The FAA granted type certification to Cessna’s Citation Mustang Sept. 8, making it the world’s first fully certified, very light jet (VLJ).
“This is an immense achievement, marking another point in history where Cessna has led the aviation industry into new territory,” said Cessna Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Jack Pelton.
The pioneering Eclipse 500 received provisional type certification on July 27 at EAA AirVenture. Provisional certification is, in effect, design approval. Fundamentally, it means that not all final requirements for full certification have been met. With seven airplanes flying and 12 in production, Eclipse officials anticipate full certification this month.
Cessna’s experience with certification no doubt was instrumental in the Mustang achieving the first full certification, industry insiders note.
FAA type certification for the Mustang includes single-pilot operation, day/night operations, visual and instrument flight rules (VFR/IFR), and operations in reduced vertical separation minimum (RVSM) airspace.
“While not required for full TC, we’ll be cleared for flight into known icing conditions in the next couple of weeks, well before our deliveries to customers start early next year,” Pelton said. “The majority of that testing is complete, and the final test conditions will be flown over the next few weeks as natural icing conditions materialize with cooler Autumn weather.”
The six-place Mustang has a top speed of 340 ktas (nearly 400 miles per hour), a range of 1,150 nautical miles and a service ceiling of 41,000 feet. It is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW615F engines with dual FADECs.
The panel features Garmin G1000 avionics with information presented on two 10-inch PFDs and one 15-inch MFD. The Mustang is certified for GPS, WAAS, LNAV and VNAV operations and features XM satellite weather overlaid on a digital moving map display.
Cessna currently has 250 orders for the $2.6 million Mustang, selling out production well into 2009. A majority of those orders are from international customers, Cessna officials note.
With TC now in hand, the company plans to increase its domestic and international sales force, as well as conduct demonstration tours around the world.
For more information: