Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, rolled its 400th Citation Mustang off the assembly line at its Independence, Kan., facility. This milestone was accomplished in a little more than five years since the Mustang’s first delivery in November 2006.

“What an achievement for Cessna and for the employees in Wichita and Independence who engineer, design, support and manufacture this great airplane,” said Brian Rohloff, Cessna’s Citation Mustang and M2 business leader. “Mustang sales remain strong, pilots like its ease of operation and low operating costs — it’s a compelling airplane, designed and built with Cessna ingenuity and pride.”

The Mustang’s most common use is corporate business or personal travel. Its second most common use is air taxi service. In growing popularity, the Mustang is also being used for special missions as medical air transport and as an airline flight training tool.

“Having the Mustang in our fleet is a great way to get pilots into a jet for the first time — when they get behind the controls, the excitement is written all over their face,” said Rohloff. “Then, when they are ready to move up, the rest of our Citation fleet is right there waiting.”

The worldwide fleet of Mustangs is averaging 480 hours, with 45 Mustangs having accumulated more than 1,000 hours each. High time Mustangs are 1,600 hours (typical operation) and 2,200 hours (fleet operation).

The Citation Mustang is the world’s first fully certified entry-level business jet. The program was announced at the 2002 National Business Aviation Association convention and the aircraft made its first flight in April 2005, received FAA type certificate in September 2006 and celebrated its first delivery in November 2006. Coming in at just over $3 million (2012 delivery), the Mustang features Garmin avionics, Pratt & Whitney Canada engines and boasts a maximum 1,100-nautical mile range.

Source and photo: Cessna