CJ4 Took Flight Monday; Production SkyCatcher Flew May 1
A pair of new Cessna aircraft -- representing both the
entry-level, and near-high-end, ranges of the current Cessna model
lineup -- saw light under their landing gear recently. The Wichita,
KS-based planemaker's first production Model 162 SkyCatcher LSA
took off on its maiden flight May 1 from Cessna Field, adjacent to
McConnell Air Force Base; and the first CJ4 business jet lifted off
from McConnell on Monday.
"It was an outstanding first flight," said Cessna Senior
Engineering Test Pilot Dan Morris, who flew the aircraft with
Engineering Flight Test Manager Dave Bonifield as co-pilot. "We
tested quite a number of the systems on the aircraft, including the
autopilot, and all performed very well. The FADECs operated just as
we expected, and along with the four displays of the Pro Line 21,
this is a very pilot-friendly aircraft. Operators will transition
easily into the CJ4."
The 2-hour, 22-minute flight departed McConnell just after 1130
CDT, and consisted of flight maneuvers evaluating stability and
control along with initial systems evaluations. While the pilots
took the prototype on a sustained climb to 16,000 feet, engineers
monitored the aircraft’s instrumentation and safety equipment
via telemetry systems at Cessna’s engineering facility at
Mid-Continent Airport, where the CJ4 landed.
Two additional CJ4 aircraft are taking shape at Cessna’s
Pawnee Advanced Engineering facility in Wichita. All three test
aircraft will log air time in the certification effort. The first
production aircraft, Serial 0001, will primarily be used for
avionics and systems certification, while the second production
aircraft, Serial 0002, will fly function and reliability along with
company service tests. First flight for both production CJ4s will
take place later this year.
"Our program team and supplier partners are proud of this
aircraft, and our receipt of more than 150 orders for the CJ4
further motivates us to meet our aggressive goals," said CJ4
Program Manager Norm Baker. "We are on track for type certification
in the second half of 2009, followed by customer deliveries
beginning in the first half of 2010."
The CJ4 flight came three days after the maiden flight of the
first production-spec SkyCatcher light sport aircraft. The
30-minute SkyCatcher flight occurred Friday morning, and consisted
of flight maneuvers evaluating the controllability and stability of
the aircraft. The SkyCatcher, flown by Cessna Engineering Test
Pilot Dale Bleakney, returned to Cessna Field (KCEA) as scheduled
where it will continue development testing.
Flight of the first production SkyCatcher occurred eight weeks
after the prototype 162 (shown above) completed its first flight,
as ANN reported. In addition
to having two aircraft in the test program, Cessna is set to begin
static and fatigue testing on a separate airframe in mid-May.
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