Cessna Sees Middle East Opportunities for Citation Ten, Clairity

Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, expects its range-topping Citation Ten mid-size business jet to be very attractive to Middle East customers, particularly given the features of ClairityTM, Cessna’s new proprietary cabin technology system.

Speaking today at the Dubai Airshow, Mark Paolucci, Cessna’s senior vice president for sales, said: “We can’t wait to bring the Citation Ten to the Middle East and the world. As a larger, advanced version of the Citation X, already the world’s fastest certified business jet, the speed of the Citation Ten will quite simply be exceptional, expected cruising at up to 527 knots [976 kilometers an hour]. And with an expected maximum range of 3,245 nautical miles, the Ten will make a city pairing such as Riyadh-London a convenient nonstop flight.”

Improving on many of the virtues that have made the Citation X so popular in the Middle East, the Citation Ten will be able to reach altitude faster, and travel farther, than the Citation X. Seating up to nine passengers and two pilots, the Ten is 15 inches longer than the Citation X, providing extra passenger legroom in the forward club seating area.

Clairity is standard on the Citation Ten. Developed by Cessna in partnership with Dallas-based Heads Up Technologies, Clairity is an intelligent cabin technology solution that ties into the aircraft avionics systems and can integrate cabin electrical systems and data and communication sharing through a fiber optic backbone, controlled through either an intuitive touch-screen user interface at each seat or the customer’s personal electronic device.

Clairity’s touch-screen system controllers or Wi-Fi connectivity to a personal electronic device allow complete control of cabin lighting, window shades, temperature, audio (digital media, MP3/iPhone), video (digital, Blu-ray), and individual interactive moving maps. The basic system includes the interactive moving maps and USB/device inputs. Options such as satellite radio, Blu-ray players, external cameras or high-speed Internet browsing can be easily added.

Paolucci said: “Clairity is the ultimate, industry-leading connectivity experience. The clean, intuitive user interface has created an elegant, sophisticated system with multiple ways of interacting with the customer.”

The Citation Ten program is on track for first flight by year-end 2011 and deliveries are expected for the second half of 2013.

Two Rolls-Royce AE 3007C2 engines will take a 36,600 pound (16,601 kilogram) MTOW Citation Ten off the ground in 5,140 feet (1,567 meters) and give the aircraft a certified ceiling of 51,000 feet (15,545 meters).

The Garmin G5000 integrated flight deck on the Citation Ten is one of the most intuitive pilot-aircraft interfaces ever seen in a business aircraft avionics suite. The high-resolution multi-function displays have split-screen capability, allowing continuous monitoring of engine, flight control, hydraulic and electrical systems. Garmin’s SVT synthetic vision technology on the primary flight displays gives the crew a virtual reality view of runways, terrain, traffic and obstacles. Electronic charts with aircraft position overlay provide dynamic situational awareness during approach.

A video highlighting the Citation Ten’s features can be viewed on Cessna’s YouTube channel.