Powered Controls

Another first for Cessna is the inclusion of powered controls in the Citation X. The controls are powered by dual-hydraulic systems for redundancy. There are two elevators and the tailplane is all-moving for trim. The rudder is in two pieces: the lower portion is hydraulically-powered and the upper portion is electrically-powered. Each wing has five spoiler panels, to be used both for roll control (in addition to the ailerons) and as speed brakes. One of the major challenges of the Citation X design was finding enough space in the wing to run all the necessary hydraulic lines. As Paul Kalberer, the chief engineer of the Citation X program, explained, the Citation X needs just as many hydraulic pumps and actuators as a Boeing aircraft, but has much less space inside the wings.

Avionics

Honeywell provides the avionics system. The Honeywell Primus 2000 flight director system is composed of five 7 x 8 inch LCD screens. Dual flight management systems with GPS are standard.

Key performance figures

Cessna advertises the Citation X as the fastest business aircraft available. It has a top speed of Mach 0.92, which at its normal flight altitude of 43000 feet (13 km) is about 510 knots (945 km/h). Since the retirement of the Concorde, no civil aircraft flies at a higher Mach number. The Citation X has a range of about 3300 nautical miles (6,100 km), although this requires less than full payload (only one or two passengers) and a cruise Mach number of 0.82. It can easily travel between any two points in the continental United States, such as New York to Los Angeles, a distance of 2139 nautical miles (3,961 km). The Citation X can only perform a limited number of transatlantic routes, such as New York - Paris, a distance of 3159 nautical miles (5850 km), and is incapable of transpacific flights. The range decreases as the Mach number increases beyond 0.82, meaning customers are forced to choose between speed and range. The Citation X takes off in 5140 feet (1567 m) and lands in 3400 feet (1036 m). It has good fuel consumption, burning the same amount of fuel at Mach 0.9 that its competitors burn at Mach 0.8, due to its efficient engines and low-drag configuration. Another key accomplishment is the 70 knot (130 km/h) buffet margin (that is, the difference in speed between the stall buffet and the high-speed buffet). Many transonic airplanes at high altitudes have the stall buffet speed only 5 knots (9 km/h) below the high-speed buffet. The Citation X's wide margin allows for steep turns at high altitudes, which can be useful in emergency maneuvering. The wide margin also means that the speed does not have to be maintained at a precise value for safe operation of the airplane.

• Weight empty (typically equipped) - 21,600 lb (9,800 kg)
• Max fuel weight - 12,931 lb
• Max T-O weight - 36,100 lb
• Max ramp weight - 36,400 lb
• Max landing weight - 31,800 lb
• Max zero-fuel weight - 24,400 lb
• Max wing loading - 68.50 lb/ft²
• Max power loading - 2.67 lb/lb st
• Max operating Mach No. (MMO) - 0.92
• S/L to FL080 - 270 kt
• FL080 to FL306 - 350 kt
• Max cruising Mach Number, mid-cruise weight at FL370 - 0.91
• Max cruising speed at FL350 - 525 kt
• Max rate of climb at S/L - 3,650 ft/min
• Max certified altitude - 51,000 ft
• T-O balanced field length (FAR Pt 25) - 5,140 ft
• FAR Part 25 landing field length - 3,400 ft
• IFR range with two crew, M0.82 - 3,216 n miles

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.