Cessna 350 and 400

Formerly known as Columbia 350 and 400 aircraft when they were first introduced in 2002, the now Cessna 350 and Cessna 400 respectively are manufactured by Cessna following the company's auction purchase of the Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Company from the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Oregon in November, 2007.

Cessna claims that the Cessna 400 is the fastest fixed-gear single-engine piston aircraft on the market today, citing the 400's maximum cruise speed of 435.2km/h. The Cessna 350 and 400 models airframes, including the control surfaces, are entirely made from fibreglass and carbon fibre, the landing gear and the engine mount are the only primary structures manufactured in steel.

The 400 model is equipped with a twin turbocharger intercooled Teledyne Continental TSIO-550-C, which enables it to cruise at 435km/h at heights up to 7,620m; the 400 has a built-in standard four-place oxygen system.

Features incorporated into both the 350 and 400 models include, speed brakes, bleed air heat, dual alternators, dual primary electric power busses, dual batteries, two and three-axis trim and side-stick controls.

The Cessna 350 and 400 are both certified to the requirements of US FAA Federal Aviation Regulation Part 23 through amendment 23-46, including day, night, VFR (visual flight rules) and IFR (instrument flight rules). As of July 2008, Cessna had delivered 150 350 and 400s. It achieved European Aircraft Safety Agency (EASA) certification in February 2009. Cessna’s model 350 is spin resistant while the 400 model is spin recoverable.

Single-piston engine

The Cessna 350 is powered by a Teledyne Continental IO-550-N single piston engine developing 231.16kW at 2,700rpm driving a constant speed three-blade McCauley metal propeller with blade heaters.

The slightly larger Cessna 400 is powered by a Teledyne Continental TSIO-550-C single piston engine developing 231.16kW at 2,600rpm driving a constant-speed three-blade Hartzell metal propeller with blade heaters.

Flight deck

The flight and engine control for both the Cessna 350 and 400 is displayed by the Garmin G1000 avionics system in a split screen format, which includes features such as, a GEA-71 engine / airframe computer, a GDL-69A flight information system (FIS) w/XM radio and an Artex ELT-ME406 emergency locator transmitter.

Cabin

The 5.49m³ 350 and 400 cabin has one pilot seat, one co-pilot / passenger seat and two rear passenger seats. The cabin is accessed via a 0.838m-high by 0.838m-wide door; there is a 1.13m³ baggage compartment area situated behind the rear seats.

The cabin features digital climate control and remote keyless entry with step lights.

Performance

The maximum speed of the Cessna 350 and 400 is 354km/h and 435km/h respectively. The range of Cessna 350 is 2,583km and that of and Cessna 400 is 2,315km. Both aircraft weigh around 1,157kg. The maximum take-off weight of the Cessna 350 is 1,542kg and it is 1,633kg for Cessna 400