The Cessna Citation Ascend test-bed aircraft is out there gracing the skies over Wichita, Kansas, but the newest midsize business jet from the Citation 560 XL line is not yet ready for prime time in its aircraft form. So, the wizards at Textron Aviation’s marketing division have put together a mock-up of the airplane that will travel next week to the National Business Aviation Association’s Business Aviation Conference and Expo in Las Vegas.Â
The NBAA-BACE will run from October 17 through 20 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, with the aircraft and mock-ups on view at the static display at Henderson Executive Airport (KHND) to the south of downtown Vegas.
FLYING previewed the shiny new mock-up in a special media day event in Wichita a couple of weeks ago. And though we couldn’t see the updates to the Garmin G5000 flight deck—including autothrottle and synthetic vision, and increased available thrust to the Pratt & Whitney PW545D powerplants—we could experience the new flat floor and other elements of the major interior redesign that the Ascend promises. These include use of sustainable and natural materials throughout the cabin, as well as 15 percent larger windows and upgraded seats.
