Cessna Citation Latitude: specifications and range

The Latitude entered service on 27 August 2015, and by May 2024 some 400 had been built. Midsize class: up to nine passengers, 5,000 km of range, a cabin 1.83 metres high with a flat floor. Below are the book figures for the type and what each of them means on a route and during the inspection of a particular aircraft.

Specifications

Full data and photos are on the model page.

Range: what 5,000 km covers

The book 5,000 km means 2,700 nautical miles with four passengers in still air. Nine people with full baggage and a headwind shrink that number.

From Moscow a single leg covers the European capitals, Istanbul, the Middle East, the Urals and Western Siberia. The Russian Far East and the Atlantic need a technical stop.

A route close to the book range is planned from the start with an alternate and a likely fuel stop. The figure in the manual and the figure in the flight plan differ.

The maximum 826 km/h and the 682 km/h long-range setting are two different missions on one aircraft. On a long leg you choose between getting there non-stop and getting there sooner; on a short leg the difference between the settings disappears in the climb and descent.

Cabin: 1.83 m and a flat floor

Cabin height is 1.83 m, width 1.96 m, and the floor is flat along the whole length. This was the first midsize Citation with such a cabin: the Latitude received a fuselage of circular cross-section, and that is the main difference between the type and its predecessors.

In practice a passenger up to 183 cm tall walks through the cabin upright. The flat floor removes the step between the seats and the aisle, and on a four-hour leg with a few trips down the cabin you feel the difference physically.

Factory layouts run from 6 to 9 seats with a club area. Separate versions were built as air ambulances and for government operators; such aircraft later reach the pre-owned market and need a separate assessment of the interior.

Engines, ceiling and the origin of the type

The Latitude is built on the Citation Sovereign. It inherited the wing, the tail and the PW306D1 engines; the fuselage is new. The type was announced in October 2011 at NBAA, first flew on 18 February 2014 in Wichita, and received FAA certification on 5 June 2015.

Inheriting systems from an aircraft in production since 2004 works for the buyer: by the time the Latitude launched, the PW306 had already proven itself in the Sovereign fleet, and the service network for it was in place.

The 13,716 m service ceiling is 45,000 ft, above most airline traffic. That means going over weather and fewer restrictions on busy routes.

A maximum takeoff weight of 13,971 kg sets the range of usable airports and the level of charges. For the midsize class this is a workable number: business aviation airports accept it without reservations.

The type on the market: why there are so many

By mid-September 2018 Textron said the Latitude was outselling its competitors four to one. The largest customer is NetJets: a firm order for 25 aircraft plus 125 options, and 54 aircraft delivered by June 2018 for operations in the US and Europe.

For a buyer, a large fleet means three things: choice on the pre-owned market, available maintenance and type-rated crews, and a predictable exit from the asset. The type is widely used in charter and fractional ownership, and part of the fleet comes to market from those programmes with a dense, well-documented history.

The model was developed into the Citation Longitude (Model 700): a longer fuselage, a new wing and Honeywell engines. The Longitude inherited the circular section and the flat floor from the Latitude; the cabin architecture started here.

What to check on a particular aircraft

Hours and landings as separate figures for the airframe and for each engine. The midsize class flies a lot of two- and three-hour legs, and with equal hours two aircraft can differ several times over in the number of cycles. Airframe and landing gear life is consumed by cycles.

Calendar inspections. They come due by date regardless of flying. An aircraft that sat for several years with few hours costs more to bring back into shape than one that flew actively.

Status of the engine hourly programme. The programme name, coverage level, date of the last payment and the terms of transfer to a new owner. A gap in enrolment ends coverage, and reinstatement costs more than continuous enrolment.

Flight deck and communications. The communications and surveillance fit varies by year of build and by the first owner's order. Ask for the list of equipment actually installed according to the aircraft's documents and compare it with the requirements of the airspace you plan to fly in. Retrofits are a separate budget and weeks of downtime.

Cabin configuration. Ambulance and special layouts are returned to passenger configuration for separate money. A neutral interior sells faster than a bright custom one.

Records. Airframe hours reconciled with engines and components, completed airworthiness directives and service bulletins, proven origin of replaced parts. Every gap turns into a discount at the next sale.

Conclusion

The Latitude holds its place in the midsize class through a combination: a 1.83 m cabin with a flat floor, 5,000 km of range, a 45,000 ft ceiling and systems inherited from the long-proven Sovereign. The type is widespread, the fleet is young, the service network is in place.

The value of a particular aircraft is set by year of build, hours and landings, remaining engine life, programme status and the state of the records. How these add up to a price and an annual budget is the subject of the second part, published tomorrow. Where the type sits among the classes and which aircraft stand next to it is covered in the review of business jet categories.

The figures in this article are the type's book data. The performance of a particular aircraft is calculated from its documents, hours and specification.

Alexander Filimonov — business aviation: sourcing, purchase and entry into service of aircraft.

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