Your Business Aviation Resource & Marketplace 2023 | Vol. 33, No. 3
CESSNA Citation Ascend
INSIDE
What’s happening in business aviation
3 Questions: Dassault’s Carlos Brana
Cessna Citation Ascend on the Horizon
Think Tank Misses the Beat on Business Aviation
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Editorial Features
14
Taxi Out: What’s happening in business aviation
18
3 Questions: Dassault Aviation's Carlos Brana
20
Cessna Citation Ascend on the Horizon by Fred George
36
Think Tank Misses the Beat on Business Aviation by Michael Wildes
AD INDEX:
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Volume 33 | Issue 3 | 2023
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Julie Boatman
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Amy Jo Sledge
COPY EDITOR Travis Tingle
DESIGN & PRODUCTION Amy Deal
CONTRIBUTORS Fred George Michael Wildes
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2020 Boeing BBJ Max 8
2017 Gulfstream G650ER
2003 Gulfstream G200
2010 Challenger 300
2002 Citation Bravo - SN 550B -1037
2005 Falcon 900EXy - SN 151
2003 Falcon 900 EX - SN 118
2000 Falcon 50EX - SN 286
1993 Falcon 50 - SN 239
1988 Falcon 50 - SN 50
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1981 CESSNA CONQUEST I N316EJ | 425-0069 • 10,550 Hours Since New • 3,220 SMOH (by Atlantic) / 1,400 SHSI (by P&WC) • Recent Phase 2, 3, D, 31, 46, and 54 by Yingling Aviation • Excellent maintenance history by well-known Conquest facilities • All SIDS complied with (including spar strap) • Garmin G600 EFIS with SVT, Collins WX300C on EX500 • Garmin GNS530W & GNS430W WAAS Receivers • Garmin GTX345 ADS-B In/Out Transponder • L3 Skywatch Traffic & WX-1000+ Stormscope • ADS-B Satellite Weather • Medium Blue/Gray Interior Completed in 2022 • New Paint in 2019 w/Ceramic Coating in 2022 • Always Hangared (Private/Heated) $795,000
Dave Kilcup 253.861.4286 (mobile) dkilcup@intljets.com Austin Kilcup 253.314.9645 (mobile) akilcup@intljets.com
Luke Kilcup 208.600.2516 (mobile) lkilcup@intljets.com
www.intljets.com s 253.853.6177 s 888.336.9997 (N. America)
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TAXI OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND THE BUSINESS AVIATION INDUSTRY
Skyservice announced the official opening of a new FBO located at Napa County Airport (KAPC) in California. The company plans to commence building a private jet center and hangar complex at the airport this fall. With two construction projects planned and/or underway, Napa and Seattle’s King County International Airport-Boeing Field (KBFI), Skyservice will also make further investments at its Vancouver FBO located at Vancouver International Airport (CYVR), including expanding the hangar footprint, providing on-site maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) capabilities, and implementing sustainability initiatives.
Elliott Aviation introduced Dave Makowski as its CEO on May 8. His role will focus on enhancing the customer experience and executional success of all five MRO locations. Makowski brings 35-plus years of aviation experience to Elliott, including industry success in avionics, operational execution, and maintenance management.
Signature Aviation celebrated the grand opening of its newly renovated facility at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (PANC) on May 9. This expansion of customized services for transpacific and great circle route traffic marks a significant milestone for the company’s offerings and many private aircraft operators that choose to stop over in Anchorage. It makes Signature the only FBO with a dedicated facility specifically for international traffic in Alaska.
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Western Aircraft Inc., a Greenwich AeroGroup company, has received Commuter Air Carrier Authorization from the Department of Transportation, paving the way for it to provide scheduled passenger operations. Western Aircraft just took delivery of the first passenger version of the Cessna SkyCourier twin turboprop, which it will be using in its scheduled operations on routes between Honolulu and Lanai in Hawaii, where it currently performs on-demand air taxi operations as Lāna‘i Air . Western Air adds the SkyCourier to its fleet of Pilatus PC-12 single-engine turboprops. Fargo Jet Center announced the delivery of a complete Garmin avionics upgrade to the first of three Pilatus PC-12 aircraft for Northeast Montana STAT Air Ambulance Cooperative , a nonprofit, critical care air medical transport service in Glasgow, Montana. The Garmin avionics upgrade consists of dual G600TXi Systems with 10.6-inch displays, GAD-43e adapter, GCU-485 control panel, GI-275 standby indicator, dual GTN-750Xi WAAS GPS/nav/coms with a GMA- 350c audio panel, Flight Stream 510, and a G600TXi engine indicating system with a dedicated 7-inch display and PFD backup, GWX-75 weather radar, GDL-69A SiriusXM receiver, GFC 600 digital autopilot, and dual GTX ADS-B compliant transponders. True Blue Power’s Gen5 TB40 (40 amp- hour) advanced lithium-ion main ship battery is supplemental type certificate (STC) approved on the Hawker/Beechjet 400 series. It reduces Hawker/ Beechjet aircraft battery weight by up to 60 pounds, increases useful load, produces faster turbine starts, and improves performance. Clemens Aviation , a full-service FBO, maintenance facility, and private aircraft management company in Wichita, Kansas, selected the TB40 due to its superior performance and ability to deliver cooler, faster engine starts, improved starter generator efficiency, and longer component life. Clemens is the launch customer for the new True Blue Power TB40 Lithium-ion Battery STC Kit. Heron Aviation announced the growth of its fleet with the addition of a Cessna Citation Jet M2 C525. This aircraft will fly under European Union Aviation Safety Agency OPS as well as the Heron Aviation AOC. The aircraft strengthens the company’s growing charter fleet and represents its fifth Cessna aircraft.
