No one could blame the Cessna TTX for having a bit of an identity crisis. This latest iteration is the fourth name change for the aircraft (and is technically written TTX). It also bears a striking resemblance to the Cirrus SR aircraft, which outnumber it better than 10 to one.
Today’s TTX started life as the Columbia. This was a certified aircraft from kit company Lancair, whose fiberglass aerial hotrods topped 300 knots on a like quantity of horsepower with wings the size of boogie boards. The Columbia leveraged that expertise, but was a clean-sheet design. The final results were impressive: Terrific low-speed handling with a 59-knot Vso while still topping 200 knots at altitude, and impressive crashworthiness (see www.niar.wichita.edu/agate/ and scroll down to the videos).