Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. company, today announced the eagerly anticipated Citation Latitude mid-size business jet is on schedule for its first prototype flight in the first quarter of 2014. An enhanced Citation Latitude mock-up will be on display throughout the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Business and Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Las Vegas this week. The Latitude mock-up will feature an informational gallery in the aft portion of the cabin, showing program highlights marking the Latitude’s progression towards its first prototype flight.

Terry Shriner, Cessna business leader for the Latitude, said: “We have nearly finished with the Latitude wing, and the Latitude fuselage is almost complete. The team is looking forward to showing some outstanding features to Latitude customers. The Garmin G5000 avionics are clearly a big step ahead in convenience and ease of operation for business jet operators in the mid-size category, but we are also delivering a high-powered cooling system, a stand-up flat floor cabin and in a first for a Cessna Citation, an electronically-operated door.”

Shriner continues: “The new door conveniently opens and closes with the flip of a switch. From the very early design stages, we planned on an aircraft with an electric door based on what we were hearing from customers and seeing in the market. We have put this electric door through an incredibly challenging set of tests, and cycled the model thousands of times. This is a first for Cessna, and another item in the list of reasons the Latitude will set a new standard for the mid-size category of business jets.”

Michael Thacker, Cessna senior vice president of Engineering, says: “The Latitude began as an exciting concept, and it just keeps getting better. We have increased the aircraft’s target range by 500 miles, boosted the cabin entertainment capabilities, and improved cabin volume. The Latitude has turned customer input into aviation reality. You cannot find an aircraft in this category that tops the Latitude in terms of operational ease, luxury and performance.”

Cessna press release