Cessna’s first CJ3 manufactured on the production line has rolled out the door at its Wichita, Kansas, production facility. Announced at the 2002 NBAA convention, the CJ3 is positioned for type certification in mid-2004.

Certification flight-testing for the CJ3 has reached more than 567.8 hours in 345 flights. Cessna recently finished induced icing development and certification flights, and has begun flights in natural icing.

The CJ3 airframe undergoing static testing has successfully completed more than 200 certified test conditions. Of those tests, Cessna says one of the most significant was the ultimate load test.

One of the major tests nearing completion is on the landing gear. So far, the company has achieved 105,000 out of the scheduled 120,000 hours, or five life cycles, on the landing gear test article.

Designed for single pilot operation, the CJ3’s maximum cruise speed is 417 knots at 33,000 feet. With two pilots, full fuel, four passengers and baggage, the CJ3 offers an IFR range of 1,771nm.