Cessna has delivered the first TTx, an airplane that holds the distinction as the world’s fastest in-production fixed-gear single.
Powered by a turbocharged Continental TSIO 550-C engine, the TTx has a top speed of 235 ktas and an operating ceiling of 25,000 feet. An optional TKS flight into known icing (FIKI) system is also offered. The new model carries a base price of around $740,000.
Brian Steele, business leader for the Cessna TTx at Cessna, said he’s excited for buyers to start flying their new airplanes. “Everything about it is fun, fast and sporty, while at the same time intuitive and comfortable,” he said. He singled out the Garmin G2000 avionics as “advanced and at the same time familiar” while saying that the interior appointments add “a refined touch of class” to the TTx.
The TTx was originally certified in 2004 as the Columbia 400 before Cessna bought the design and moved composite work to Mexico. That change led to a delay in deliveries after a wing delamination in flight, traced to excess humidity during production, occurred in late 2010. Cessna used the delay to introduce several design improvements to what was then known as the Cessna Corvalis, designating the new model as the TTx.
The four-place TTx has a range of 1,250 nm, a 1,000-pound useful load and a takeoff distance of 1,900 feet.
The first customer accepting delivery was David Barnes, CEO of Watermark Retirement Communities. He said he plans to use his TTx to travel among 32 Watermark properties throughout the country.
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