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Aircraft Sales, Brokerage, Acquisitions and Consulting
1969
Conquest I
S/N: 425-0053 - 9,825 Hours Total Time, 1,984/1,984 Hours Since Overhaul, 184/184 Hours Since Hot Section, Engine Overhauls by Dallas Airmotive, 443/443 Hours Since Prop Overhaul, New Props Installed Dec. 2019, Prop OH Due December 2025, Known Ice, ADS-B Compliant, WAAS, and more!
Falcon 2000
S/N: 0073 - 5,515 Hours Total Time, Engines on CSP Gold, 5,395/5,194 Hours Total Time, APU on MSP Gold, Proline 21 Avionics, ADS-B Out, WAAS/ LPV, API Winglets, L5 Wi-Fi, Synthetic Vision, Eight Passenger Interior, Fresh C Check & Gear Overhaul at Duncan.
WANTED
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est. 1969
Eurocopter EC135 P2+
S/N: 534 - 352 Hours Total Time, SP/DP/IFR (DAFCS), Engines Pratt & Whitney CPO Warranty (2 Years/500 Hours), Air Conditioning, and more!
Citation III
S/N: 650-0154 - 8,756 Hours Total Time, Engines on MSP, RVSM, ADS-B, Excellent Ownership History, Recent Doc 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 19, 23, 28, 42, 47, 48, 50, Eight Passenger plus Aft Belted Lav.
Gulfstream G450
S/N: 4087 - 5,468 Hours Total Time, One U.S. based Fortune 500 Owner Since New, Everything About This Aircraft is Immaculate, 196 Month Scheduled for June 1 st at Duncan, Rolls Royce Corporate Care, Forward Galley, Too Many Features and Upgrades to List!
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QUESTIONS 3
CARLOS BRANA, DASSAULT AVIATION Carlos Brana leads Dassault Aviation’s business aviation efforts as executive vice president of civil aircraft, under parent company Dassault and its sister firm Dassault Systèmes. Dassault Aviation builds the Falcon jet series, which it developed, and the Rafale fighter. BusinessAIR posed three questions to Brana on the history of the Falcon line, service network, and the company’s path toward sustainability.
QUESTION 1
BusinessAIR: This year, Dassault reflects on 60 years since it launched the Mystère 20—the Falcon 20—entering the realm of business jets. How does the company’s heritage with its military platforms continue to inform advanced tech in the latest Falcons, the 7X, 8X, and now the 6X? Carlos Brana: Every Falcon, starting with the Falcon 20, has benefited from military technology transfer. The first Falcon’s construction techniques, including wing design, and its flight controls were borrowed from Dassault fighters. It’s one reason pilots have loved the way Falcons handle from the beginning.
Dassault was the first to introduce HUD technology in a business jet (this was in 1993 on the Falcon 2000, another military transfer). In 2007, it introduced the first fly-by-wire business jet, the 7X, based on digital flight control technology developed over several generations of fighters. The digital flight controls on the 8X and 6X are further refined and will make another advance with the 10X. That aircraft will have a Smart Throttle—one throttle digitally controlling both engines and tied into the digital flight control system. This is a transfer from the current twin-engine Rafale fighter.
QUESTION 2
BusinessAIR: Dassault already has fuel-efficiency leaders in the large-cabin class in its Falcon 2000LXS and 900LX, as a key part of its sustainability story to the market. What has been incorporated into the 6X and 10X to continue that leadership? Carlos Brana: The latest Falcons have refined aerodynamics and the latest, most fuel-efficient engines. Both aircraft have all new wings optimized for efficiency. As with all Falcons, they have slats and flaps allowing high lift and low approach speeds, and a reduced wing area more efficient during cruise. For the 10X, Dassault has developed
composite wings spanning 110 feet to achieve the lowest drag and weight possible. Even with their largest-in-class fuselage cross sections, the 6X and 10X compare well to competing aircraft. Nevertheless, the sustainability story has shifted to SAF. Dassault uses it on its company flights, typically at a 30 percent blend. Many Falcon operators set a good example by using SAF as often as possible. The 10X breaks new ground in being 100 percent SAF capable. To achieve meaningful emissions reductions, that is where the emphasis needs to be.
