Citation Latitude continues to stretch its legs on transcontinental flights

Cessna Aircraft Company, a subsidiary of Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. company, this week demonstrated the trans-Pacific capability of its newly FAA-certified Citation Latitude between the U.S. West Coast and Hawaii. The flights follow other recent successful transcontinental missions on the aircraft, including the first trans-Atlantic crossing in May and nonstop U.S. coast-to-coast flights earlier this month.

“With certification achieved, we see the Citation Latitude demonstrating its impressive capabilities and performance during common customer missions,” said Kriya Shortt, senior vice president, Sales and Marketing. “Not only does this aircraft have exceptional mission capability, the all-new cabin experience allows passengers to take advantage of maximum comfort and productivity as they enjoy the flat cabin floor and six-foot-high cabin. Combined with its midsize acquisition price and low operating costs, the Latitude provides unmatched value and comfort for customers in the midsize class.”

The Citation Latitude flew a crew of two pilots and five passengers on the 2,147-nautical-mile trip from Santa Barbara, Calif. (KSBA) to Maui, Hawaii (PHOG), making a direct climb to 43,000 feet and total flight time of 5 hours 45 minutes, which included a 17 minute hold prior to arrival. On return, the aircraft covered an impressive 2,473-nautical-mile direct flight from Maui to Scottsdale, Ariz. (KSDL) in 5 hours 45 minutes. On both the outbound and return trips, the Latitude had fuel reserves far exceeding NBAA IFR reserves.

The Hawaii mission took place on the heels of impressive coast-to-coast trips earlier this month. The Citation Latitude flew the nonstop 2,442-nautical-mile trip from Santa Barbara (KSBA) to Bangor, Maine (KBGR), making a direct climb to 45,000 feet; its nonstop return flight to San Diego, Calif. (KSAN) covered 2,397 nautical miles.

This aircraft made its first trans-Atlantic crossing in May from St. John's, Newfoundland, to Valencia, Spain, en route to its debut appearance at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition. Expanding international access and visibility, the Latitude will make its Latin American debut at the Latin American Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in August, followed by additional tours in the Europe, Middle East and Asia regions later this year.