Cessna has rolled out the first production aircraft of the newest version of the Citation X and in doing so plans to reclaim the title of fastest civilian aircraft in the world. The aircraft was announced at NBAA 2010 not long after Gulfstream laid claim to the title for its G650, but Cessna said the Mach 0.935 top speed of its new jet is fastest. “Speed is the reason for flight. It was true for Clyde Cessna in 1927, and it’s true today,” said Scott Ernest, Cessna CEO. “The Citation X is the perfect aircraft for customers wanting to move faster, be more efficient and get where they need to be more quickly than ever before.”
The new aircraft is a little longer than the Citation Ten that it supplants and also has a little more range at 3,242 nm, giving it a comfortable New York-London range. It can fly at 51,000 feet. The Citation X cockpit has a Garmin G5000 suite with three 14-inch displays and four touch-screen controllers. Two test articles have accumulated 675 hours of flight time and certification is expected later this year.
