The Citation's growth curve
The Citation has come a long way in its 20-year history. The airplane that started on a gamble — that prospects would skip a turboprop in favor of the simplicity and ramp appeal of a minimal jet — grew up and carved out a huge market niche. Just recently, the 2,000th Citation was sold, making this series of airplanes the most popular business jets ever.
Like just about every other large family of airplanes, the first Citations paved the way for successors that were stretched, more powerful, longer legged, faster, plusher, and more technologically refined.
The original Citation (official designation, C-500), the one with the speed jokes, was no joke in terms of sales. Between 1971 and 1977, 349 of these Citations were sold. During its production run, several refinements were made to the original C-500 specs. The original, 10,850-pound maximum takeoff weight was increased to 11,850 pounds in 1976, and beginning with serial number 41, the electrically heated windshields were replaced with a bleed-air anti-ice system. Thrust reversers were offered as an option beginning in 1974, and in 1976, Sperry/Collins avionics replaced the original Bendix/RCA avionics suites. In 1971, you could buy a brand-new Citation for $695,000 or so; today, C-500s are worth anywhere from $450,000 to $745,000, depending on vintage and condition.
Next came the Citation I (also designated C-500), 342 of which were built from 1977 to 1985. The I's wingspan is 3 feet 1 inch wider than the original, and its engines — Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-1As — are more efficient versions of the JT15Ds used on the previous model, though they carried the same 2,200-pounds-thrust rating. One of the benefits of the upgraded engine was an increase in the airplane's maximum operating altitude (to 41,000 feet, compared to the original's 35,000 feet). Another was a boost in the cabin's pressure differential, from 7.6 to 8.5 psi. Last, but certainly not least, was a modest increase in maximum cruise speed. Where the original Citation could cruise at 340 KTAS or so, the I can tool along at 352 KTAS. The jokes about the "Slo-tation" and "Nearjet" began to recede.
Soon after the I was put in service, the -1A engines were made retrofittable to the earlier Citations. (In fact, nearly all 500s now have -1A engines.) In another big move, thrust reversers were made standard equipment on all Citation Is. New, the Is ranged from $1.1 million to $2.1 million; now they're going for between $950,000 to $1.5 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration granted single-pilot certification for the Citation I in January 1977. This was mostly a paperwork exercise involving some very minor changes in the Citation I's cockpit layout and design. Prior to this time, all Citations were certified to Federal Aviation Regulations Part 25, or Transport category, standards. This meant, among many other things, two pilots. But Citation I/SPs (C-501s), as the single-pilot versions of the I were known, were certified to FAR Part 23 and thus relieved of the two-pilot requirement. The fact that the I's maximum takeoff weight was 11,500 pounds — 1,000 pounds under the regulatory limit for single-pilot operations — also made the paperwork flow smoothly.
The Citation II (C-550) came along in 1978. Takeoff weight went to 13,300 pounds, wingspan grew again, the cabin was stretched to accommodate eight passenger seats (previous models only had six), and Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-4 engines of 2,500 lbst helped boost cruise speeds up to 380 KTAS. Thanks to the new engines and a larger fuel capacity (742 gallons, as opposed to the C-500's 544 gallons), the II's IFR range crept to 1,159 nautical miles (the C-500's maximum IFR range is 942 nm).
The II's success has become legendary; it remained in production until 1985 and then was reintroduced in 1987 — back, as they say, by popular demand. It's still in production today, 638 sales later. Average equipped, today's Citation II sells for $3.095 million; back in 1978, they went for about $1.445 million. Current market values for used IIs run upwards of $1.3 million.
A single-pilot version of the Citation II, the II/SP (C-551), was also developed. To comply with regulations, the II/SP was built to a lower, 12,500- pound takeoff weight (the maximum weight allowable for single-pilot operations) and, like the I/SP, certified under FAR Part 23.
In June 1984, the FAA had a change of heart regarding the single-pilot issue. Up to that time, it was the airplane certification that dictated the number of pilots necessary for legal flight. But after reviewing the Citation II's exemplary safety record, the FAA changed the rules. From then on, it would be the pilot who would be granted the exemption to fly a Citation II single-handed, no matter the airplane's takeoff weight.
