The first Cessna TTx customers flew their new wings home from the factory in Independence, Kan., in the last week of June, Cessna Aircraft Co. announced July 1.
The fastest certified piston single in the world, the TTx can churn out 238 KTAS under ideal conditions, with a ceiling of 25,000 feet and optional anti-icing system certified for flight into known icing conditions (FIKI).
The all-composite TTx “is designed for advanced pilots with advanced technology and greater comfort in mind,” the company noted in a news release. AOPA Editor in Chief Thomas B. Haines got a chance to fly the new “X” last year, and noted somewhat slower speeds in his flight test report, though still a very respectable 192 knots down at 12,000 feet.
Direct-drive flight controls manipulated with a sidestick make the TTx “feel more like a fighter than a piston-powered, fixed-gear, four-place business flier,” Haines wrote.
Cessna announced that business flier David Barnes, CEO of Watermark Retirement Communities, was among the first customers, and he plans to fly his TTx between the 32 Watermark properties throughout the country.
The $734,000 base price (technically, $733,950, a company spokesman noted) does not include options such as a TKS system for flight into known icing (FIKI), which will set a buyer back another $49,500.
Filling the tanks to their 102-gallon capacity will set a pilot back to 377 pounds remaining for people and baggage, though Haines was able to elicit 180 knots at 12,000 feet (lean of peak) burning 15.5 gph, so fuel can be traded for passengers or gear while still retaining respectable range.
A video of Haines' flight in the TTx is available here.
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