Citation IIs Sierra Style

FLYING Staff

Tuesday, April 14, 2009 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Sierra Industries specializes in re-engining older Cessna Citation business jets, primarily using modern Williams FJ44 turbofan engines to significantly enhance their performance.
These upgrades, exemplified by the Super II and Super S-II programs for Citation II models, deliver substantial improvements in speed, range, climb performance, and fuel efficiency.
The engine replacements introduce advanced features like FADEC, eliminate the need for thrust reversers, and offer considerable long-term savings on both fuel consumption and maintenance costs.
Sierra's converted aircraft provide a strong value proposition, making them competitive with newer, smaller jets in terms of performance while offering a much lower acquisition cost and extending the utility of durable airframes.

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Uvalde, Texas, seems like a strange place for a world-class business jet re-engining company to call home. Located 70 miles west of San Antonio in a part of Texas better known for deer hunting and off-road racing than for high technology, Sierra Industries is way off the beaten path, unless you fly a bizjet, that is.

It was through an improbable chain of events almost 30 years ago that Sierra founder and president Mark Huffstutler found himself in Uvalde running an FBO. And then, almost before he knew it, he was the man behind a series of ever more ambitious aviation ventures, including a full-service maintenance hangar and a busy mod shop. Starting in 1986, Sierra acquired the rights to several modifications packages, including the Citation Eagle and Longwing mods, the well-known lineup of Robertson STOL modifications, and the mods owned by the Dee Howard company, in nearby San Antonio.