Cessna Citation CJ4 Wing Mated to Fuselage
Cessna Aircraft Company completed wing/fuselage mate of Citation CJ4 serial number 003. The new Citation CJ4, the latest in the popular CJ series, will enter service in 2010.
Three aircraft, a prototype and serial numbers 001 and 002, have started certification flight test in Wichita, already accumulating more than 800 flight hours of developmental testing. The first two production aircraft were assembled to production specifications on production tooling while No. 3 is the first CJ4 to be assembled with production tooling on the new assembly line.
The Citation CJ4 joins the CJ1+, CJ2+ and CJ3 as part of one of the most popular families of business jets in production. The original CitationJet was introduced in 1993 and the family of nearly 1,400 airplanes has amassed more than 2.1 million flight hours since its introduction in 1993.
Cessna’s Citation CJ4 On Track for FAA Certification
Cessna Aircraft is on track to receive Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) type certification on the Citation CJ4 by the end of the year.
“We’re pleased with the progress we’re making on the CJ4,” said CJ4 Program Manager Norm Baker. “Structural certification is well underway including the completion of five lifetimes on the fatigue test article. Development testing has been progressing on schedule, and we expect to begin certification testing later this month.”
“Production line flow has started with production units 003, 004, 005 and 006 in various stages of assembly,” Baker said.
There are currently three aircraft that have accumulated more than 760 flight hours in the test and certification program.
Configurable for seven to eight passengers in the main cabin, the CJ4 is expected to have a maximum speed of 806 kilometers per hour (435 knots), a full fuel payload of 453 kilograms (1,000 pounds) and maximum payload of 952 kilograms (2,100 pounds). It will be certified for operations up to 13,700 meters (45,000 feet).
The aircraft will debut the new Williams International FJ44-4A electronically controlled (FADEC) engines and will feature the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite and Venue, the next generation cabin management system. All current production Citations employ new generation turbofan engines, which meet or exceed the most stringent noise requirements and allow Cessna’s line of business jets to be among the most fuel efficient jets in the industry.
Following FAA certification Cessna plans to begin customer deliveries in the first half of 2010. Concurrently, Cessna is working toward European Aviation Safety Agency certification.