Will Be Added To Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories'
Fleet
Cessna tells ANN the planemaker recently secured its first
multiple order for the new Model 850 Citation Columbus business
jet. Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) of Pullman, WA will
use two of the long-range, large-cabin Citations to support its
global expansion and customer support efforts.
In announcing the purchase, Ed Schweitzer, founder and president
of SEL, told company employees the new aircraft will be used to
provide travel for employees, customers, Special Olympics teams and
Corporate Angel Flight participants. SEL currently operates two
Citation X business jets and a Citation Bravo.
In addition to two Columbus business jets, the company has
ordered a Citation Sovereign that is expected to deliver in
2009.
"We’ve been partners with Cessna for almost 10 years, and
they have provided the highest quality products with outstanding
service," Schweitzer said. "The new Columbus aircraft will get us
safely to hundreds of destinations as we expand our business
worldwide. Customers have come to expect the best from us, and
these planes will help us meet those expectations."
Schweitzer noted that more than 750 different people have used
the company’s Cessna aircraft, which have surpassed 3.2
million miles flown since SEL made its first purchase in 1999.
SEL was founded in Pullman in 1982, employs more than 1,500
people in 64 locations around the world and sells products in 121
countries. The company serves the electric power industry worldwide
through the design, manufacture, supply and support of products and
services for power system protection, monitoring, control,
automation and metering.
"Cessna’s relationship with SEL is indicative of how our
Citation family is responding to the Model 850," said Roger Whyte,
senior vice president of Sales and Marketing for Cessna.
"We’ve taken a number of orders for the Columbus since
announcing the details of the aircraft in early February. Our
customers are eager for a product that allows them to move up in
cabin size with an outstanding speed/range combination, while
staying in the Citation family."
Cessna unveiled details on the Model 850 Citation Columbus last
month, as ANN reported. When it
enters service in 2014, the Columbus is expected to be the only
aircraft in its class capable of 4,000 nautical miles non-stop at
Mach .80. Preliminary performance numbers set a maximum cruise
speed of 488 knots, a maximum operating speed of Mach .86, a full
fuel payload of 1,950 pounds and takeoff field length of 5,400 feet
at maximum takeoff weight.
Configurable for up to 10 passengers, the Model 850 will have a
cabin length of 36.3 feet including interior baggage space.
Cessna’s engineering team and its suppliers have designed the
clean-sheet Columbus to be one of the most advanced,
fuel-efficient, cleanest business jets ever conceived.
"Ed Schweitzer has built his business by manufacturing
top-quality products and offering industry-leading technical
support, so he expects nothing less of Cessna," Whyte said. "Ed was
involved in our customer consultations when we first began
considering a large cabin concept. His opinion as a customer and as
an engineer who appreciates advanced design was invaluable, and he
helped shape what has become the Citation Columbus."
The Model 850 will debut Pratt & Whitney Canada’s
PW810 engine, designed to be an environmentally friendly engine
that Cessna says will make the Columbus the most fuel efficient
aircraft in its class. The aircraft will also feature the Rockwell
Collins Pro Line Fusion advanced avionics system.
ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (04.15.24)
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