News
Cessna Citation Columbus progresses through detail design phase

July 14, 2008, Farnborough, U.K. – The Citation Columbus program at Cessna Aircraft Company, a
Textron Inc. company, has grown from 150 to more than 500
people working through the detail design phase of its all-new,
large-cabin, intercontinental business jet.

An interior mockup of the Model 850 Columbus is on display this week at the Farnborough International Airshow.

Cessna formally announced the largest aircraft in company history five months ago and has since ramped up development by assigning additional employees to the project and naming major suppliers. The Columbus team is completing architecture and layout planning so the aircraft’s detail plans will merge into a master development schedule. Cessna plans to achieve Federal Aviation Administration certification for the $27 million business jet by the end of 2013, with deliveries beginning in 2014.

“Each of our design suppliers have gone to their home base and established their full design teams,” said Joe Hepburn, program manager at Citation Columbus. “One difference from past programs is our global collaborative environment, which allows everyone working around the world to have real-time design models, thanks to newly available data compression and replication technology.”

Major suppliers for the Citation Columbus are: Pratt & Whitney Canada, engine; Rockwell Collins, avionics; Vought Aircraft Industries, wing; Spirit AeroSystems, fuselage; Spirit AeroSystems Europe Ltd., empennage; Parker Aerospace, powered flight control system; Goodrich Corporation, landing gear; and Argo-Tech Corporation, fuel system.

Cessna is investing $780 million into development of the Citation Columbus, including a new plant in Wichita, Kan. that will house engineering offices, final assembly and more than 1,000 new direct employees.

The Model 850 will debut Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PW810 engine, the most fuel-efficient and most environmentally friendly engine in its class. Pilots will also find unprecedented levels of operational efficiency and flight deck capability with the Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion™ advanced avionics system.

The Citation Columbus is expected to be the only aircraft in its class capable of 7,408 kilometres (4,000 nautical miles) non-stop at the speed of Mach .80. Preliminary performance numbers set a maximum cruise speed of 904 kilometres per hour (486 knots), a maximum operating speed of Mach .86, a full fuel payload of 885 kilograms (1,950 pounds) and takeoff field length of 1,646 metres (5,400 feet) at maximum takeoff weight.

Configurable for up to 10 passengers, the aircraft will have a cabin length of 11.1 metres (36.3 feet) including interior baggage space. Cessna’s engineering team and its suppliers have designed the all-new Citation Columbus to be one of the most advanced, fuel-efficient, cleanest business jets.

Based on unit sales, Cessna Aircraft Company is the world's largest manufacturer of general aviation airplanes. In 2007, Cessna delivered 1,272 aircraft, including 387 Citation business jets, and reported revenues of about $5 billion. Cessna has a current backlog of $14.5 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 5,100 Citations is the largest fleet of business jets in the world. More information about Cessna Aircraft Company is available at www.cessna.com .

Textron Inc. is a $13.2 billion multi-industry company operating in 34 countries with approximately 44,000 employees. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, defence and intelligence, 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 www.textron.com .