For Cessna, Carr said its Mustang type certificate will include approval for single-pilot operation, day/night operations, visual and instrument flight rules (VFR/IFR), and operations in reduced vertical separation minimum (RVSM) airspace — same as Eclipse. In fact, Cessna is being forced to say its Citation Mustang “will be one of the first new aircraft certified with” certain features, instead of the first. Like Eclipse, Cessna maintains the Citation Mustang remains “on track” for certification in the fourth quarter of 2006.
With a nod to difficulties engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Canada has experienced, the company added, “final certification for the engine and FADEC from Transport Canada and the FAA is expected soon.” (We wouldn’t be a bit surprised to learn Cessna is burning the midnight oil in an attempt to beat that target and get its FAA paperwork by Sept. 30, the end of 2006’s third quarter.) Meanwhile, Cessna says it has some 19 aircraft already in production at its facilities in Independence, Kan., and Columbus, Ga.
