Thu, Dec 22, 2005
Cessna Aircraft
Company's Citation Mustang received Type Inspection Authorization
(TIA) from the FAA Thursday, a significant step toward
certification and first customer delivery in late 2006. TIA signals
the FAA's approval for the Mustang prototype to begin accumulating
flight hours that will apply toward official certification.
"The Mustang prototype and serial number one have made more than
290 flights, accruing more than 490 hours. In addition, the fatigue
test article has completed two lifetimes (30,000 hours) of testing
with no damage to the aircraft structure," said Russ Meyer III,
Mustang Program Manager.
"This is recognized by the FAA as the baseline to prove the
durability of an airplane, and we will continue testing to five
lifetimes (75,000 hours)."
Because of the availability of on-site testing facilities,
Cessna's testing programs are known for accumulating more hours on
its airplanes and test articles prior to certification than any
other aircraft manufacturer.
"Our goal for achieving TIA was January 2006, so we are pleased
to receive this designation several weeks early, keeping us on
schedule for certification and first customer deliveries," Meyer
said.
The Mustang is slated to be the 27th airplane Cessna has
certified in a decade, more than any other airplane company. The
Citation Mustang was announced at the 2002 NBAA convention.
Cessna currently has orders for more than 230 aircraft. The
six-seat business jet will be certified as a single-pilot, FAR Part
23 aircraft, with a cruise speed of 340 KTAS, and maximum operating
altitude of 41,000 feet.
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