Turbine Pilot

'Twixt Ultra and VII

Over the years, Cessna has done a great job of identifying what appears to be an ever-expanding number of niches in its business jet offerings. The new Citation Excel, certified in April 1998, is another example of how the company has managed to bring about yet another successful design.

Cessna came up with the Excel idea after conducting numerous customer surveys. In one exercise, Citation V and V Ultra owners were given a choice of five hypothetical airplanes from which they could choose over their current models. In another, customers were asked to rank various attributes and specifications they'd like. The results indicated that owners were happy with their current airplanes, citing the speed of their current airplanes and their satisfaction with their Pratt & Whitney engines. There was, however, one thing they did want more of: cabin size. Thus the germ of the Excel idea was born.

A melding

The Excel is definitely a follow-on design to the V Ultra concept, and it even carries the same type designator — C560. Those type-rated in 500-series Citations and familiar with the Honeywell Primus 1000 avionics suite (standard in the Excel) can earn their type ratings in a two-week, FlightSafety International simulator-based course that emphasizes transition training. Those new to the 500-series will have to take a more intensive two-week course. The Excel is a two-pilot airplane, but Cessna is applying for single-pilot certification.

The Excel's nose and windshield design look very much like those of the much-larger Citation VII, and there are openable side cockpit windows. From aft of the cockpit to the rear cabin bulkhead, the design is similar to that of the Citation X. As for its engines, they're 3,804-lbst Pratt & Whitney PW545As. Their thrust rating is closer to that of the VII's 4,140-lbst Garrett engines than the V Ultra's 2,900-lbst Pratt & Whitney JT15Ds. But the Excel's basic operating weight is some 2,000 pounds lighter than the VII's.

In terms of runway performance, the straight-wing Excel is closer to the V Ultra than the sweptwing Citation VII. Compared to the Excel, the VII requires about 1,000 feet more for both takeoff and landing.

However, the soul of the Excel is firmly rooted in the 500-series Citations. The result is a design that's sandwiched between the V Ultra and the Citation VII.

Up front

The Excel's three-tube Primus 1000 displays dominate the instrument panel. There's a primary flight display (PFD) at each pilot station, plus another centrally mounted multifunction display (MFD). Each tube is 8 inches by 7 inches in size, readable in direct sunlight and, once you become familiar with them, an ergonomic delight. Airspeed and altitude are presented in vertical-tape displays, and the pilot can choose between a number of other display types — V-style command bars or cross-pointers, arc display or full HSI heading depiction, superimposition of weather radar imagery and/or TCAS information on the MFD, plus time-speed-distance information to the next waypoint. There's even a depiction of wind strength and vector at the lower left of the PFD.

Another helpful feature of the Primus 1000 is airspeed and altitude trend information. With changes in pitch, power, or both, pink lines extend up (an increase) or down (a decrease) from the pointers on the airspeed and altitude tapes. The terminus of those lines indicates the airplane's predicted airspeed or altitude in the next eight seconds. These are extremely helpful in setting power for descent, anticipating the effects of wind shear, and just plain smooth instrument flying when making configuration changes.

The P-1000 is an integrated flight-control system, and as such it incorporates dual avionics computers that combine EFIS functions with the guidance functions of the autopilot and flight director. A Universal UNS-1Csp flight management system (FMS) is standard and is capable of automatically flying the airplane — including vertical profiles — along preprogrammed routes. It uses dual GPS units and VOR-DME sources for its navigation information. The Excel's flight director is also certifiable for use in Category II ILS instrument approaches.

You won't see but one round gauge for emergency standby instrumentation. That would be a mechanical HSI, designed for VOR navigation data in the event of a loss of both PFDs — a highly unlikely scenario. A battery-powered Meggitt Avionics standby attitude/altimeter/airspeed indicator sits to the top right of the captain's PFD, and it, too, can display navigation information — including ILS cross pointers — by superimposing it over the attitude depiction (see " On Display," page T-11). Tapes show the ship's airspeed and altitude.

Once strapped into the front office, you'll notice two blower ducts aimed at the outside of the windshield, and no doubt you'll think they're for bleed-air ice protection. Wrong. That job is performed by electrical elements buried in the glass windshield and powered by two dedicated alternators. The ducts are for rain removal, and they're activated by a windshield blower switch on the ice protection control subpanel (the one with all the green toggle switches). It activates a stream of high-pressure air over the forward windshield panels.

One more significant highlight of the Excel's panel is the central power quadrant. It may resemble a 500-series quandrant — but have a closer look. The thrust levers have detents, with marks for Cruise, Climb, and Takeoff.

The Excel has electronic engine controllers that take information from the airplane's air data computer and automatically calculate and control N1 (engine fan speed). This means that for takeoff the pilot advances the levers to the Takeoff detent with little worry about fine-tuning the correct power setting. Sure, you make the necessary preflight calculations for power settings and runway performance, but the electronic engine controls (EECs) should bring you very, very close to the proper takeoff N1 values.

This may sound like a FADEC (full authority digital engine control) system, but it isn't. Unlike a true FADEC system, which operates solely via electronic commands, the Excel's EEC has a hydromechanical backup. There are mechanical linkages from the cockpit levers to the engines, and these serve as backups in case the EECs should conk out.

