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Cessna Citation Longitude receives FAA Type Certification

Textron Aviation Inc. on September 23 announced it has achieved Type Certification by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its super-midsize jet, the Cessna Citation Longitude, paving the way for customer deliveries. Designated as the new flagship of the Citation business jet series, the Longitude is produced at Textron’s manufacturing facility in Wichita, Kansas.

“With the broadest lineup of business aviation platforms available worldwide, today Textron Aviation welcomes the Longitude into the esteemed Citation family of products and begins a new era of best-in-class solutions for our customers,” said Ron Draper, president and CEO, Textron Aviation. “The Longitude revolution starts now.”

FAA Type Certification follows what Textron describes as the most robust flight, structural and component qualification testing completed on a Citation to date. The experimental and demo fleet completed close to 6,000 hours of flight time. In addition to 11,000 test points during the certification process, the Longitude also completed a 31,000-nautical mile world tour. The company explains this testing program demonstrates the aircraft’s long-range performance capability and reliability in a variety of environments.

The Citation Longitude features a stand-up, 6-foot tall flat-floor cabin, and a standard double-club configuration for legroom. (Photo: Textron Aviation)

Textron states the bespoke interior of the Longitude has class-leading legroom, cabin sound levels that are nearly twice as quiet as the nearest competitor, a low cabin altitude of 5,950 feet and more standard features than competitors in this segment.

With seating for up to 12 passengers, including an optional crew jump seat, the Longitude features a stand-up, 6-foot tall flat-floor cabin, and a standard double-club configuration for legroom – 11 per cent more room than the nearest competitor, according to Textron. The company also notes the Longitude’s fully berthable seats are designed and manufactured in-house.

The Citation Longitude, during its development program, exceeded initial performance targets and achieved an improved transcontinental range of 3,500 nautical miles (an increase of 100 nautical miles) and full fuel payload of 1,600 pounds (an increase of 100 pounds). The longest-range Citation delivers a maximum cruise speed of 483 ktas.

“The Longitude is the best flying Citation yet,” said Ed Wenninger, chief pilot for Textron Aviation engineering flight test. “The FADEC-equipped Honeywell HTF7700L turbofan engines feature fully integrated auto-throttles with envelope protection and provide responsiveness and excellent power.”

The clean-sheet design of the Longitude also includes the next evolution of the Garmin G5000 flight deck.