Textron Aviation has secured steep-approach approvals from the European and US civil aviation authorities for its Cessna Citation Latitude and Sovereign+ business jets.
The certifications grant approach angles of up to 6.65°, giving operators of the midsize twins access to a wider selection of airports, including London City and Lugano in southern Switzerland.
Rob Scholl, Textron Aviation’s senior vice-president, sales and marketing, believes the steep-approach capability – now standard on both models – will be particularly useful for customers flying in Europe, where, “terrain or environmental regulations” often require this increased capability.
Textron Aviation
The approach glidepath angle to land at most airports is a steady 3°, Textron says, but Lugano airport’s location in the mouth of a valley requires a very steep 6.65° descent profile, while to meet London City’s stringent noise abatement standards, the airport requires aircraft to descend at an accelerated 5.5° angle.
Source: Flight International
