Cessna Super-Midsize Business Jet Completes First Successful Flight

A picture from the first flight of the Longitude prototype, showing off its lovely unicorn horn. (Image courtesy of Cessna.)

Aircraft manufacturer Cessna recently announced the successful first flight of its super-midsize jet, the Cessna Citation Longitude. The new aircraft is the latest example of Cessna’s continued investment in the business jet market, which includes the smaller Citation Latitude and faster Citation X+.

The two hour and two minute flight allowed for testing of the Longitude’s flaps, landing gear, pressurization systems, stability and control. While the prototype and first production model will continue to undergo testing of flight controls, aerodynamics and systems, senior test pilot Stuart Rogerson spoke highly of the aircraft.

The Longitude’s G5000 flight deck. (Image courtesy of Cessna.)

“I was extremely pleased with the performance of the Longitude during the first flight,” he said. “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.”

The Cessna Citation Longitude

The Cessna Longitude is advertised as “a revolution in business aviation,” and the company claims it offers a number of innovations. For one, it boasts the lowest cabin altitude in its class, at 5950 feet (1813 m). In addition, it has a max cruise speed of 476 knots (881 km/h), and a range of 3500 nautical miles (6482 km).

The jet is powered by two Honeywell HTF7700L turbofan engines to give it “industry-leading fuel efficiency.” Finally, the Longitude is equipped with the Garmin G5000 touchscreen flight deck, and has an optional heads-up display and enhanced vision capability.

Particularly impressive about the first flight is the short time period between unveiling the aircraft and realizing a functional prototype, with Cessna engineers taking just 11 months to bring the Longitude to sky.

The interior of the Cessna Citation Longitude. (Image courtesy of Cessna.)

“With industry-leading design and production expertise, our world-class team is able to execute quickly and precisely, enabling the company to bring new concepts to market faster so both pilots and passengers enjoy an unrivaled level of capability and comfort,” said Michael Thacker of Cessna parent company Textron Aviation.

For more from the world of aerospace manufacturing, check out Developing Next-Gen Helicopters for the DoD.