The Cessna Citation Excel has been the workhorse for the NetJets fleet over its lifetime.
GARMIN G5000/CESSNA CITATION EXCEL
In addition to the announcement on the GI 275, Gar- min also said it was working with European regulators to gain permission for EASA-certificated operators to install the G5000 integrated avionics suite on the Cessna Cita- tion Excel and Citation XLS. Since Garmin launched the Cessna Citation Excel and Citation XLS G5000 modern- ization program three years ago, more than 100 Excel and XLS aircraft have added the avionics package, and now European operators will benefit once the integration is ap- proved. The three landscape-oriented displays give pilots added situational awareness and additional capabilities. Finally, Piper Aircraft, which also exhibited at the con- ference, shared an update to say that the touchscreen Gar- min G3000 and the software innovation for that avion- ics suite featured in Piper’s flagship M600/SLS was a big boost for safety. Some of the latest G3000 upgrades in the M600/SLS include enhancements to the synthetic vision system, weather radar, navigation, flight planning, check- lists, and SafeTaxi. Though the G3000 isn’t available com- mercially for retrofits, Piper’s confirmation is a testament to the role of advanced avionics in improving both the life- time and ease of operation for these airplanes. Even the new HondaJet Elite II, which the OEM an- nounced that same week, boasted the updated G3000 would be equipped with autothrottles. To that end, the new model would have Garmin’s emergency system, Au-
toland, as a standard feature when it ships. It speaks to the bigger trend at play. When the Aircraft Electronics Associ- ation shared its six-month Avionics Market Report in Au- gust, it said owners and operators spent more than $615 million on retrofits, including flight deck upgrades and other electronics, antennas, and so forth. That represented more than 45 percent of all the avionic sales it recorded, compiled with data from more than 1,300 member com- panies. That means aircraft owners and operators are find- ing new ways to stretch the lifetime of their aircraft by tapping into these avionics upgrades. That’s easier to do than airframe or powerplant upgrades, since those technologies progress much slower and suffer from more restrictions. As Alpiser explained, “avionics upgrade technology has accelerated over the recent decades. In regards to the GI 275, it embodies that spirit because it packs many ca- pabilities into a smaller space.” Moreover, pilots now have an added layer of safe- ty that comes from the reduced workload Alpiser says these upgrades offer. “Adding safety to the cock- pit is a huge driver of upgrades and modernization. Adding safety-enhancing technology, like synthetic vision or additional data fields, can help make you a better pilot.”
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