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Recently in Cessna Category

dubai-header.jpgCitationXwinglets_560.jpgDUBAI -- Cessna handed over the keys of the first Middle Eastern Citation X fitted with elliptical winglets to Wallan Aviation here at the Dubai Air Show.

Saad Wallan, chairman of Wallan Aviation says the aircraft, with its range extending blended winglets, allows for non-stop travel between Riyadh and London at the Citation X's signature high-speed cruise at Mach .92.  

The newly introduced winglets add a 15kt boost in cruise speed and 545kg more payload at hot and high airports, as well as a 280 km (150nm) increase in range.

Along with a reduced time to climb, Cessna says the winglets also reduce fuel consumption by 4-5% for long range missions.

With Sunday's delivery to Wallan, the aircraft will immediately enter service following the show.

Wallan Aviation operates a fleet of Cessna aircraft and is the company's authorized sales representative and authorized Citation Service Center in the Middle East.

The US Federal Aviation Administration certified the retrofit of the winglet for the Citation X in June and includes the replacement of the existing anti-collision and position light system with LED versions.

As a previous order holder for the super midsize Columbus business jet that was cancelled by Cessna in July, Wallan says that even with the downturn that sidelined the new aircraft, his company has found a silver lining that has made the substitution of the Citation X ideal.

Wallan says that his company has benefitted from the downturn, in that previous operators of large-cabin BBJ and Gulfstream aircraft have opted for a smaller aircraft like the Citation X for their travel needs.

Wallan says that the dust has now settled following the sharp downturn in business jet travel, adding that the Dubai Air Show represents a barometer for the industry.

"We have a lot of faith in this show to show us the direction," says Wallan.
mustang.jpgOn the second day of Oskhosh, I had the opportunity to see the Cessna Mustang in action. The Mustang is Cessna's entry into the very light jet market, competing with aircraft like Embraer's Phenom 100 and the Eclipse 500.

Along with my colleague Phil Nasskau from Flight Daily News (who was flying right seat) and Cessna's Curt Epp (left seat) we took the Mustang out for a quick spin. Here's the video (in four parts) of our hour long hop from Appleton up to Iron Mountain and back at 30,000 feet in N946CM.

 A very special thanks to Cessna for inviting us along for the demonstration!

 

More on Columbus

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Cessna unveiled its new Citation Columbus business jet yesterday. It's fast (Mach .85) , efficient (PW810 engines) and has very long legs (4000 nm). To boot, it's got wireless hubs on board to, "connect your PDAs, cell phones, laptops and just about any other communication device to the rest of the world."

This is an aircraft designed with the global economy in mind.

First flight is scheduled in 2011, FAA certification in 2013 and entry into service 2014.

See the complete product brochure from Cessna.

Click for high-resolution:

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More high-resolution photos below the fold.

To celebrate 100 years of Flight International, we want to discover the "100 Greatest" in aviation; by determining the top twenty civil aircraft, military aircraft, engine, people & moments. Here the best civil aircraft is put forward!

In honor of Flight’s 100th year, which kicks off in 2009, the Airspace forums have opened up a discussion about the greatest civilian aircraft, greatest military aircraft, the greatest engine, most influential person and the most important moment of the last 100 years. I weigh in today on question number one.

I entertained a bunch of different options when deciding which civilian aircraft deserved the title of "greatest." The title is somewhat arbitrary and greatness can mean many things. My colleague Max Kingsley-Jones picked the A320 and its transformative effect on the European aviation industry. I wrestled between the easy choices, the DeHavilland Comet, Boeing 707 and 747 and Douglas DC-3. All are extraordinary aircraft that have transformed and shrunk the planet Earth, but those are easy choices.

I finally settled on a less conventional choice: The Cessna 172

First flown in 1955, there have been more than 43,000 Cessna 172s built for flight schools, private pilots, and special missions all over the planet. The first 172 sold for just under $9000, today the aircraft goes for just under $300,000, base price. Cessna has almost run through the alphabet with variants adapting and updating the original design to be safer and more technologically advanced with every passing year. The 1955 Cessna 172 wouldn’t recognize a 2008 Cessna 172 with a G1000 glass cockpit, yet the pedigree is the same.

Cessna created an aircraft that incorporated an unprecedented level of engine reliability and aircraft stability that made learning to fly a safer and cheaper goal. This aircraft arguably is the foundation upon which aviation has been built over the last fifty-three years. This aircraft has been the day-one aircraft for hundreds of thousands of pilots.

Just ask any pilot which plane hosted their first flight?

My answer: Cessna 172SP N26502, June 16, 2005.


From the Flight Archives on October 11, 1957 (Same as the Sputnik issue):

Introduced in November 1955, the Model 172 is probably one of the easiest aircraft to fly in the world; it is regularly sold to people with no previous flying experience who, with the assistance of a certified instructor, qualify on the 172 after their first few days of ownership. Powered by a 145 h.p. flat-six engine, the 172 has two adjustable seats at the front and a bench for two at the rear, and the interior is lavishly furnished, soundproofed and very fully equipped with such items as coat hangers, a cigarette lighter, windshield de-frosting and cabin heating. Like all Cessnas, the 172 has an all-metal, flush-riveted airframe with exceptionally low drag. Wings are provided with high-lift slotted flaps and a stall-warning system, and the undercarriage comprises a "Land-O-Matic" main gear with spring-steel suspension and disc brakes, and a fully steerable nosewheel with which the aircraft can be turned round on a taxi-strip less than 30ft wide. Some thousands of Model 172s are at present in service, and production is in excess of 50 per week.

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More pictures below the fold.

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