Dubai, United Arab Emirates - November 11, 2007 - Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced it has achieved certification in 40 countries for the Citation Mustang entry-level jet.
The Mustang became the first of a new category of entry-level jets to achieve full certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (September 2006) in the United States and the European Aviation Safety Agency (May 2007), which comprises 33 countries. Mustang certification has also been completed in Brazil, Australia, Mexico, Venezuela, South Africa and Lebanon. The certification process is under way in more than a dozen additional countries.
Deliveries in the aircraft's first year of production have spanned the globe; nearly three of every four Mustangs ordered this year are destined for international customers.
“We now have 40 Mustangs in the field and our customers report that the aircraft has exceeded expectations,” said Cessna Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing Roger Whyte. “From virtually squawk-free deliveries to the more than 4,500 hours of flight time the fleet has accumulated, our customers are giving the Mustang rave reviews.”
Additionally, the aircraft has finished high altitude airport and steep approach certifications. A second Mustang simulator was certified in October and is in operation at the FlightSafety Learning Center in Wichita.
The Mustang is assembled at Cessna's facility in Independence, Kan., where 44 Mustangs are expected to be delivered by year's end. By 2009, production is expected to reach 150 per year.
The six-place aircraft has a top speed of 340 knots, a range of 1,150 nautical miles (with NBAA IFR Reserves) and a service ceiling of 41,000 feet enabling more efficient operations above most weather and commercial traffic.
The fully functional Garmin G1000 equipped Mustang includes an integrated, dual-channel fail passive digital autopilot. It is the first aircraft certified to take advantage of WAAS navigation features including WAAS LPV approaches that provide both lateral and vertical guidance. The Garmin G1000 avionics suite also includes SafeTaxiTM, which gives a graphical representation of the aircraft in the airport environment.
The Citation Mustang will be exhibited at the Dubai International Airport static display during the biannual Dubai Airshow, Nov 11-15. Cessna is also displaying the Citation X, Sovereign, XLS, CJ2+ and CJ1+ business jets, along with the Grand Caravan turboprop and single engine Skyhawk.
Based on unit sales, Cessna Aircraft Company is the world's largest manufacturer of general aviation airplanes. In 2006, Cessna delivered 1,239 aircraft, including 307 Citation business jets, and reported revenues of about $4.2 billion. Cessna has a current backlog of $11.9 billion. Since the company was originally established in 1927, some 190,000 Cessna airplanes have been delivered to nearly every country in the world. The global fleet of more than 5,000 Citations is the largest fleet of business jets in the world. More information about Cessna Aircraft Company is available at http://www.cessna.com.
Textron Inc. is an $11 billion multi-industry company operating in 32 countries with approximately 40,000 employees. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Fluid & Power, Textron Systems and Textron Financial Corporation. More information is available at http://www.textron.com.