QUESTION 3
BusinessAIR: Workforce concerns ripple throughout aerospace manufacturing. What does Dassault do to ensure it is attracting the right human capital into its locations around France and globally? Carlos Brana: Right now, the supply chain (which has been disrupted for the entire industry as a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine) presents more challenges than recruiting. Dassault has also a very positive brand image and employer attractiveness based on career opportunities in engineering and manufacturing. The passion for aviation, technology, corporate strong culture, and values also make our company very good at attracting and retaining talents.
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CESSNA CITATION ASCEND ON THE HORIZON
Textron Aviation’s update to the XLS series debuts at EBACE 2023, pushing the midsize market.
BY FRED GEORGE
C ould this be a mini Citation Latitude? That was my first impression when I saw the Citation Ascend mock-up at the European Business Aviation Convention and Expo (EBACE) 2023 in Geneva. The $16.725 million Ascend will be the fifth-generation Citation 560XL when it arrives in 2025, and its refreshed appearance heralds dozens of improvements aimed at sustaining demand for the best-selling business jet in the last quarter century. Almost 1,100 Excel, XLS, XLS+, and XLS Gen2 Citations have been delivered since 1998. The Ascend has plenty of qualities aimed at extending the sales record. Most noticeably on the outside it sports new and larger flight deck and cabin windows, giving it a sleeker, more contemporary appearance. Under the cowls, Pratt & Whitney Canada’s 4,213 lb-thrust PW545D engines offer a modest 1 percent thrust increase, but they’ve been upgraded with more efficient, high-pressure cores that boost flow rate and improve durability, compared to the PW545C powerplants that propel the Ascend’s predecessor, the Citation XLS Gen2. PW545Ds also use enhanced deep-fluted mixer nozzles to mix hot core gas and cold bypass air flows in the exhaust section with less turbulence, resulting in better fuel efficiency and reduced noise. Midlife
inspection and overhaul intervals have been extended to 3,000 hours and 6,000 hours, respectively, for operators enrolled in either Textron Aviation’s pay-per- hour PowerAdvantage or PowerAdvantage+ programs or PWC’s private-label Eagle Service Plan tailored for Textron Aviation’s requirements. The turbofans’ full authority digital engine controls (FADECs) are specifically designed to link up with PWC’s Flight, Acquisition, Storage and Transmission (FAST) system that allows all engine parameters to be monitored and analyzed by the engine manufacturer to spot trends and identify maintenance actions before they become serious problems. Inside the Ascend, there’s a new flat floor made possible by filling in the 8-inch dropped center aisle. The new model features upgraded passenger chairs and beefier acoustical insulation to sop up more sound. Interior sound levels now approach those of Textron Aviation’s super-midsize jets. The inflight entertainment package features a Bongiovi Acoustics speakerless, surround-sound system and upgraded Wi-Fi connectivity package, including standard Iridium SATCOM and GoGo L3 air-to-ground communications. Dozens of other detail improvements are likely to be appreciated by passengers, including electrically actuated dual-mode translucent/opaque window shades, 19 USB-C
Cabin windows are nearly 15 percent larger than those of Citation XLS Gen2. Electric translucent/opaque dual-function window shades operate at the touch of buttons at the bottoms of the windows or by means of a cell phone cabin management system app. Optional lighted window reveals make the transparencies appear even larger.
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Customer focus groups told Textron Aviation that the flat floor was more important to passenger comfort than the 8 inches extra height afforded by the dropped aisle. Leaner sidewalls provide more usable leg and hip width for seated passengers.
