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Cessna Aircraft Company is proudly showcasing its latest aircraft at the Latin America Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (LABACE) this week, in a region where the company has been and continues to be a preferred supplier of general aviation aircraft.
The Citation Sovereign, Cessna Grand Caravan EX and the Cessna TTx are on display at the company’s LABACE exhibit.
The new nine-passenger Citation Sovereign has a range of 5,556 km (3,000 nm) and can fly non-stop from Rio de Janeiro to Panama City. Upgrades to the aircraft include the addition of winglets, which increase the aircraft’s range as well as enabling a top speed of 458 kts (848 km/h) and a direct climb to 13,716 m (45,000 ft).
Also on display for the first time in the region is the Grand Caravan EX, the latest addition to the globally trusted Caravan family. The aircraft offers increased horsepower to undertake a greater variety of missions in hard-to-access areas of the world, making it the perfect choice for the demanding Latin American terrain. Announced in July 2012, Cessna’s Grand Caravan EX is engineered for challenging, rugged missions with high payloads and short, rough runways. This “high and hot” workhorse delivers 25 per cent more horsepower than the original Grand Caravan, a 38 per cent increase in rate of climb, a 106 meter (340 ft) reduction in takeoff distance and 12-knot cruise speed improvement.
For single-engine pilots seeking jet-like performance, the Cessna TTx is the world’s fastest certified single-engine fixed-gear aircraft. With a range of 2,315 km (1,250 nm), the aircraft can fly non-stop from Rio de Janeiro to Buenos Aires. The TTx is capable of speeds up to 235 kts (435 km/h) and has been celebrated for its technologically advanced cockpit design complete with Garmin G2000 avionics. First deliveries began to customers in the U.S. in June.
Cessna also announced it has completed the first fuselage for its forthcoming mid-size business jet, the Citation Latitude. The Latitude prototype is expected to take its first flight in early 2014, and a mock-up of the aircraft is also on display at this week’s LABACE show. The aircraft is expected to have a range of 4,630 km (2,500 nm), permitting non-stop travel between São Paulo and Caracas, Venezuela, or from Santiago, Chile to Bogotá, Columbia. Powered by twin Pratt & Whitney PW306D FADEC-controlled turbofan engines, the Latitude is expected to have a maximum cruise speed of 440 ktas. The aircraft will offer configurations for seating seven to nine passengers in a spacious, 1.83 m (6 ft) tall, flat-floored cabin. Development of the Citation Latitude is proceeding well. The initial fuselage is complete and is being used as a static test article, while a second Latitude test article will soon be used for structural trials. The third article being built in the Latitude program will be the prototype aircraft.