The exemption required a special endorsement, as well as additional requirements for pilot initial and recurrent training programs. This exemption to the two-pilot rule was later extended to all the Citation II's derivatives — the Citation S/II and the Citation V.
Incidentally, the single-pilot exemption is granted in two-year intervals and conditional upon the results of an ongoing safety study of Citation IIs and Vs flown by one-man crews. To date, 109 pilots have earned the single-pilot waiver. Not one has been involved in an accident or incident. (Although there were two single-pilot fatal accidents before the 1984 exemption plan was implemented.)
The S/II ("Super II," or S550) is the souped-up version of the basic II. These were built from 1984 to 1988; 159 were sold. Once again, wingspan was increased, and computer-aided design/manufacturing was used to give the S/II a supercritical airfoil. Aileron and flap gap seals, along with recontoured fuselage and nacelle fairings, kicked cruise speeds up to 403 KTAS, while a larger (862-gallon) fuel capacity permitted ranges as great as 1,378 nm. These represent tremendous improvements in performance, given that the S/II's engines were virtually the same as those of the basic II.
S/IIs are distinguished by their swept wing-root cuffs and their use of the TKS "weeping wing" ice protection system for wing and horizontal stabilizer leading edges. Before the S/II, all Citations used pneumatic boots for deicing outboard portions of the wing and electrically heated anti-ice elements on the inboard sections.
The U.S. Navy liked the S/II so much that it bought 15 of them for use in training radar intercept officers. To obtain more speed, the Navy ordered its S/IIs with wingspans 5 feet 8 inches shorter than standard models. In Navy jargon, an S/II was called a T-47A.
New, S/IIs sold for between $2.9 million to $3.75 million. Today, they're worth between $2.1 million and $2.7 million.
With the Citation III (C-650), there was a clean break with the past. This was Cessna's first mid-sized jet, complete with swept wings, a 467-KTAS cruise speed, and 2,090-nm IFR range. With a maximum takeoff weight of 20,000 pounds, the III was, is, and always will be a two-pilot airplane. The III uses Garrett TFE731-3B engines, which produce 3,650 lbst apiece and give a maximum certified altitude of 51,000 feet and a 9.6-psi cabin. And compared to all its predecessors, that cabin was a big one. Up to 11 seats could be accommodated, and passengers are treated to stand-up comfort. At its tallest point, the III's cabin measured 5 feet 10 inches. The II's cabin is 4 feet 9 inches high.
The III brought an end to the TKS system, in favor of bleed-air anti- icing. In a related change, electrically heated windshields replaced the bleed-air anti-ice hoods that graced the windshields of most earlier Citations.
There were 202 Citation IIIs manufactured from 1982 to 1991. New, and with the usual extras, they ran from $4.53 million to $8 million; used, they fetch $3.37 million to $6.64 million.
The Citation IV (C-670) was announced in 1989 as a roomier, longer range variant of the III. But Cessna canceled the program before it ever began. Never mind.
Next came the Citation V (C-560). This is essentially a higher- powered, stretched (by 20 inches) S/II. The V uses 2,900-lbst, Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-5A engines, can cruise at 425 KTAS, and fly as far as 1,960 nm. Even though its maximum takeoff weight is 15,900 pounds, the V is still eligible for single-pilot operation. Like the II, Citation Vs use deice boots on the outboard portions of the wing leading edges but use bleed air to protect the inboard sections from ice accretions. Since production began in 1989, 151 Citation Vs have gone out the door, at average equipped prices ranging from $3.8 million to $4.8 million.
The Citations VI and VII (both designated as C-650) have been billed as the successors to the III. Their production lines spooled up late last year. The VI is positioned as a price leader in the effort to lessen the sticker shock (the VI's base price is $7.095 million) in the step-up from a V. The savings are realized through the use of standard interiors, freon air conditioning (instead of reliance on a much more expensive auxiliary power unit), and an analog, rather than digital, autopilot. The VI has the same engines as the III but cruises a bit faster (at 473 KTAS) and farther (2,345 nm). Since its introduction last year, four Citation VIs have been sold.
The Citation VII is Cessna's current top of the line. With 4,000 lbst from each of its Garrett TFE731-4Rs, a swanky cabin, and a Mach 0.85 speed limit, the VII is the most capable Citation yet. Its base price is $8.165 million.
