Cessna Progresses on Design, Development of Citation Columbus

Geneva.– Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, is moving forward on its Model 850 Citation Columbus, the large cabin, intercontinental business jet launched earlier this year.

An interior mockup of the Columbus is on display this week at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE). The mobile mockup travels in a specially built semitrailer and will make appearances throughout Europe in the months ahead.

Cessna engineers have completed low-speed and high-speed wind tunnel testing. The Columbus team is completing architecture and layout planning; then, the aircraft’s detail plans will merge into a master development schedule. One segment of the schedule, for example, will address facilities.

As the largest aircraft in Cessna’s 80-year history, the Citation Columbus requires bigger production and ground testing buildings, as well as expanded flight hangars. Later this year, Cessna will break ground on new facilities in Wichita, Kan., where the company will produce the Model 850.

In April, the State of Kansas passed legislation to provide up to $33 million in state funds to aviation companies bringing significant projects to the state. Cessna is investing $780 million to develop the Columbus, which will result in more than 1,000 new direct jobs with an estimated annual payroll of $74 million.