Cessna Aircraft Company completed the first flight of the first production Citation CJ4 on August 19th, just more than three months after the CJ4 prototype initially flew on May 5th.
The 41-minute flight departed McConnell Air Force Base in east Wichita and completed numerous systems evaluations. The first production aircraft, Serial 0001, will primarily be used for avionics and systems certification. The second production aircraft, Serial 0002, is nearing completion at Cessna's Pawnee Advanced Engineering facility in Wichita and will fly function and reliability along with company service tests.
Since the CJ4 prototype completed first flight in May it has logged 59 flights and accumulated more than 90 hours. The aircraft has completed system verification flight tests – such as speed brakes and flaps systems – and has been cleared through its operating envelope. Certification tests for the prototype and production airframes are on schedule to begin later this year.
