Customer Advisory Board Plays Key Role In New Cessna Citation CJ4 Gen2 Development

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Cessna’s new CJ4 Gen2 light jet is certified for single-pilot operation and seats up to 10 passengers. It has a 2,165-nautical-mile maximum flight range and a max cruise speed of 451 ktas. (Photo courtesy of Textron Aviation.)

If you’re interested in what impact customer input can have on an aircraft’s final result, Textron Aviation has a video concerning its new Cessna Citation CJ4 Gen2 light jet you might find interesting. An upgrade to the CJ4, the CJ4 Gen2 is the result of collaboration between Textron’s interiors and engineering teams and the members of a customer advisory board.

“Here’s an organization that wasn’t just asking questions. They were listening to the answers,” says Randy Broiles, customer advisory board member. “I’m impressed that they used as many of our ideas as they did.”

All You Loved & More

Textron Aviation project engineer and program manager Ryan Sanders says nearly every design inspiration for the CJ4 Gen2 was a direct result of the collaboration. “Our mission at Textron Aviation is to provide our customers with the best aviation experience possible,” he says. “This plane takes everything that you already loved about the CJ4, whether it was reliability or performance or speed, and adds modernization to it.”

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The new Citation CJ4 Gen2 is available in several interior design options, including Standard, Standard Premium Collection, Optional Couch, and Optional Couch Premier Collection. Main cabin options include a folding single seat or folding two-place couch. (Photo courtesy of Textron Aviation.)

The enhanced modernization results in a more intuitive user experience, such as an onboard media server and an upgraded wireless Cabin Management System that enables video and audio streaming, XM Satellite Radio access, and viewable moving maps, all of which are controllable by passengers’ mobile devices. Passengers can also control cabin lighting, windows shades, and cabin temperature from their devices, which they can charge using the USB ports available in each seat.

Lighting The Way

The CJ4 Gen2 features enhanced ambiance lighting throughout the interior, including in the pockets, sidewalls, floors, and cupholders. The jet is also the first Citation with CoolView lavatory skylights that provide natural lighting. The lavatory also has a new vanity and sink if choosing the Premier Collection design option available. “They really wanted our ideas,” says Cindy Broiles, customer advisory board member. “We wanted a little sink. We got a little sink that looks fabulous.”

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One of the first upgrades that CJ4 Gen2 passengers will notice with the new light jet is its lighted air stair and handrail. (Photo courtesy of Textron Aviation.)

Before boarding, passengers will notice new stairs offer a lower entry point, a new handrail, and customizable logo light. Advisory board member Stuart Fred says the air stair was a key inclusion for board members. “Walking up the stairs for the first time in the CJ4 after seeing that beautiful step—you’ve arrived,” he says. Seating options include a folding single seat, fixed two-place couch, and folding two-place couch with hidden storage space. “Having the ability to lay the seat back flat, that was one of the big improvements,” Fred says. “I was blown away with the quality of the interior in particular.”

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Source: Textron Aviation