Textron Aviation has flown the Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen3 prototype for the first time, moving the light jet into certification testing. The nearly two-hour sortie lifted off from Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport with Steve Helmer and Dave Welbrock at the controls, reaching 41,000 feet and 278 knots indicated while the team checked cockpit software. The flight places the CJ3 Gen3 alongside the CJ4 Gen3 and M2 Gen3 in Textron’s active test campaign, a sign that the company is pushing its next-generation Citation line through validation in parallel. Textron has not published a certification or entry-into-service date for the CJ3 Gen3.