FLUG REVUE first flight gallery: Cessna Citation Encore+

First Flight Gallery: Cessna Citation Encore+

Read the original first flight press release:

First Flight of Cessna Citation Encore+ Announced Today

Wichita, KS, March 23, 2006 – Cessna Aircraft Company, a subsidiary of Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT), announced the first flight of the Citation Encore+, a significant step toward the anticipated certification of the airplane in the early fourth quarter of this year.

Equipped with its new dual-channel FADEC engines and full Pro Line 21 avionics suite, the first production unit Encore+ took to off from Rockwell Collins' facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, at 11:40 a.m. (CST) yesterday.

“During the one-hour and nine-minute test flight, the pilots flew an aggressive flight profile to test basic stability, flap and landing gear extension and retraction, controllability, trim actuation, engine operating characteristics and basic autopilot operation,” said Lynn Young, Citation Encore+ program manager. “We've set an ambitious certification schedule since we announced the Encore+ only five months ago at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention. We are pleased this first flight adheres to our schedule, marking a major milestone that moves us toward on-time customer deliveries in the first quarter of 2007.”

The next step toward certification includes refined development of avionics and engine software. The Encore+ succeeds the Encore, offering increased efficiency, a new integrated avionics suite, increased payload capability, more standard equipment, and new interior styling features like LED indirect cabin lighting.

Propulsion for the Encore+ is generated by twin Pratt & Whitney Canada PW535B engines equipped with dual-channel Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) and are rated at 3,400 pounds of thrust.

Maximum takeoff weight for the Citation Encore+ has been increased by 200 pounds over the Encore, enabling the typical operator to have a full fuel payload (in addition to two pilots) in excess of 1,100 pounds. The Citation Encore+ is expected to be certified for single-pilot operation.

The avionics on the Encore+ is the most advanced available on this class of business jet. The integrated Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite encompasses many of the same features as the Citation CJ3 and CJ1+ and CJ2+. The heart of the integration resides in the File Server Unit (FSU) serving as a portal to display electronic charting, graphical weather, and enhanced mapping in the cockpit.

The Primary Flight Displays (PFD) and enhanced Multi-Function Display (MFD) are presented on three 8-inch by 10-inch active matrix color liquid crystal displays.

Other integrated avionics features include Pro Line 21 Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance (CNS) radios, and Collins FMS-3000 with performance database. The Encore+ is equipped with standard Terrain Collision Avoidance System (TCAS II), Mark VIII Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS), and broadcast graphical weather including Next Generation Doppler Radar (NEXRAD) information, Meteorological Terminal Aviation Routine Weather Report (METARs), and textual Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF).

Based on unit sales, Cessna Aircraft Company is the world's largest manufacturer of general aviation airplanes. In 2005, Cessna delivered 1,157 aircraft and reported revenues of about $3.5 billion. Since the company was originally established in 1927, more than 187,000 Cessna airplanes have been delivered to nearly every country in the world. The global fleet of more than 4,500 Citations is the largest fleet of business jets in the world. More information about Cessna Aircraft Company is available at www.cessna.com. Cessna is a subsidiary of Textron Inc.

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Last updated 24 March 2006

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