New Cessna Citation Sovereign Makes First Flight

Bethany Whitfield

Tuesday, April 30, 2013 at 08:15 PM ET

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** Cessna Citation Sovereign**

Key Takeaways:

The new Citation Sovereign completed its maiden production flight, allowing test pilots to evaluate its performance and new Garmin G5000 avionics system.
The upgraded jet boasts new winglets, more powerful Pratt & Whitney turbofan engines, and the Garmin G5000 avionics panel, replacing the previous Honeywell system.
Key performance enhancements include an increased range of 3,000 nm and the ability to climb direct to 45,000 feet, with pilots praising the G5000 for improved control and situational awareness.
Cessna also announced a new five-year warranty package for the Citation Sovereign.

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The new Citation Sovereign made its maiden production flight recently, giving Cessna test pilots their first opportunity to evaluate the upgraded jet’s performance and handling.

The flight originated near Cessna’s manufacturing plant in Wichita, Kansas, and lasted for two-and-a-half hours. During that time, Cessna’s test crew performed evaluations of the Garmin G5000 avionics panel, the engine system and aircraft systems.