Cessna Aircraft is here at EBACE, sailing high after the successful first flight of its Citation CJ4 prototype early this month. The Wichita, Kansas- based airframer said the two-hour and 22-minute flight, which reached an altitude of 16,000 feet, consisted of flight maneuvers aimed at evaluating stability and control along with initial control systems evaluations. “We tested quite a number of the systems on the aircraft, including the autopilot, and all performed very well,” said Dan Morris, the company’s senior engineering test pilot.

The seven- to eight-passenger aircraft marks the debut of the Williams International FJ44-4A Fadec engine and is expected to have a top speed of 435 knots. Two additional CJ4s currently under construction are destined to join the test program.