Unveiled in 2012 and FAA certified in 2019, the Cessna Citation Longitude is Cessna’s largest and most technologically advanced business jet. It has a great range, advanced avionics, and a luxurious cabin, attributes that make flying a unique experience for the pilots and the passengers. The Longitude has a range of 3,500 nautical miles and this makes it convenient for it to undertake transcontinental flights.

The Citation Longitude has a large cabin that’s 25 feet 2 inches in length and 6 feet 5 inches in width. This results in sufficient space for up to 12 passengers in a comfortable double club configuration. The cabin has a unique sound proofing system that makes the environment quiet and comfortable for passengers to sleep, work or have fun.

Design and Dimensions

The Cessna stretched the Latitude’s fuselage and aluminum air frame into the Citation Longitude, allowing the jet to accommodate an additional seat row for a total capacity of 8 to 12 passengers.

cessna citation longitude tail

Photo: BAHADIR ARAL AVCI | Shutterstock

Key Dimensions

  • Length: 73 ft 2 in (22.30 m)
  • Wingspan: 68 ft 11 in (21.01 m)
  • Height: 19 ft 5 in (5.92 m)
  • Cabin Length: 25 ft (7.6 m)
  • Cabin Height: 6 ft (1.83 m)
  • Cabin Width: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)

For the purpose of improving aerodynamic performance, Cessna used T-tail empennage with moderately swept wings with a quarter-chord sweep angle of approximately 28°. The design also plays a part in the aircraft achieving a range of approximately 3,500 nautical miles.

Performance

The Cessna Citation Longitude boasts impressive performance capabilities with:

  • Range of 3,500 nm with 4 passengers
  • Max cruise speed of Mach 0.84 (483 KTAS)
  • Service Ceiling of 45,000 ft

The jet is equipped with two Honeywell HTF7700L turbofan engines, each of which delivers 7,665 lbs of thrust. These engines enable the aircraft to cruise at high altitudes and high speeds to meet deadlines.

The Citation Longitude is a transcontinental and transoceanic aircraft in the super-midsize jet class due to its long range, high cruise speed, and incredible altitude capabilities.

Cabin and Comfort

This jet comes with a flat-floor cabin that is 6 feet high to ensure that passengers enjoy the best leg space in the market. This design enables the passengers to move around the cabin freely, thus improving the overall travel experience.

Inside the main cabin of a Cessna Citation Longitude.

Photo: Cessna

It also has unique noise reduction techniques, which makes it the most silent cabin in the segment. This feature offers passengers a quiet place for relaxation and productivity. The passengers enjoy a modern wireless cabin management system that allows them to control various aspects of their environment directly from their personal devices, which includes adjusting:

  • Lighting
  • Temperature
  • Window shades, and
  • Accessing entertainment options like movies and music

The Cessna Citation Longitude is a large, quiet, and technologically-advanced business jet that offers a superior flying experience.

Avionics and Technology

The Cessna Citation Longitude is installed with the modern Garmin G5000 cockpit display system that includes:

  • Four large hi-res LCD displays
  • Four touchscreen controllers for complete control of navigation and communication systems
  • Fully integrated autothrottles
  • Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT) for enhanced situational awareness
  • Optional Head-Up Display (HUD) and Enhanced Vision System (EVS)
Glass cockpit of a Cessna Citation Mustang aircraft.

The spacious cockpit has a design that’s centered on the comfort of the crew and ease of use with better access to controls. Other advanced avionic suite capabilities include:

  • Synthetic Vision Guidance System (SVGS) for approach minima as low as 150 ft
  • 3D exocentric view of the airport environment for enhanced situational awareness while taxiing
  • Cockpit Display of Traffic Information (CDTI) Assisted Visual Separation (CAVS) using ADS-B In data
  • Surface Surveillance Indication and Alert (SURF IA) to provide alerts for occupied runways

This jet is fitted with LinxUs software, an onboard diagnostic system that offers real-time maintenance reports from Cessna. In addition, the aircraft’s long maintenance intervals of 800 hours or 18 months guarantees that everything runs smoothly.

The Garmin G5000 avionics suite also enhances pilot performance through its advanced safety features, which include:

  • Underspeed Protection (USP) automatically prevents stall conditions by leveling the wings if the aircraft approaches stall speeds, enhancing safety during critical phases of flight.
  • Emergency Descent Mode (EDM) that autonomously descends the aircraft to a safe altitude in case of cabin pressurization loss, further safeguarding the crew and passengers.

The suite also has other enhanced navigation and monitoring capabilities, such as Stabilized Approach Monitoring and Reactive Windshear Detection that give real-time signals to ensure safe flying conditions during approach and landing. The Automatic Flight Control System (AFCS) provides accurate control throughout the flight envelope and enables pilots to concentrate on general flight control instead of manual controls.

Efficiency and Cost

The Cessna Citation Longitude is known for its operating cost and affordability in the super-midsize jet category. One of the most attractive aspects of the model is the maintenance intervals, which are best-in-class. This longer interval decreases the time that’s lost and increases its operational availability as compared to many of its competitors.

In terms of cost, the Longitude has low direct operating costs, which are estimated to be approximately $2,455 per flight hour, which makes it the most cost-effective aircraft in its class. This cost is relatively lower than the other super-midsize jets, and this makes the owners get the most out of their investment in operations.

In addition, this jet has fewer checklists before a flight than other competing models, with 35 fewer items. This reduction optimizes processes and also leads to quicker turnaround times, which is beneficial for business aviation users.

Cessna Citation Longitude Operator and Orders

With these outstanding features, the Longitude has attracted the attention of major aviation operators. Among them is NetJets, who have made significant commitments to expand their fleets with this aircraft. In September 2023, Textron Aviation and NetJets announced a record-breaking agreement that allows NetJets to purchase up to 1,500 Cessna Citation jets over the next 15 years, which includes the Longitude among other models.

Since its certification in 2019, 100 Citation Longitudes have been delivered as of May 2023. This marks a notable achievement for Cessna in the super-midsize jet market, demonstrating strong demand for the aircraft.

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