Geneva, Switzerland - May 3, 2010 - Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, said today a supplemental type certificate to modify Citation Xs with winglets has been approved by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) allowing retrofit of the European Citation X fleet with Winglet Technology’s Elliptical Winglets.
“The modification of Citation Xs with Elliptical Winglets has been very popular in the U.S. so we expect a similar response to operators with European registered aircraft,” said Stan Younger, Cessna vice president, Service Facilities.
Cessna supported the STC process for Winglet Technology’s winglet design. The winglets are installed at any of Cessna’s Citation Service Centers including its European facility at Le Bourget Airport near Paris.
The patented Elliptical Winglet shape ensures the lift distribution closely matches optimum lift distribution along the span of the wing, which reduces the induced drag of the aircraft. The resulting drag reduction enhances operational performance for the Citation X including decreased fuel consumption, increased speed and increased range.
Winglet Technology received Federal Aviation Administration approval of the Elliptical Winglet installation on the Citation X in June 2009, and the first modified Citation X was delivered in August 2009. The retrofit includes fight and operations manual supplements along with an updated version of CESSNAV for customers who have purchased that subscription service from Cessna. In addition to the installation of the Elliptical Winglets, the retrofit kit includes the replacement of the existing anti-collision and position light system with LED versions.
The Citation X is the world’s fastest non-military aircraft with a top speed of .92 Mach, just under the speed of sound. The Citation X is the top of Cessna’s line of light and mid-size business jets.
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About Cessna Aircraft Company
Cessna is the world's leading general aviation company, based on unit sales, with five major lines of business: Citation business jets, Caravan single-engine turboprops, Cessna single-engine piston aircraft, aftermarket services and lift solutions by CitationAir. In 2009, Cessna delivered 754 aircraft, including 289 Citation business jets, and reported revenues of about $3.3 billion. Since the company was originally established in 1927, more than 192,000 Cessna airplanes have been delivered around the world, including more than 6,000 Citations, making it the largest fleet of business jets in the world. More information about Cessna Aircraft Company is available at www.cessna.com.
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, 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, and Textron Systems. More information is available at www.textron.com.