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| The Cessna Citation Latitude. Photo: Textron |
[Avionics Today 10-03-2014] Cessna announced the Citation Latitude flight test program has yielded improvements in expected aircraft range and runway performance, with the aircraft specification being changed to reflect an increase of 200 nautical miles (nm) in range at long-range cruise. This brings the total range to 2,700 nm, with runway tests also performing better than expected with takeoff distance now at 3668 feet, rather than 4,030 feet in prior projections.
The Citation Latitude certification program is about two-thirds complete, according to Scott Ernest, the president and CEO of Textron Aviation. The test program has now amassed more than 600 flight hours on more than 260 flights. 

Furthermore, Cessna has introduced a fourth aircraft into the Latitude certification program. During the 2.5-hour first flight for Serial 003, the crew successfully completed the standard production flight test profile.
The first fully-configured Citation Latitude will make its public debut at the 2014 National Business Aviation Association’s (NBAA) annual meeting in Orlando, Fla., this month, three years after the program launched. Certification is expected in the second quarter of 2015.