Cessna Citation Columbus Program Killed
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Graham Warwick graham_warwick@aviationweek.com
Benet Wilson benet_wilson@aviationweek.com
Cessna's suspended Citation Columbus program has been cancelled due to current market conditions, according to an 8K filing from parent company Textron. And Pratt & Whitney Canada has confirmed it has halted work on the PW810C engine designed to power the Columbus.
The PW810C was originally scheduled to run for the first time this year. The company says "we still see it as a suspension" until the market recovers, even after the Textron announcement.
Pratt & Whitney says it remains committed to, and continues working on, the PW800 engine family, which shares core technology with the PW1000G geared turbofans under development to power the Mitsubishi Regional Jet and Bombardier CSeries airliner.
The Columbus was first announced Feb. 6, 2006 and Cessna unveiled it Oct. 6 at the annual National Business Aviation Association convention. Cessna tapped Parker Aerospace's Control Systems Division to supply a hybrid fly-by-wire flight control system for the aircraft, making it the first member of the Citation line to be equipped with that system.
The aircraft would have had a maximum cruise speed of 488 knots, a maximum operating speed of Mach .86, a full fuel payload of 1,950 pounds and takeoff field length of 5,400 feet at maximum takeoff weight. Cessna had hoped for FAA certification by the end of 2013, with deliveries beginning in 2014.
Cessna in April 2008 announced it would build a new plant in Wichita, Kan., to build the Columbus after the Kansas state legislature offered $33 million in incentives to keep the program in the state. Textron had announced it was investing $780 million into development of the Columbus, and said the new aircraft line would create up to 1,000 new jobs with an estimated annual payroll of $74 million.
As of November 2008, Cessna held more than 70 orders for the $27 million aircraft.
Artist's concept: Cessna