and building images. A few years ago this feature only was available on $50-million-plus jets equipped with Honeywell Primus Epic avionics. Garmin’s plans call for upgrading the 3D airport diagram system to display ADS-B In imagery of proximate aircraft, fuel trucks, and service vehicles. No longer will taxiing safely between the ramp and runway in low visibility conditions be more challenging than flying from takeoff to touchdown in solid IFR. ACARS, CPDLC, and FANS-1/A are available with the purchase of an optional second Iridium SATCOM data radio and VDL Mode 2 data link radio. An HF transceiver and ADF receiver also are options. Scheduled maintenance inspection intervals have been extended to 18 months/800 hours. There are longer warranties on the engines, paint, and interior warranty. Troubleshooting will be expedited by automatic or manual wireless or thumb drive downloading of comprehensive maintenance data. Textron Aviation’s premium pay-per-hour PowerAdvantage+ could be well worth the extra cost for high utilization operators. PW545 series engines reach the end of their economic lives at 12,500 hours because of a laundry list of time-limited components that must be replaced. The eye-watering cost of said inspection potentially can torpedo the resale value of high time aircraft. However, the entire cost of that complete rebuild is covered
charging ports, including at least one for each seat, and six wireless PDA charging stations, along with electric push- button release of seat movement mechanisms that make for easier adjustment and a cell phone or PDA app to control the Clairity cabin management system. Options include a higher speed GoGo L5 internet transceiver, “luxury vinyl” or stone flooring for the galley and lavatory, adjustable lumbar supports for seat backs, and choice of soft, medium, or firm bottom seat cushions. Available illuminated cabin window frames create soft halos around the transparencies that make them appear even larger than they are. For customers needing 8 inches more headroom in the main cabin, the previous dropped center aisle configuration is available in place of the flat floor. The Ascend will reduce pilot workload in many ways. The APU now is approved for unattended operation, so one pilot can attend to passengers while the other focuses on preflight preparations. There’s a new light on the bottom of the left engine pylon to illuminate the aft baggage compartment loading zone at night. Up front, the flight deck includes the latest version of Garmin G5000 avionics, including autothrottles (all-engine only), four touchscreen control units, and high-resolution synthetic vision. The G5000 avionics package will be the first to offer Garmin’s 3D exocentric view airport diagrams on PFDs, including runway and taxiway signs, obstacle symbols,
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announced the clean-screen $5.9 million Learjet 45 at the 1992 National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention. Cessna lacked a competitively priced midsize jet to counter the new Learjet. At the time, Cessna’s least expensive midsize jets were the $8 million Citation VI and $9 million Citation VII—too pricey to compete with the new Learjet. The Model 45 was Learjet’s first clean-sheet design since the 1963 Model 23—and it indeed was impressive. Learjet undertook the most comprehensive market study in the firm’s history to determine the Model 45’s design requirements. Customers said they wanted double club seating for eight passengers and a flat floor, much more cabin volume than offered by the Learjet 35, and a full- width, fully enclosed aft lavatory with an externally serviced toilet. The 410 cubic-inch main cabin was 50 percent greater in volume than the Learjet 35. Bill Greer, Learjet’s vice president of engineering, added in single-point pressure refueling, trailing link landing gear for soft touchdowns, a completely integrated avionics package with large-screen, flat-panel displays, a powerful brake-by-wire system, and a host of other high-tech systems. Greer’s team also endowed the Model 45 with benign stall characteristics as gentle as any Citation. Greer planned an aggressive 42-month certification
for operators continuously enrolled in PowerAdvantage+. The Ascend will be certified in 2025 as an amendment to the existing FAA and European Union Aviation Safety Agency type certificates, enabling pilots rated on earlier versions to upgrade from the Citation Excel, XLS, XLS+, or XLS Gen2 with differences in training. In my opinion, flight crews are going to relish all the G5000 improvements. I especially appreciate being able to work up a flight plan on my iPad using ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot software and then upload it to G5000 using the Flight Stream 510 wireless link. For all of the Ascend’s upgrades, it remains true to “simple Citation” iterative design principles currently embraced by Textron Aviation and previously by Cessna. Time-proven doesn’t imply being stuck in a yester-tech rut. While the first-generation 560XL Excel received FAA approval 25 years ago as an amendment to the 1971 Fan Jet 500 type certificate, Cessna and Textron Aviation have refreshed the 560XL design every few years with measurable improvements that have sustained demand. This pays tribute to the vision of former Cessna chairman and CEO Russ Meyer Jr., vice president of marketing Phil Michel, and chief engineer Milt Sills, among other key employees, in the early 1990s. Cessna was faced with a major challenge when Learjet Corp. CEO Brian Barents
Upgrading the flight deck from Collins Proline 21 to Garmin G5000 provides a wealth of new features including synthetic vision PFDs, 3D airport diagrams with taxiway, ramp and runway signs, four touchscreen controllers and Flight Stream 510 wireless connectivity for FMS database updates and flight plan uploading.
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2013 KING AIR 250 SERIAL NUMBER BY-187
1996 KING AIR 350 SERIAL NUMBER FL-151
2019 BELL 505 JET RANGER X SERIAL NUMBER 65284
2009 PHENOM 100 SERIAL NUMBER 50500052
2008 HAWKER 900XP SERIAL NUMBER HA-0039
2016 CITATION SOVEREIGN+ SERIAL NUMBER 680-0570
2004 CHALLENGER 300 SERIAL NUMBER 20010
2013 GULFSTREAM G280 SERIAL NUMBER 2016
1988 CHALLENGER 601-3A/ER SERIAL NUMBER 5021
2006 GLOBAL EXPRESS XRS SERIAL NUMBER 9203
COMING SOON
WANTED AIRCRAFT
CITATION XLS GULFSTREAM G200 GULFSTREAM G450 CITATION SOVEREIGN
CITATION C 3 CITATION EXCEL GULFSTREAM G150 GULFSTREAM G280
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The width of cabin floor appears greater than its actual measurements because of lighted chair bases and floor level sidewall accent lights.
