Photo Courtesy of Textron Aviation
Textron Aviation’s fourth Citation Longitude recently joined the flight test program and made its first flight.
Textron Aviation’s fourth Cessna Citation Longitude has joined the flight-test program, keeping the business jet on track for certification later this year. The aircraft departed Beech Field in east Wichita on May 6 and explored its full envelope during a three-hour, 20-minute flight. Piloted by Andrew Peters and Brian Giga, the aircraft met all performance targets for the flights, the company said.
The May 6 first flight occurred less than eight months after the initial Longitude took to the skies. Since that time, the flight-test fleet has completed more than 200 missions, accumulating nearly 400 hours.
The fourth flight-test aircraft is fully outfitted for evaluation of the interior, environmental control system, pressurization and cabin technologies.
“In addition to further systems testing, this aircraft allows us to evaluate the overall passenger experience in the cabin, which is just as vital as the performance and technology in the cockpit,” said Senior VP of engineering Brad Thress.
This article was originally posted on Ainonline.com.
