Cessna Citation Mustang Wins Full FAA Certification.

WICHITA, Kan. -- Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, reported the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted type certification (TC) to Cessna's Citation Mustang, making it the world's first fully certified, new-generation entry level business jet.

"This is an immense achievement, marking another point in history where Cessna has led the aviation industry into new territory," said Cessna Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Jack Pelton.

"The Citation Mustang will bring the benefits of jet ownership to more people than ever before, and I cannot say enough about the team that made this happen," Pelton continued. "I'd like to extend my deepest congratulations and appreciation to the talented Cessna employees, our world-class suppliers, and the dedicated FAA certification team who took on this mission as passionately and personally as any program I've seen. The Citation Mustang has met or exceeded every performance objective established when we announced the program in 2002. We accomplished what we said we were going to accomplish, and we beat the schedule doing it. I think everyone will agree the final product our team created - in its polished fit, finish and performance - sets the highest standard for what this new generation of aircraft will be."

"Cessna's commitment to safety is evident in the Mustang, as it is in our entire fleet of aircraft," Pelton said. "We met or exceeded all the requirements for the Mustang's weight class, and went on to test the aircraft in many categories to commercial airliner standards. The Citation Mustang was successfully tested to five airframe lifetimes, well past the required two lifetimes of testing, and was designed for an unlimited airframe lifetime. During flight testing, we successfully achieved more than 2,200 certification test conditions, meeting or exceeding all our program performance goals, including range and speed. There is no question the Mustang represents a first-class Cessna Citation business jet in every way."

FAA type certification for the Mustang includes single-pilot operation, day/night operations, visual and instrument flight rules (VFR/IFR), and operations in reduced vertical separation minimum (RVSM) airspace.

"While not required for full TC, we'll be cleared for flight into known icing conditions in the next couple of weeks, well before our deliveries to customers start early next year," Pelton said. "The majority of that testing is complete, and the final test conditions will be flown over the next few weeks as natural icing conditions materialize with cooler Autumn weather."

The fully functional Garmin G1000 equipped Citation Mustang includes an integrated, dual-channel fail passive digital autopilot, and is the first aircraft with an integrated flight deck that is certified to take advantage of WAAS navigation features including WAAS LPV approaches that provide both lateral and vertical guidance. The Garmin G1000 avionics suite also includes a new feature called SafeTaxi(TM) that gives a graphical representation of the aircraft on the ground in the airport environment.

The Citation Mustang is assembled at Cessna's facility in Independence, Kansas, also home to the company's line of single-engine piston aircraft (Models 172, 182 and 206). Cessna's facilities in Wichita, Kansas, and Columbus, Georgia, produce components for the Mustang.

Cessna currently has 250 orders for the Mustang, selling out production well into 2009. With TC now in hand, Cessna plans to enhance its sales and marketing efforts by increasing its domestic and international sales force, conducting intensive demonstration tours with multiple aircraft on a worldwide basis, and stepping up its marketing campaign in response to the high level of interest in the Citation Mustang expressed by customers globally.

The six-place Citation Mustang has a top speed of 340 knots true air speed (nearly 400 miles per hour), a range of 1,150 nautical miles (1323 statute miles/2130 km - NBAA IFR Reserves) and a service ceiling of 41,000 feet (12,500m) - well-suited for getting above weather and commercial traffic for more efficient operations.

Based on unit sales, Cessna Aircraft Company is the world's largest manufacturer of general aviation airplanes. In 2005, Cessna delivered 1,157 aircraft and reported revenues of about $3.5 billion. Since the company was originally established in 1927, more than 187,000 Cessna airplanes have been delivered to nearly every country in the world. The global fleet of more than 4,500 Citations is the largest fleet of business jets in the world. More information about Cessna Aircraft Company is available at www.cessna.com.

Textron Inc. is a $10 billion multi-industry company operating in 33 countries with approximately 37,000 employees. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO and Greenlee, among others. More information is available at www.textron.com.