Second Citation Ascend Takes To The Skies The second flight test article of the Cessna Citation Ascend recently took to the skies to continue certification testing. Internally it is known as P1 as it is the first production-conforming unit of the test fleet so far. The aircraft took to the skies on the 13th of June flying for around an hour and 24 minutes. As an initial test flight the aircraft flew to 13,500 ft and reached a maximum speed of 308-knots.
"Today’s (13th June) successful flight of the second Citation Ascend test article marks another achievement for the program, and that’s a testament to the many great employees involved with this project," said Chris Hearne, senior vice president of engineering at Textron Aviation. "The aircraft has continued to perform well through the phases of testing, and I continue to be confident in the program’s momentum and in our skilled team members who make it possible."
The Ascend can be seen as the 560XL family's modern update. Many of the updates have gone into the cabin for the updated passenger experience. There is now a fully-flat floor instead of the recessed-trenched floor of previous models. Passengers can enjoy use of up to 19 USB charging ports around the cabin, 3 universal sockets, electric commanding push-buttons and redesigned seats. The pilots get some updates in the cockpit too with the old Collins ProLine21 being replaced by the Garmin G5000 avionics suite.
Autothrottles now control the twin Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545Ds...which are also an updated powerplant for the model. The aircraft is also getting the Honeywell RE100 [XL] APU, which is approved for unattended operations on the ground helping make the aircraft more independent on the ground. The Ascend now has a range of 1,900 nautical miles over the 1,750 of the XLS along with payload and MTOW increases. Over 400 flight test hours have been achieved between the first Ascend test article and P1. Certification is anticipated for 2025. For more information: Cessna Aircraft Company 1 Cessna Blvd. Wichita, KS 67215 www.cessna.com ***