NetJets Receives Its First Cessna Citation Longitude from Textron Aviation

By Frank Wolfe | January 7, 2020
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NetJets received its first Cessna Citation Longitude, which features the Garmin 5000 avionics suite, from Textron Aviation on Dec. 31. Photo: Textron Aviation

Berkshire Hathaway-owned NetJets received its first Cessna Citation Longitude on Dec. 31, Textron Aviation announced on Jan. 6.

The super-midsize business jet is expected to enter service with NetJets early this year. Ron Draper, the CEO of Textron Aviation, said that the Longitude “is already redefining its category and will join the Citation Latitude as fleet favorites for NetJets owners.”

The Longitude’s Garmin G5000 avionics features touch-screen control, auto throttles with emergency descent mode (EDM), an enhanced vision system, integrated autopilot, and an optional Heads Up Display (HUD). The Longitude is Textron Aviation’s fourth business jet with the G5000 system. The other aircraft are the Sovereign+, the Latitude, and the Citation X+, which is no longer in production.

At last October’s annual National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) conference, Textron Aviation showcased the newly certified Longitude.

At the conference, Draper told Avionics International that while the Federal Aviation Administration certified the Citation Longitude for 3G connectivity, Textron Aviation is moving toward giving the Longitude Gogo AVANCE 4G network capabilities.

Textron Aviation said at NBAA that it has received supplemental type certificate (STC) approval for the Gogo AVANCE L5 4G connectivity system upgrade for its Cessna Citation X+, Citation Sovereign+ and Citation Latitude business jets. The STC expands the company’s Approved Model List (AML) to include eight Citation business jet models.

With Gogo AVANCE L5 4G connectivity, passengers can take advantage of movie, television and music streaming entertainment, as well as video conferences and meetings, and aircraft crew members can use the service to pull real-time data for cockpit applications, according to Textron Aviation.

Gogo is also developing new antennas and modems designed to enable its fifth generation in-flight connectivity 5G air-to-ground (ATG) network by 2021.

The company said that it will continue to operate the existing 3G and 4G ATG networks throughout U.S. and Canadian airspace alongside the future fifth generation network.

While Gogo is not targeting aviation segments outside of commercial airlines and charter operators for 5G, the company has said that there are military aircraft using Gogo’s ATG technology for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) applications that could use Gogo’s future 5G network for that purpose.

NetJets’ Longitude features a standard double-club configuration of eight fully breathable seats, and “state-of-the-art cabin technology empowers passengers to manage their environment and entertainment from any mobile device, while in-flight internet maximizes productivity,” Textron Aviation said.

Adam Johnson, the CEO of NetJets, said in a statement that “the innovations of the Citation Longitude make it the most enjoyable flight imaginable.”

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