It is good to know that the Wichita company has been following its own advice. On Tuesday, Cessna unveiled a project that has kept it busy in spite of having had to retrench half its workforce during the recession.
The Cessna Citation M2 will fit between its entry-level jet, the Mustang, and the CJ2+, and is intended as a response to the wishes of current owners and users of their aircraft.
“We set out to make an airplane that could be a step up from the Mustang,” Mike Pearson, Cessna’s director of technical marketing, says. “Mustang owners typically love the airplane, but say they want another seat or two, more room, and an aft lav.”
The Mustang has seats for four, plus two in the cockpit, though it is certified for single-pilot operation. The passenger cabin, with seats in a club arrangement, allows intertwined legs to make the most of the space between them. And the lavatory, placed opposite the door between the cockpit and the passenger compartment and using sliding screens to give a semblance of privacy, is treated by all but the most unselfconscious as a last-ditch resort, to be used when legs cannot be crossed any further.
The M2 will have an extra side-facing seat by the door, a more serious lavatory in the rear of the aircraft, and the cover over the toilet will have a belt and be certified as a sixth passenger-cabin seat.
The extra dimensions to accommodate these changes are not the only changes to the aircraft’s numbers, though.
“There will be a speed improvement,” says Mr Pearson, “but the plane will retain the short-field capabilities of the Mustang.”
Thus maximum cruise speed will rise 60 knots to 400kts true air speed at 33,000 feet altitude – and even at 41,000ft, out of the way of commercial jets and where the thinner air gives better economy but less thrust from the engines, 385kts is promised for the M2.
At its maximum weight, take-off distance for commercial operations will be 3,250ft, says Mr Pearson. The Mustang needs in the region of 3,100ft, he points out.
Precise weight limits for the M2 have yet to be worked out, he adds, but the payload will be equivalent to that of the Mustang – about 500lbs with a pilot and full fuel on board. So, like all similar aircraft, it can be filled with fuel or passengers, but not both.
With full fuel, though, the new aircraft will improve on the Mustang’s 1,150 nautical mile range by a significant 150 nautical miles.
The engines will be from the Williams International FJ-44 series, although the precise output level has yet to be worked out. Pilots will not have auto-throttles, but they will have cutting-edge equipment in the form of a touch-screen controlled G3000 avionics system from Garmin, the innovative US avionics company. It will comprise three big, 14-inch displays for flight information, navigation and aircraft systems.
All this will come at a price: $4.195m against the $3.1m-$3.2m current price of a Mustang. The smaller aircraft has attracted a mix of fleet buyers and owner pilots, and Cessna expects a similar selection for the M2 – with most interest from North America and Europe. The aircraft will co-exist in the Cessna jet line-up, too.
“I’m convinced that there’s room in the market for the two planes,” he says.
The Mustang has been good for the Kansas aircraft maker. It was rushed out as the promise of very light jets (VLJs) became evident, particularly that of the EA500 from Eclipse Aviation, the aircraft whose design and hype set the tone for the sector. Not only did Cessna beat the Eclipse to certification and delivery, but it also became a fleet favourite because, while small, it is scaled down from proven larger siblings. The Eclipse had sophistication going for it – but that turned into a drawback when the systems took a long time to start running properly. More than 380 Mustangs have been delivered since 2007 – putting it among the top three Cessna jet sellers.
The Eclipse, reborn as the Total Eclipse, is now a very capable aircraft, and very cheap at about $2.15m. But it is also very small.
For some, the Mustang has lost out in comparison with the Phenom light and mid-sized jets from Embraer. While they are clean-sheet designs, introduced after the Mustang, many buyers deem that the Brazilian aircraft-maker applies the same standards of toughness and reliability to its executive aircraft as to the small commercial aircraft it is more widely known for. Production of the Phenoms was, however, slowed this year to allow a number of necessary modifications to be incorporated into the line.
Even the Phenom 100 is a larger aircraft than the Mustang – and faster. But the other fast-approaching, larger-cabin rival is the HondaJet from the giant car and motorcycle manufacturer. The development of Honda’s first jet has already taken longer than expected, but its imminent arrival is eagerly awaited. A 420kt top speed and claimed high levels of efficiency from its Honda-GE turbofans make it a good target to aim for.
Cessna can, however, once again emphasize the fact that the M2, when it comes into service in 2013, is a development of a winning formula – with a tried, tested and global maintenance network. Aviation is surprisingly conservative – and especially so in a downturn. That may serve Cessna well with its new son of Mustang.
No comments:
Post a Comment