Sills was inspired. Cessna didn’t need a clean-sheet airplane to compete with the Learjet 45. To create the Excel, he could combine and modify proven, off-the-shelf parts from existing Citations to build the new aircraft. He started with the front and midsections of the Citation X fuselage to create a cabin 4 inches wider and 9 inches higher than the Learjet 45. The interior was the same 18.5-foot length as the Citation III, providing room for six chairs in the main seating area. A two-seat, side-facing divan was fitted to the front of the cabin to accommodate up to eight passengers. Cessna upped the game by making the FMS and an air-to- ground radiotelephone standard equipment. They were optional on the Learjet 45. The Citation X’s 9.3 pressurization system would hold cabin altitude at 6,800 feet up to FL 450, the Excel’s maximum cruise altitude. Market research indicated customers wanted an external aft baggage compartment with more capacity than offered by light jets. Sills specified an 80-cubic-foot compartment, which is 60 percent larger than the Learjet 45’s. The new Citation would offer a choice of vapor cycle air-conditioning or Honeywell’s new lightweight RE100 APU, powering an air-cycle pack, for cabin cooling without having to start an engine. The optional APU also provided cabin heating before engine start.
campaign for the Learjet 45, hoping for customer deliveries in early 1996. Initially, he targeted a lean 18,300-pound max takeoff weight, equal to that of the antiquated and much smaller Learjet 35A, allowing the aircraft to be powered by ultra-efficient 3,500 lb-thrust Honeywell TFE731-20 turbofans. It would enjoy better fuel economy than 30 series Learjets because of newer engine technology and the latest computer-refined aerodynamics, including a supercritical wing. It would cruise efficiently at 440 knots and fly as far as 2,000 miles. Barents called the Learjet 45 a “super light” jet, touting the operating economics of a light jet and the cabin comfort of a midsize aircraft. In reality, the Model 45’s cabin cross section was marginally bigger than a Beechjet. At Cessna, Meyer, Sills, and Michel paused to analyze the Learjet 45’s strong suits and design compromises then plunged into a comprehensive, three-year market study to learn what narrowbody Citation operators wanted in an aircraft upgrade. Customers said that 440-knot cruise speed and 2,000-nm range weren’t their top priorities. Potential customers told Cessna that typical trips didn’t exceed 800 nm, thus the Model 45’s Mach 0.77 cruise speed would only save them eight to 10 minutes on typical trips. They wanted true midsize—not “super light”—cabin comfort and best-in- class short field performance that would enable them to use the same general aviation airports as narrow-body Citations.
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manually actuated. Bungee springs connected the rudder pedals to the nose wheel steering linkages. A two-position horizontal stabilizer was fitted to the tail to compensate for hefty changes in pitching moment caused by extension and retraction of the large wing flaps. In contrast to the Citation V Ultra’s notoriously stiff straight-leg undercarriage, the Excel would be endowed with trailing link landing gear for smooth touchdowns instead of the Ultra’s embarrassing kerplunks. Cessna’s well- proven open center/closed loop hydraulic system powered by engine-driven pumps was only pressurized on demand to actuate the landing gear, wing flaps, and speed brakes. A separate electrically powered hydraulic power pack was used for the brakes. The resulting back-to-basics amalgam of parts, including the tubby fuselage, straight wing, and cruciform tail, made the CE 560XL Citation Excel arguably the least comely jet in the midsize market. However, it offered everything for which customers had asked. Buyers just laughed at its looks and signed deposit checks in record numbers before the official launch. When the Excel was publicly announced at the 1994
The Learjet 45, though, only had an air-cycle machine for cooling and heating. And that required an engine to be running, as an optional APU wouldn’t become available until well after initial deliveries began. Unlike older Learjets, the Model 45 wasn’t equipped with a vapor-cycle air-conditioner as a weight-saving measure, so it couldn’t be plugged into a ground power unit for cooling prior to engine start. As Citation customers were willing to settle for 400- to 410-knot cruise speeds, Sills didn’t have to design a clean- sheet wing for the new jet. He could adapt the Citation V Ultra’s semi-supercritical airfoil by adding a wider chord root section with swept leading edges. This increased span by 3.6 feet and actually improved lift-to-drag characteristics compared to the Model 560. The Excel’s wing structure was mounted low on the fuselage to reduce interference drag with the fuselage and assure the spars didn’t intrude in the cabin’s 8-inch-dropped center aisle. The Excel’s systems would align with the “simple Citation” design philosophy. Similar to Learjet 45, the aircraft would use Honeywell Primus 1000 avionics, but the layout was simpler. The primary flight controls would be
“It’s the cabin, stupid,” said Excel sales executives in the 1990s, mimicking a popular presidential campaign slogan of the era. It was also price, utility, operating cost, and Cessna’s top-rated product support. But, the last generation 560XL looked dated, so Textron Aviation created Ascend, embracing lessons learned from its Latitude super-midsize jet.