But the Citation's story isn't over yet. In addition to the models currently manufactured — the II, V, VI, and VII — Cessna is now taking deposits on two more Citations: the X (10) and the CitationJet. These two airplanes are at opposite ends of the spectrum.
The CitationJet will be an entry-level jet, a highly modernized state- of-the-art version of the first Citations. It will be a six-passenger, 380- KTAS model with maximum range targeted at 1,500 nm. It will be powered by two Williams/Rolls-Royce FJ44 engines with 1,900 lbst. First deliveries are scheduled for sometime in 1993.
The X will be designed as a fire-breathing, ocean-hopping, expanded version of the VII. Its 6,000-lbst, Allison GMA 3007A engines are predicted to give the X a Mach 0.9 cruise speed. At an estimated takeoff weight of 31,000 pounds, this will be the biggest Citation yet. First deliveries are anticipated in 1995.
The Citation Type Rating
Think of it as an undergraduate degree in jet studies.
BY MARK R. TWOMBLY
Among its many attributes, the Cessna Citation is recognized as a very good airplane in which to transition from pistons or turboprops to jets. Lots of pilots have Citation time as the first entry in the turbojet column in their logbooks and the first type rating listed on their pilot certificates. As type ratings go, a C-500 (the first model Citation produced) endorsement is pretty versatile because it covers all straight-wing, two-pilot Citations up to and including the C-560 Citation V. Special pilot certification is required to fly a Citation single-pilot.
The Citation is such a good type-rating trainer because it's a harmonious blend of the familiar and the new. A delicate balance is struck between the size, handling, and performance of a heavy piston or turboprop and the sophistication, high-altitude capabilities, and two-pilot operation of faster and larger jets.
The Citation is not so powerful nor fast that a pilot brand-new to jets will be overwhelmed — exhilarated, perhaps, but not overwhelmed. The new- to-jets Citation pilot will be enjoying a lot of unfamiliar sensations in those first few hours — the feeling of speed and climb power, the quiet in the cockpit, and the background music of engine whine and slipstream whoosh.
The Citation makes the transition into jets easier because of its docile handling, especially at slow speeds. Takeoff and approach speeds are in the same ballpark as high-performance propeller-driven airplanes. Some pilots don't care for the vertical-tape engine gauges, but in general, the panel is intelligently designed and logically arranged, and the airplane's fuel, electrical, hydraulic, environmental, and other systems are about as simple as they come on jets. Visibility from the cockpit is better than in just about any turbine airplane, and the overall size of the Citation isn't physically intimidating.
Yet for all its smaller-airplane features and demeanor, the Citation is a turbofan, and that means a type rating is required to fly one as pilot in command.
Getting the type rating isn't particularly difficult, but there are some prerequisites. Going in, you've got to have good instrument skills — a good scan, a solid working knowledge of instrument procedures, and the ability to follow the procedures and fly the airplane at the same time only in double- time. Flying a business jet means flying on instruments, and the faster the airplane, the less time available to plan, execute, or react. Staying ahead of the game is a fundamental skill for a jet pilot.
Moving up to a jet also requires a certain comfort level flying a heavier, faster airplane. The Citation makes this a relatively easy transition. With a maximum takeoff weight of 11,850 pounds, the Citation 500 is the lightest business jet flying. (The Citation II was the first model Citation to reach 12,500 pounds maximum gross weight.) That, coupled with the straight wing and effective flaps and control surfaces, make for low stall speeds and manageable speeds in the critical phases of flight. VREF (final approach speed, 1.3 times the stall speed in the landing configuration) at a landing weight of 10,500 pounds is about 110 KIAS. That is a comfortable number for an experienced high-performance single or twin pilot. Though the engines don't quite deliver centerline thrust, they are mounted close enough to the fuselage that, in single-engine situations, yaw is easily managed with rudder pressure and trim. VMC, one of the most critical speeds for the pilot of a multiengine airplane, doesn't exist for a Citation. The airplane will stall before the pilot runs out of directional control flying on one engine.
Given proficiency on instruments and the ability to adapt to the higher performance, perhaps the most difficult transitions a piston or turboprop pilot will make in moving to a Citation are learning to share the cockpit duties with a required crewmember and adapting to a highly structured cockpit regimen. Every phase of flight, every action and reaction, is governed by detailed procedures. That means check lists — a book of them. By the time the flaps are retracting into the Up position after takeoff, the crew will have worked its way through five check lists. You aren't expected to know each item on every check list, but you should know the names of each check list and the general procedures each covers.
