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Read the original first flight press release:
CESSNA CITATION SOVEREIGN MAKES FIRST FLIGHT
Wichita, Kansas, February 27, 2002 – Cessna Aircraft Company's newest aircraft, the Citation Sovereign, took to the air today at 4:55 p.m. for its first flight. Cessna's team members witnessed the take off from Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport. Piloted by Wayne Spriggs and Bob Rice, the plane took a one hour and ten minute flight to conduct a variety of tests, including basic stability, flap extension and retraction, controllability, trim actuation, and slow flight."The aircraft performed flawlessly,” said Spriggs. "We completed all test conditions as planned and were very pleased with the results. The Sovereign team did an excellent job in building this aircraft – the quality is remarkable and workmanship is outstanding.”
Of the four aircraft introduced at the 1998 NBAA Convention, the Sovereign is the final aircraft to undergo first flight. FAA certification is expected to be awarded in late 2003 with first customer deliveries starting early in 2004.
"The hard work and dedication of the entire Sovereign Team, enabled us to not only stay on schedule, but to fly a very complete aircraft for first flight,” said Brad Thress, Sovereign Program Manager. "The fact that the aircraft is complete, coupled with the experience we accumulated on the numerous systems test articles, will help us proceed quickly into certification flight testing.”
At the conclusion of its first flight, Gary Hay, Cessna Chairman and CEO, congratulated all of those that worked on the program. "You have done an outstanding job in producing a quality aircraft while simultaneously meeting the schedule. With over 100 orders already taken, we are confident that the Sovereign will become one of the best selling traditional midsize business jets in the industry.”
The Sovereign responds to customer interest in a traditional midsize Citation with a larger cabin, latest technology in avionics and coast-to-coast performance. With the largest cabin in its class, the Sovereign has a 2,500 nm range with NBAA IFR reserves while carrying eight passengers; fully integrated avionics system with four large active matrix color liquid crystal displays; and outstanding runway performance, all at a traditional midsize price.
Cessna Aircraft Company is a subsidiary of Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT), a $12 billion multi-industry company with more than 51,000 employees in 40 countries. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO and Greenlee, among others. More information is available at www.textron.com
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Last updated 7 March 2002
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