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When Bombardier announced development of the clean-sheet Learjet 45, Cessna had to respond quickly. The resulting Citation Excel, created by grafting a shortened Citation X fuselage onto a modified Citation Ultra wing, won no beauty contests, but it beat the sleek Learjet on cabin comfort, short field performance, passenger amenities, baggage volume and product support. The Excel and its successors outsold the Learjet 45 by better than 2 to 1.
21,500-pound MTOWs. But the 3,500 lb-thrust TFE731- 20 turbofans had little margin for growth. They later were modified to produce 3,650 lb-thrust in the automatic performance reserve mode. The boost wasn’t enough to counter the weight gain. Takeoff field distance ballooned to 4,200 feet and eventually 4,680 as maximum takeoff weights were increased. Subsequent Citation 560XL, XLS, XLS+, and XLS Gen2 models also gained weight, but they didn’t lose takeoff performance. PWC developed higher thrust versions of the PW545 so that heftier 560XL jets retained their 3,600-foot takeoff field length bragging rights. The Ascend will be the heaviest version of the 560XL, and its TOFL is 3,660 feet. So many 560XL buyers opted for the available RE100 APU that Cessna and Textron eventually wrapped it into the standard equipment list, long a feature of more expensive midsize jets. Learjet 45 buyers also wanted APUs, but it would be months after initial deliveries began before the optional RE100 became available. In 2013, Bombardier finally remedied Learjet 45’s performance and weight shortcomings with the Learjet 75. Fitted with considerably more powerful TFE731-
NBAA convention, the Cessna booth was mobbed with onlookers. Salespeople seemingly ran out of order forms and ballpoint pens. Meyer told me his sales staff had signed 111 new orders by the last day of the show. Michel corrected him. The actual order book stood at 114 purchases when the show closed that Thursday afternoon—and it climbed to 230 before first deliveries began in 1998. All aircraft gain weight during development—and the Citation Excel was no exception. Sills planned for this eventuality by choosing Pratt & Whitney Canada’s new PW545A with 4,400 lbs thermodynamic thrust capability and initially flat-rated to 3,604 lb-thrust. When the Excel gained weight, Sills asked PWC for more push and the Canadians just dialed up the fuel controls to increase it to 3,804 lb-thrust up to 82 degrees Fahrenheit, while maintaining fat operating temperature margins for reliability. When the Excel’s weight increased again, PWC turned up the wick to 3,952 lb-thrust, enabling the jet to preserve its 3,600-foot takeoff field distance and best-in- class runway performance. The Learjet 45 also gained weight during development— first 18,300 pounds, then 19,500, next 20,500, and finally
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IAI’s performance goals were 3,000-nm range and 0.80 Mach cruise speed, farther and faster flying than most midsize aircraft. People eyed the commodious Astra IV cabin layout and, instantly, their midsize jets seemed cramped. They loved the bigger cabin even more than the speed and range increases. A new market niche had been created: the super-midsize class. The Astra IV ignited development of the 3,000-nm range Bombardier BD100 Continental, later renamed Challenger 300, the Hawker 4000 (formerly Hawker Horizon) and, perhaps, even the large cabin Falcon 2000. The mass migration had begun from midsize to super-midsize. The BD100 Challenger 300—and later Challenger 350/3500 derivatives—seized most of the market share. The Astra IV became the Galaxy and later the Gulfstream/IAI G200, but those models plainly were outclassed by the more powerful, higher flying, and more capable Challenger 300 series jets. Years later, Gulfstream completely redesigned the G200 with a scaled-down G550 wing, best-in-class Honeywell HTF700-series engines, new flight deck, 8-foot longer cabin, and new T-tail to create the G280. Textron Aviation finally entered the super-midsize race with its CE680A Latitude and CE700
40 engines, improved winglets, a standard APU, and a 200-pound lighter avionics package, this version of the Learjet 45 was more competitive. But it was too late for the company. Fewer than 140 units sold before it was discontinued in 2021. In total, Bombardier delivered half the number of Learjet 45-series aircraft compared to the 560XL. And Learjet no longer builds airplanes. That wasn’t the only 560XL competitor to fall by the wayside. When the first Excel entered service in 1998, the midsize segment was flooded. The IAI Astra SPX, Learjet 60, Hawker 800XP, and Dassault Falcon 50EX were well established, and updated models were under development. The Astra SPX eventually would become the Gulfstream G100, later widened to become the G150. The Hawker 800XP spawned the Hawker 900XP, a more powerful sibling. One by one, demand for each competitor waned, and then died. A sea change was about to happen, and it originated in Tel Aviv. Israel Aircraft Industries began development of the 1126 Astra IV, an evolution of the 1125 Astra with a fuselage nearly the same diameter and floor area as a Gulfstream II— 7.2 feet wide, 6.3 feet high, and 24.5 feet long.