Knowing which check list to call for can be critical in an emergency. In 1988, Captain Robert Schornstheimer and First Officer Mimi Tompkins successfully landed an Aloha Boeing 737 that had lost 18 feet of its upper fuselage at 24,000 feet. The two pilots coped with multiple failures and emergencies on the descent by recalling from memory portions of 17 emergency- procedures check lists for the 737.
The Aloha accident also illustrates crew coordination at its best. The crew's behavior was the opposite of the proverbial crusty PIC who at most allows the right-seater to tune the radios and then only grudgingly. Forget handling the controls, much less switching legs.
You won't find any Citation type rating program endorsing that kind of attitude. Crew coordination is a big part of type rating school. Effective crew coordination is based on the concept that one pilot is fundamentally responsible for controlling the airplane's attitude, airspeed, altitude, and heading. The second in command is responsible for everything else. It sounds simple enough, but it takes a commitment to make it work properly. If you've always done all the flying yourself, then when someone else is given partial responsibility, the subconscious tendency is to relax your overall concentration. At some point, you realize you're not doing even your scaled- back tasks well. That's why without a clear delineation of duties and some synergism, two pilots can be worse than one.
Earning a type rating is largely a matter of hitting the books, poring over arcane systems diagrams to learn how the airplane does what it does — what happens when you turn the crossfeed selector, for example. The answer is found in the fuel system schematic. How each system on the Citation works is more than nice-to-know information. It's crucial to troubleshooting problems and taking corrective action. For example, when selecting crossfeed (to correct a fuel imbalance or during extended single-engine flight), the fuel pump on the side from which fuel is being taken should activate, illuminating the corresponding fuel boost light on the annunciator panel. If both fuel boost lights illuminate, you've got a problem. Turns out, it's not so unusual and is easily corrected by resetting the fuel boost switch for the receiving tank. But if you don't understand the fuel system, the problem might be missed or the solution might not be known, with the result being that no fuel would be transferred.
Flying the airplane is part of the training as well, but depending on the school, it may be make-believe flying. If the type rating school uses a simulator, most of the flying will be in that. A student going for an initial type rating will have to do some actual flying in a Citation, if only on the check ride. If it will be an add-on type rating, all of the flying including the check ride can be done in the simulator.
If no simulator is available — and we're talking about an FAA-approved Phase II simulator with full motion and a visual display — all of the flying will be for real. The primary advantage in using a simulator is that emergencies can be replicated and practiced that are impossible or unsafe to try in the real airplane. Use of a simulator also permits training scenarios to be precisely staged and repeated, and there's no waiting in line to take off either; all of the flying is quality time. Of course, that kind of capability costs. Simulator-based schools that offer Citation type ratings — FlightSafety International and SimuFlite, in particular — charge $10,000 to $12,000 for a two-week initial type rating course. For those who can afford it, the money is well spent.
In a free-market economy, however, someone will always be there with a lower cost option. California Type Ratings, for example, offers a five-day Citation type rating "short course" for $4,000. Along with the classroom instruction, students get one two-hour training flight before taking the check ride. The short course is designed for pilots who have experience flying jets. Novices can buy more flight and ground instruction time as needed.
All type rating schooling, both in the classroom and in the airplane or simulator, leads up to a session with an examiner. The student will take an oral exam and fly left seat on a check ride. The oral should be confined to a review of the issue at hand, which is the proper operation of a Cessna Citation — its specifications, limitations, and inner workings. It's likely that examiner and examinee will linger over the annunciator panel, for this is the nerve center of the Citation's systems. If you understand what that bank of 30 red, amber, and white lights mean and what to do when one or more begins to glow, then you should do well on the oral.
More than likely, the check ride will follow a specific profile that the type rating school will be familiar with and will have taught throughout the course. The flight may include some basic maneuvers including steep turns and stall recognition and recovery in various configurations; an emergency descent; and instrument procedures including holds and a number of normal and single-engine approaches. The student may have to respond to a simulated engine failure at V1 and an aborted takeoff. The examiner, who will be stationed behind the crew, will be watching for good crew coordination, scrupulous use of check lists, proper response to emergencies, and good flying skills.
