Cessna Expands Product Line, Delivers First Encore+

The first Cessna Citation Encore+ was delivered last week, nearly five months after receiving FAA type certification. The company expects to deliver another 24 by year-end, although it won’t divulge the number of airplanes ordered thus far. The $8.1 million business jet seats between seven and 11 passengers and is equipped with FADEC Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) PW535B engines, the newest member of P&WC’s PW500 line. The newest Encore also has more payload and new interior features. The full-fuel payload is now 1,170 pounds, 340 pounds more than the Encore’s, and the Encore+ has an extended range of 1,780 nm and a cruise speed of 428 knots. “The biggest change is the avionics,” said a Cessna spokeswoman. The Collins Pro Line 21 suite includes electronic charting, graphical weather and enhanced mapping capabilities, TCAS II, enhanced ground proximity warning system and XM broadcast graphical weather with Nexrad data.