Cessna Aircraft Co.’s first production Citation Mustang took flight June 15, two weeks ahead of schedule.
Serial number 0003 will enter service this December as Cessna’s first Mustang demonstrator aircraft. It is the fourth Mustang produced, and the first one that will not be used for FAA flight testing. Mustangs 0004 through 0015 are currently on the production line at Cessna’s manufacturing facility in Independence, Kan.
The three Mustang airplanes dedicated to certification are the Mustang prototype and serial numbers 0001 and 0002. Certification flight hours on the three airplanes total more than 1,250 hours. FAA certification is expected later this year, with the first customer deliveries slated for the first quarter of 2007.
Order book stands at 240, according to company officials.