It's important for the student to act like a pilot in command during the check ride. The Citation is, after all, a two-pilot airplane, and the student, who is supposed to be performing as a PIC would (without a type rating you can't fly as PIC), should off-load as much of the work as possible. Let the right-seater compute the takeoff data, set the takeoff power, handle the gear and flap switches at your command, tune the radios and talk, and brief you on the approaches. You have more important things to do, Captain, like ace a check ride.
Citation Safety
Cessna's jets compile an impressive record.
BY THOMAS A. HORNE
For a production run of 2,000-plus airplanes, the Citation has a remarkable safety record. In its 20-year history, there have been a total of 61 accidents; 20 of these involved fatalities. This is quite a testimony to the Citation's much-vaunted handling characteristics, ease of operation, and exemplary system and cockpit design. In acknowledgment, the Citation was awarded the 1986 Collier trophy, an annual award that recognizes aeronautical excellence.
Most of the accidents or incidents — 44, to be exact — involved Citations and Citation Is. Citation IIs had 15 and Citation IIIs just two. Citations V, VI, and VII have yet to have any mishaps.
In the Citation/Citation I numbers, a trend of runway overshoots and undershoots can be identified, along with other runway-related mishaps. A large number of hydroplaning accidents took place, as well as collisions with snowbanks and other airport obstacles. A glance at the National Transportation Safety Board findings shows many of these accidents attributed to the pilots' misjudging of speed and altitude, failure to go around, and failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.
Some fatal accidents revealed low experience levels in type. A November 11, 1979, accident at the Castle Rock (Colorado) Airport, for example, involved a pilot who upgraded to the left seat just 60 days before the accident; the copilot got his type rating just two days before. Both pilots were killed after they crashed during an instrument approach with a ceiling of 500 feet and a 1-mile visibility; the single passenger survived.
On January 1, 1981, a C-500 crashed in Bluefield, West Virginia, after running off the end of an ice- and slush-covered runway. Perhaps the key to understanding this kind of accident is found in the remarks section of the NTSB report. It said, in part, "Inadequate airplane flight manual emphasis re: required landing distance under wet, icy runway conditions."
In recognition of the potential traps offered by shorter runways, the training outfits that serve Citation pilots soon began to emphasize the need for extra caution and recommended staying away from shorter runways when conditions weren't optimal. Eventually, the overshoots and undershoots became less frequent.
Mechanical problems (asymmetric flap deployment, an autopilot malfunction, and an uncontained failure of an engine impeller) accounted for some problems, as did failures to follow check-list procedures. In one case, a pilot managed to take off with both thrust reversers deployed. There was a post-crash fire, but nobody was injured.
Another pilot used an old check list that recommended leaving the anti-skid switch on after landing. It was a 103-degree day, and the anti-skid failed, causing the Citation II to taxi into two parked airplanes. A service letter that gave procedures for correcting the problem had been issued earlier, but the operator failed to comply with the modification.
Perhaps the best-known Citation accident occurred on August 2, 1979, when New York Yankee catcher Thurman Munson crashed 870 feet short of runway 19 at Akron-Canton (Ohio) Regional Airport. The accident investigation showed that Munson performed his approach with no flaps (which is not recommended), failed to use other check-list procedures, failed to take action to maintain sufficient airspeed, and failed to arrest a high sink rate on final approach. Munson, who had just 516 total hours (and 33.8 in type), was killed in the post-crash fire. His passengers sustained second- and third- degree burns.
Gear-up landings? You bet. The records show a total of four.
As with all other types of airplanes, most Citation accidents took place in the landing phase. According to Robert Breiling Associates, a consulting firm that specializes in accident analysis, 59.6 percent of Citation/Citation I accidents happened in this phase of flight; 50 percent of Citation II accidents happened during landing; and two thirds of Citation III accidents took place in this segment of flight.
The most telling numbers are those that show the fleet's total accident rate. Here, the Citation/Citation I receives the worst marks, with 6 percent involved in an accident and 2.2 percent involved in fatal accidents. The Citation II's rates were 1.6 and .4 percent, respectively. For the Citation III, the numbers are 1 and 0 percent.
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