Cessna yesterday said the FAA cleared the Citation Mustang for flight into known icing, some two months after the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW615F-powered very light jet received type approval. “While approval for flight into icing is not required for certification of the airplane, we wanted to have this in place prior to delivering our first Mustang and in advance of this year’s major icing season,” said Cessna Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Jack Pelton. “The Citation Mustang has met or exceeded every performance objective established when we announced the program in 2002, and we beat the schedule doing it.”
Cessna also said it will cost an estimated $2.06 per nautical mile to operate the Citation Mustang. First deliveries are expected to start later this year. Pelton said there are more than 250 orders for the $2.6 million twinjet, with the next available delivery slot in late 2009.
