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Cessna Citation XLS+ Completes First Flight
Wichita, Kan., August 7, 2007 –
Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, last week reached
another milestone
in the development program for the latest version of the
world’s best-selling business jet model - the Citation XLS+ - when the aircraft completed its first flight.
The flight, which lasted one hour and 30 minutes, was conducted at Rockwell
Collins’ facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
“With the flight progressing as
planned and the aircraft performing as expected, this first flight was a great
success,” said Cessna Citation XLS+ Program Manager Kevin Steinert. “The
integration of the new Collins Pro Line 21 and Pratt & Whitney’s FADEC (full
authority digital engine control) equipped engines went smoothly and we look
forward to continuing this program on schedule.”
The aircraft has
returned to Cessna’s primary design and manufacturing facilities in Wichita for
further evaluation and testing. Type certification of the XLS+ is expected in
the first quarter of 2008 and first deliveries are scheduled in mid 2008.
Priced at USD $11.595 million, the XLS+ will continue the tradition of
the Excel and XLS as the most affordable stand-up cabin business jet. The family
of Excel/XLS aircraft comprise of 575 planes having accumulated nearly 1.2
million flight hours.
The original Citation Excel was delivered in May
1998 followed by the Citation XLS in July 2004. The 500th Excel/XLS was
delivered in June 2006, making the Excel/XLS the best-selling aircraft of all
business jet models since its introduction.
The Citation XLS+ is
designed to travel at 440 ktas (815 km per hour), have a range of more than
1,800 nm (3,440 km), climb direct to 45,000 ft (13,700 m) in 29 minutes, and
land on runways as short as 2,700 ft (823 m) at its typical landing weight.
Based on unit sales, Cessna Aircraft Company is the world's largest
manufacturer of general aviation airplanes. In 2006, Cessna delivered 1,239
aircraft, including 307 Citation business jets, and reported revenues of about
$4.2 billion and a backlog of $8.5 billion. Since the company was originally
established in 1927, more than 189,000 Cessna airplanes have been delivered to
nearly every country in the world. The global fleet of more than 5,000 Citations
is the largest fleet of business jets in the world. More information about
Cessna Aircraft Company is available at www.cessna.com.
Textron Inc. is
an $11 billion multi-industry company operating in 32 countries with
approximately 40,000 employees. The company leverages its global network of
aircraft, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative
solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful
brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex,
Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Fluid & Power, Textron Systems and Textron
Financial Corporation. More information is available at www.textron.com.
Forward-looking Information: Certain statements in this report are
forward-looking statements and speak only as of the date on which they are made,
and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and
uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those
contained in the statements, including but not limited to the following: [a]
changes in worldwide economic and political conditions that impact demand for
our products, interest rates and foreign exchange rates; [b] the interruption of
production at Textron facilities or Textron’s customers or suppliers; [c] the
occurrence of slowdowns or downturns in customer markets in which Textron
products are sold or supplied or where Textron Financial offers financing; and
[d] changes in aircraft delivery schedules or cancellation of orders.
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