and the industry.

“The real success of the program comes from the talent and customer focus our employees bring to work every day,” Draper added. “Their hard work and dedication have been spectacular through every step of the program, from initial concept, through design and testing, production and now into product support.”

All Longitude aircraft are being produced at Textron Aviation´s facility in Wichita, United States. There, the manufacturer has a state-of-the-art assembly setup and benefits from modern fabrication tools and techniques.

The Cessna Citation Longitude was designed to be able to accommodate up to 12 passengers including an optional crew jump seat. The 6-foot tall flat-floor cabin features a large legroom, modern design and cabin sound levels that are nearly twice as quiet as competitor aircraft.

The range of the aircraft is at around 3,500 nautical miles, meaning it can perform transcontinental missions easily. The longest-range Citation can fly at a maximum cruise speed of 483 ktas. Ed Wenninger, chief pilot for Textron Aviation engineering flight test said: “The Longitude is the best flying Citation yet [...] The FADEC-equipped Honeywell HTF7700L turbofan engines feature fully integrated auto throttles with envelope protection and provide responsiveness and excellent power.”