Powerplants

The Excel's Pratt & Whitney PW545As are 15 to 16 percent more fuel-efficient than the older Pratt & Whitney JT15Ds that power the V Ultra. This, plus the Excel's 6,790-lb (1,005-gallon) fuel capacity, is one reason why its maximum IFR, four-passenger range at high-cruise power settings (1,878 nm) is some 200 nm longer than the V Ultra's. Maximum VFR range is listed as 2,080 nm.

The Excel's Pratts incorporate diagnostic capabilities. This means that you can download engine information from previous flights once on the ground, or simply push an Engine Event button on the engine control panel. This records a snapshot of engine parameters from two minutes before to one minute after pressing the button.

The engines incorporate integral fuel heaters, so Prist is not required at every fillup. To kill sludge-making bacteria, however, Prist is still a good idea.

An AlliedSignal ASE RE100XL auxiliary power unit is an option. It can be started at altitudes up to 20,000 feet and operated up to 30,000 feet.

Cabin class

Typically, Excels go out the door with seven-seat cabins that include two side-facing seats near the front bulkhead. Most customers opt for a single-club setup with a VCR system, in-flight telephones, the Airshow in-flight geographic monitoring system, and, of course, a flushing toilet.

With a length of 23 feet; a width of five feet, seven inches; and a height of five feet, eight inches, the cabin does have a large feel to it. These are the same height and width dimensions as the Citation X, so in this department the Excel is definitely a noticeable step up from the V Ultra. As for cabin length, it's 16 inches longer than the V Ultra's, and there's even a separate cabin temperature control that passengers can set to their liking.

New rollers, and more

Stiff ground handling and too-firm touchdown behavior were common complaints from 500-series drivers. To cure that, the Excel was given a set of beefy trailing-link main landing gear that can help even clumsy arrivals seem more graceful.

The Excel's landing gear, flaps, speed brakes, thrust reversers, and horizontal stabilizer are hydraulically powered. The stabilizer is adjusted to a negative-2-degree setting for takeoff and is set to a plus-1-degree position for optimum cruise performance.

Ease of access is the byword for the Excel's exterior. Most of the nose-mounted avionics are line-replaceable units (LRUs) that can be swapped out in 40 minutes or less, including the dual attitude and heading reference system (AHRS) units. Control cables, as well as electrical and hydraulic lines, can be reached by removing side panels above the wing root, and all exterior preflight items can be completed without the need for a ladder.

The aft baggage compartment is also noteworthy in that it's the largest in the Citation fleet. It has an 80-cubic-foot volume and a 700-pound weight capacity. There is no nose baggage compartment; the avionics bay takes up all the space.

ICT to CYYZ

Accompanied by Cessna demonstration pilots Tony Mahoney and Steve Workman, I flew an Excel on a positioning flight from Cessna's Wichita headquarters to Toronto's Lester Pearson International Airport. It was a great opportunity to see the Excel as it would be used by a typical pilot or owner. With 5,000 pounds of fuel and the rest of our load, our Excel's takeoff weight was 18,000 pounds — 2,000 pounds less than the maximum takeoff weight.

Three clicks up on the thrust levers, and we were at takeoff power on Wichita Mid-Continent Airport's Runway 19L. The big Pratts gave a firm push as the ship rushed toward our V1 of 97 knots and our VR of 102 kt. Soon, the runway was a thing of the past and we were in a 4,000-fpm climb doing 200 kt. Just under 18 minutes later we were level at FL370, doing 443 KTAS, 0.741 Mach, a groundspeed of 440 kt, and burning 730 pph of Jet A per side. The Universal said we'd be at Toronto in two hours and 25 minutes, and we were.

After an hour or so, we climbed to FL390. Up there, fuel flows dropped to 630 pph per side. The cabin was a comfortable 4,300 feet, and we were on top of all of the weather until reaching Lake Michigan. There, skies cleared up and we could see what looked like almost the entire length of the lake.

Mahoney showed me the MFD's many functions, including the ability to light up the flight-planned route, all the nearest airports, navaids, and airplanes (on the TCAS II). Using a four-way toggle switch, you can swing a line on the MFD to any point ahead of the airplane, a feature you could use to provide a course for diversion around storm cells, or to fly to a nearby fix. The MFD can be ranged out to 300 nm.

For the descent, those pink trend lines helped me to stay within the speed and altitude restrictions that ATC dished out. Soon enough, we were on final for Runway 6L, on the ILS, and at our VREF of 118 kt. A slow, smooth, well-timed tug on the thrust levers to flight idle and we touched down in considerable style, given that I had never flown an Excel before. Thrust reversers out, a push on the bakes, and we made the first turnoff. Not bad.

Prospects

So far, there are 30 Excels now in service. NetJets, Executive Jet Aviation's fractional ownership program, has orders for 52 more.

At a typically equipped price of $9.25 million (this includes TCAS and an enhanced ground-proximity warning system, but not the $200,000 APU), that kind of demand's a hint that the airplane's being well-received. Cessna's mix of a big cabin and advanced features in what's still at heart a light jet seems off to a good start.

Links to additional information about the new Cessna Excel and other business jets may be found on AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/pilot/links/links9910.shtml). E-mail the author at [email protected].