At long last, Tamarack Aerospace has achieved the coveted supplemental type certificate for the Cessna Citation CJ series of bizjets for its Atlas active winglet system.
The Atlas system features a wingtip extension that includes load alleviation, which eliminates the additional stress on the wing structure created by the extended wingspan. The performance enhancement realized by the extended wingtips allows the aircraft to climb to the flight levels quicker, reducing the fuel burn significantly.
The installation also results in a 400-pound increase in the maximum zero fuel weight, improved single-engine climb performance, better hot-high performance and increased stability.
We had a chance to experience the performance enhancement on Tamarack’s test airplane – a Citation CJ. Click here for the report.
The active winglets are now available for installation at Cessna’s Citation Service Centers in the United States and Europe on the CJ, CJ1, CJ1+ and M2. Tamarack plans to offer its Atlas system on other platforms in the future as well.
Despite an agreement signed by European, Canadian and U.S. aviation authorities in the fall of 2015, it took about one full year for the STC to be validated by the FAA after the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) signed off on the active winglets.