Cessna Citation Excel
Normal range: 1,539 nm Max range: 1,989 nm Max speed: 433 knots Balanced field length: 3,590 ft
Cessna Citation XLS Gen2
Normal range: 1,900 nm Max range: 2,100 nm Max speed: 441 knots Takeo field length: 3,600 ft
Cessna Citation Ascend
*(mfr estimate)
Cessna Citation Ascend
Normal range: 1,900 nm Max range: 2,100 nm Max speed: 441 knots*
Takeo field length: 3,660 ft*
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Cessna Citation Ascend
60 in. (with flat floor); 68 in. overall Height:
66” WIDTH
66 in. Width:
The Praetor 500, though, has a 10,000-pound heftier empty weight and a 17,000-pound higher max takeoff weight, so its fuel consumption and overall operating costs are proportionately greater. However, Cessna and Textron Aviation brand loyalty favors the Ascend. Current Citation operators looking to upgrade to super-midsize likely will look first at the Citation 680A Latitude. While its cabin is slightly smaller than the Praetor 500, and its range is shorter, the Latitude is the logical next step up in the Citation family. Ascend also will be attractive to Beech King Air owners looking to upgrade to a roomier, and higher and faster flying airplane while still staying in the Textron Aviation camp. Citation 560XL jets have retained some of the highest percentage resale values in business aviation in part because they have been in continuous production since 1998. Healthy order backlogs for new 560XL series aircraft also support used aircraft prices. For now, the Ascend appears to be well positioned to heat up midsize market interest and stimulate new orders. But there’s a fierce battle brewing between Textron Aviation and Embraer Executive Jets in the coming years. And the winner isn’t assured.
Longitude models, offering considerably larger cabins than previous Citation models. The Citation Ascend thus becomes the sole midsize class survivor. It’s clearly bound to be the best 560XL model yet developed. It continues to fill the market niche that was the most hotly contested when Google was first launched, the iMac made its debut, and Bill Clinton was president. But will it remain competitive in the 21st century in light of newer super-midsize jets from Embraer? The $19-million to $20-million Praetor 500 looms as a proximate threat. It lures passengers with a 1.3-foot wider, 1.0-foot taller, and 2-foot longer cabin. It boasts full-tanks, full-seats loading flexibility while the Ascend only can carry four passengers with full fuel. Compared to the Ascend, the Praetor 500’s internal luggage and external baggage compartments have greater volumes. The Embraer jet climbs quicker, cruises faster, and flies 1,400 nm farther. It boasts three-axis, fly-by-wire flight controls, plus high-tech, brake-by-wire and steer-by- wire systems. Of particular value to pilots, it’s one of the few business jets to feature both all-engine and one-engine- inoperative autothrottles. Impressively, it actually registers shorter takeoff field lengths than the Ascend on the same length missions.
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THINK TANK MISSES THE BEAT ON BUSINESS AVIATION Innovation for the public good— not special interests burning down the house
BY MICHAEL WILDES
Dassault Falcon
38 This year, major aircraft OEMs, such as Gulfstream, Textron Aviation, Embraer, and Dassault Aviation, are all set to bring new or updated business jet platforms to market. What’s most fascinating is these aeronautical engineering powerhouses have invented, tinkered with, and tweaked designs across the board to deliver quieter equipment designs that burn less fuel and are simply more efficient. Through new powerplants, winglets, composite materials, innovated avionics, in-flight connectivities, fuels, and a host of other updates, business jets have typically served as gateways for OEMs to deploy technologies that pull the rest of the industry along, and typically faster than
manufacturers in the commercial airliner sectors can. These technologies eventually make their way down to the general aviation market, putting weekend warriors almost on par with their more well-to-do counterparts. Moreover, while some industries have been shedding jobs from a topsy-turvy economy, air travel has proven to be an indispensable commodity to support people’s need to interact with each other directly and do business. That means, unlike many other industries, the need for more workers to sustain and grow the industry comes directly from consumer demand for both commercial and private travel.
Gulfstream
The Gulfstream G700 recently set city-pair records flying on a sustainable aviation fuel blend.
INNOVATION STARTS HERE
Amid all that, it seems that segment of the narrative takes time to come by. Instead, as seen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic tailwinds that caused the private jet market to grow, there are some that incorrectly— begrudgingly even—describe the business and private aircraft sector as simply “excessive,” and, if it were up to them, would like to curb its growth altogether. This was the case and position of the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), a Washington think tank,
Through recent multibillion-dollar infrastructure bills and compelling incentives, the federal government has essentially partnered with drivers of innovation in and around the aviation community to improve airports and bring fresh and needed technologies to market. Even more, while commercial airlines contribute to some of the innovation by investing in new fuels and advanced air mobility solutions, business aviation users fundamentally write the checks that allow the innovation to happen and drive growth.
