Textron Aviation has announced that the first production unit of the Cessna Citation Ascend business jet has rolled out of the Wichita manufacturing facility. FAA certification is expected later this year.
“Today is a big celebration and thank you to everyone who has been a part of building up to this point,” said Todd McKee, senior vice president, Integrated Supply Chain. “It is your craftsmanship that continues to make milestones like this possible. By infusing new technology and bringing new features to the market, we continue to drive the future for us to build these legendary aircraft.”
The Cessna Citation Ascend is part of the 560XL series, of which over 1,000 aircraft have been delivered over the past 25 years. The Ascend model is designed to be both luxurious and comfortable, with a flat floor to provide extra legroom for passengers, a feature that can also be found in the Citation Latitude and Citation Longitude models. There are also 19 USB charging ports and three universal outlets.
Powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545D engines, the aircraft has a four-passenger range of 1,900 nm, a standard configuration for nine passengers, and a maximum passenger capacity for 12 people. It also features Garmin G500 avionics with autothrottle technology and a Honeywell RE100 [XL] Auxiliary Power Unit (APU).
Photo: Textron Aviation
