Reaching a top speed of Mach 0.92, the Cessna Citation X has earned the reputation of being the fastest business jet in history, having flown the equivalent distance of at least four trips to the sun. Known as one of the most fuel-efficient mid-size corporate jets, the aircraft saves up to an hour’s travel time over other business jets on transcontinental U.S. flights. Greater fuel efficiency and less travel time are among the jet’s greatest advantages. The Cessna Aircraft Company, which is a company of Textron Inc., has a long history of manufacturing business jets. However, the design of the Citation X is new in many ways, as the wing, tail, tail cone and gear are not based on prior aircrafts from the Citation line.
Although the Citation X may resemble earlier models in appearance, most of the parts and systems are new. The pressure bulkhead, windshield, diameter of the fuselage, tail light bulb and some cockpit controls are all that remain of previous designs. Major changes to the jet include two Rolls-Royce AE3007C1 engines and fully integrated avionics. The Citation X is the first aircraft manufactured by Cessna to be powered by Rolls-Royce engines.
Although the company announced plans for the business jet in 1990, production of the Citation X did not begin until 1996. The first delivery of the jet was made to famed golfer, Arnold Palmer, in August of that same year. Just three years later, a total of 100 Citation X jets had been rolled off the production line. In the fall of 2003, Cessna announced planned upgrades to the interior of the jet, and by 2005, 250 of the aircraft had been delivered worldwide.
The Citation X has a speed of about 605 miles per hour with a range of 3,070 nautical miles. Although many of the jets are custom designed to seat eight passengers, the aircraft can seat two crewmembers and up to 12 passengers. The jet is able to fly at an altitude as high as 51,000 feet, which puts it above most weather systems. In August 2007, Citation X aircrafts had logged one million flight hours.
Since the Citation X is one of the most advanced aircraft in the world, the company continues to make improvements to the jet’s avionics. Beginning in 2011, the Honeywell Primus 2000 system will be replaced by the five-panel Honeywell Primus Elite avionics system on new jets coming off the production line.
Citation X aircrafts already in service will be offered the option of upgrading to the Elite platform which features liquid crystal displays, high resolution graphics displays and XM satellite weather in the U.S. and southern Canada. Improved LCD technologies in place of cathode ray tube displays will offer greater reliability and longer service life. In addition, enhanced moving map capability will not only show geographical and political boundaries, but airspace and airways as well. There are plans for Primus Elite to include Honeywell’s SmartView synthetic vision system sometime in the future.
According to Honeywell International, there are about 300 Citation X jets now in service throughout the world which would be eligible for the avionics and cabin systems upgrades. Cessna estimates that the cockpit upgrade alone could come at a price tag of around $585,000 for a jet already in service.
Additional upgrades to the cabin management system will include MP3 player inputs, an improved stereo sound system for the cabin, dual Blu-ray players with a high-definition display monitor, updated Airshow display imagery, and touch-screen control panels. These advances will be standard features in new Citation X’s coming off the production line.
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