Photograph:
Cessna 680 Sovereign VH-EXG (c/n 680-0072) at the Australian International Air Show at Avalon, VIC in 2013 (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
United States of America
Description:
Business and executive jet
Power Plant:
Two 5,690 lbst Pratt & Whitney Canada PW306C turbofans
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 19.24 m (63 ft 1 in)
- Length: 18.81 m (61 ft 8 in)
- Height: 5.85 m (19 ft 2 in)
- Wing area: 47.4 m² (510.214 sq ft)
- Max cruising speed at 10,668 m (35,000 ft): 821 km/h (510 mph)
- Certificated ceiling: 14,326 m (47,000ft)
- Cruising altitude: 10,700 m (35,105 ft)
- Time to 13,106 m (43,000 ft): 26 mins
- Initial rate of climb: 282 m/min (924 ft/min)
- Max range: 5,222 km (3,245 miles)
- Range with 8 passengers and full fuel: 4,820 km (2,995 miles)
- Take-off run: 1,091 m (3,579 ft)
- Landing run: 808 m (2,651 ft)
- Empty weight: 8,029 kg (17,700 lb)
- Max payload: 1,134 kg (2,500 lb)
- Loaded weight: 13,608 kg (30,000 lb)
History:
The Cessna 680 Sovereign was designed as a mid-size corporate business aircraft aimed at replacing aircraft such as the Dassault Falcon 10, IAI Westwind and North American Sabreliner in the market. Based on the Cessna Citation Excel, the new design was revealed to the public at the 1998 National Business Aircraft Association (NBAA) Convention in Las Vegas in Nevada.
The aircraft was aimed at the market between the Excel/XLS and the Citation X. Basically it used the Excel’s fuselage stretched by 1.5 m (4 ft 9 in) with a typical cabin configuration of eight passengers and a crew of two, with a high density capacity of twelve. The first aircraft flew on 27 February 2002 and FAA certification was awarded in June 2004. Power was provided by two FADEC-controlled Pratt & Whitney PW 306C engines.
The swept wing was a new supercritical design, the horizontal stabilizer also being swept. The aircraft could operate from 1,220 m (4,000 ft) runways at max take-off weight. The cockpit was fitted with a Honeywell Epic CDS avionics suite and had four colour flat panel liquid crystal displays, a digital dual channel autopilot and flight director, dual long-range navigation systems and dual attitude/heading reference systems.
By March 2007 three examples had been registered in Australia, comprising: VH-EXA (c/n 680-0027) registered to Wellard Aviation of Perth, WA operated by Executive Airlines and based in Perth; VH-EXG (c/n 680-0072) registered to Melbourne Air Holdings and operated by Executive Airlines from Essendon, VIC; and VH-EXQ (c/n 680-0129) also registered to Wellard Aviation of Fremantle, WA on 15 February 2007. In mid-2014 an example became VH-PYN (c/n 680-0262) to Gulf Aircraft Pty Ltd of Gatton, QLD.
A further aircraft became VH-FPL² (c/n 680-0250 – ex N680JG, N52315) with Twentieth Super Pace Nominees Pty Ltd of Southport, QLD but was struck off the register on 21 May 2018 when it was exported to New Zealand where it became ZK-RXD with Skyline Aviation, being registered on 22 May 2018. This latter aircraft was operated by the New Zealand Air Ambulance Service (NZAAS) and Skyline Aviation Ltd providing aeromedical services in Australasia. This organisation held the Starship National Air Ambulance contract operation with a number of aircraft. It served the Pacific islands and charter market, the fleet being based at Napier.
In November 2009 a Model 680 Sovereign became ZK-JTH (c/n 680-0058 – ex N121TL) with Pacific Jets Ltd of Christchurch, NZ.