Cessna says it has reclaimed (from Gulfstream) the distinction of offering the world’s fastest production civilian aircraft with a maximum speed increase on its flagship Citation Ten. In an announcement Friday, the company said it is now calling the top speed of the lengthened and updated version of the Citation X .935 Mach, a .015 increase from the figure used when Cessna announced the aircraft at NBAA 2010 in Atlanta. “As our founder Clyde Cessna said, ‘speed is the only reason for flying,’ so at Cessna we design, engineer, manufacture and fly the fastest civil aircraft in the world — not for us, but for our customers so they can work faster, more efficiently and get the job done,” said CEO Scott Ernest.
The Citation X was the previously claimed fastest bizjet (.92 Mach) until Gulfstream announced its G650 in 2008 with a hair-on-fire rate of .925 Mach. The G650 is on the cusp of certification. The company announced a week ago that the FAA and EASA have finished their flight tests of the aircraft. Deliveries are expected soon after certification. The Citation Ten is scheduled for certification in mid-2013.
