Cessna Citation Mustang Gaining Global Momentum

Atlanta.– With more than 350 aircraft on order – one-third of which will go to Europe-based customers – the Citation Mustang continues to gain global momentum for Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company.

Twenty-seven Mustangs have been delivered, including one in Australia and two this month to customers in Europe. Additionally, work is finished on high altitude airport certification that will be incorporated in October’s flight manual revisions.

The Citation Mustang became the first of a new category of entry-level jets to achieve full certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (September 2006) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (May 2007). The aircraft also is certified in Australia, Mexico and Venezuela, with certification in Brazil imminent.

The aircraft are assembled at Cessna’s facility in Independence, Kan., where 44 Mustangs are expected to be delivered by year’s end. By 2009, production is expected to reach 150 per year.

“The aircraft now in the field have accumulated more than 2,100 hours, and we are hearing from many delighted customers,” said Cessna Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing Roger Whyte. “The Citation Mustang tops the expectations of the multinational owners/operators for whom high reliability is paramount during their personal and business travel.”

The Citation Mustang participated in the commemorative flight this week to honor the 60th year of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) meeting and convention. On Sept. 22, the Mustang flew from New York (the site of the first meeting in 1947) to Atlanta (the site of this year’s convention). On board were NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen; Pat Epps of Atlanta-based Epps Aviation, whose father, Ben Epps, built and piloted the first powered aircraft in Georgia 100 years ago; and Jamail Larkins, a Georgia resident made famous for obtaining his pilot’s license at 14 and then becoming the first ambassador for aviation and space education for the FAA.

The six-place Citation Mustang has a top speed of 340 knots, a range of 1,150 nautical miles (with NBAA IFR Reserves) and a service ceiling of 41,000 feet enabling more efficient operations above most weather and commercial traffic.

The fully functional Garmin G1000 equipped Citation Mustang includes an integrated, dual-channel fail passive digital autopilot. It is the first aircraft certified to take advantage of WAAS navigation features including WAAS LPV approaches that provide both lateral and vertical guidance. The Garmin G1000 avionics suite also includes SafeTaxi, which gives a graphical representation of the aircraft in the airport environment.

The Citation Mustang is on display from Sept. 25-27 at the NBAA convention’s static display area at Fulton County Airport-Brown Field (FTY) in Atlanta.