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Embraer’s sustainability initiatives run throughout the enterprise, from reducing water usage to sourcing zero-emissions energy for its facilities.
expressed recently in a lengthy report published in May. The report’s goal is to stir up the ongoing public discourse of billionaire excesses and use that to push for lawmakers to disincentivize the use of private aircraft through the proposed taxes and laws. Moreover, the
report is anchored by a conveniently low-hanging tactic and narrative that takes highly visible, ultra-high net worth individuals like Elon Musk and other news- grabbing celebrities to paint with broad strokes, where more narrow and nuanced suggestions would suffice.
SPECIAL INTERESTS?
For instance, in the IPS report, the group lumps prominent aviation trade associations that have advocated for pilots, owners, operators, flight departments, manufacturers, and even small airports, all together as lobbyists that have spent “nearly $68 million combined on lobbying to protect their interests over the last 12 years.” Of course, it doesn’t tell the whole story, and industry insiders are already taking umbrage. Not long after the report, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), the leading trade organization for companies that rely on GA aircraft to help make their businesses more efficient, productive, and successful—and one of IPS’ “big three”—published a scathing rebuttal to the report. NBAA said the IPS report “puts forward a caricature about business aviation” and ignored “important facts about
an essential American industry.” For example, in the IPS report, the group said, “Thousands of municipal airports in the U.S. are funded by the public, but many primarily serve private and corporate jets.” Moreover, the report claims “these airports may not offer scheduled passenger service, but they still offer airport runways subsidized by taxes.” However, NBAA pushed back to say, “Eighty percent of business flights are to and from small towns and communities with little or no airline service,” and that contrary to the popular billionaire narrative, “85 percent of companies relying on an airplane to meet their transportation challenges are small and midsize enterprises” and that the passengers on board are more often mid-level managers rather than the C-suite.
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ENTER THE PILOT SHORTAGE
So, which is it? Well, separately, FLYING has reported multiple instances of major airlines saying they’d park hundreds of airplanes and cancel service in many regional areas because they could not recruit the pilots to complete the trips. Even amid lucrative pay increases for pilots in 2022 and this year, many airlines still say they need the workforce to meet the passenger demand, leaving customers in some smaller cities with few or no options. Putting it in that context, the IPS report tends to play fast and loose with the truth, and while some of the narratives are compelling at face value, it is mostly that. Dan Hubbard, NBAA senior vice president for communications, adds even more color. “Many flights conducted by business airplanes are used for humanitarian missions, including those that transport doctors and other first responders to people in need,”
Hubbard pointed out before listing off a series of examples where business aviation departments outside the public eye utilize their aircraft to support their business. “The study not only looks past these key data points but the companies behind them. “For example, the report’s D.C.-based authors may not be familiar with the Pullman, Washington-based company that uses a business airplane to monitor key installations providing power to the region’s electric grid. They may not have spent a day with employees at the Marshall, Minnesota-based company—that town’s largest employer—that relies on its turboprop airplane to reach food-distribution centers dotting small towns across the country. They may never have heard of the Phoenix-based medical company that deploys its airplanes for flights that bring doctors to patients in rural areas without big-city medical specialists.”
FLY MORE—MORE SUSTAINABLY
So, therein lies the rub—at least part of it. Another major argument that external groups have used to critique the use of private aircraft is the most obvious: their carbon footprint. Now it is true that private aircraft users typically fly more than the general public. This said, higher frequency of air travel makes private aircraft a more efficient use of their time. It is easy then to make a slanted argument that these travelers drive more pollution, as the ISP report puts forward, but does that assertion hold up? In its rebuttal, NBAA said the ISP report’s “most glaring factual omission involves business aviation’s legacy of achievements in sustainable flight, which have been adopted across the industry.” Aside from business aircraft being proven more fuel efficient than commercial transport category jets, in 2022, supported by the federally mandated Inflation Reduction Act set up to boost the production of sustainable aviation fuels, the business aviation sector led the adoption of SAF over commercial operators. Despite the limited availability and higher costs for SAF, the business travel community is spurring production by essentially subsidizing it through book-and-claim purchases. Moreover, operators and management
companies have established carbon-offset programs that users and customers can tap into. “Simply put, business aviation has been a test bed for technologies that reduce the sector’s carbon footprint and pave the way for realizing the established goal of achieving net-zero emissions from business aircraft by 2050,” Hubbard said. There are still other arguments the ISP report made. While they appealed to the extremes, it is clear that as business aviation is increasingly having its moment in the sun, there will be more scrutiny and calls for intervention, with much at stake. One of the most enduring business figures, Berkshire Hathaway’s Charlie Munger, in a 1995 speech titled “The Psychology of Human Misjudgment” at Harvard University, honed in on the power of incentives to drive change. To be clear, negative incentives can also do that, and if the ISP’s stick-over-carrot version were to prevail, it would be easy to undo decades of progress that business aviation has achieved for the industry. On the other hand, a carrot-first approach has only caused us to lean toward innovation in hopes of grasping a cleaner, quieter future—so why stop now?
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