Search Results for: Citation X

Frasca International in Urbana, Illinois, has received an FAA contract to develop and build a flight training device (FTD) for the Cessna Citation Mustang light jet. Frasca is a world leader in FTDs, and the Level 5 unit for the Mustang is to be delivered to the FAA’s Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City. […]

A lot of pilots saw some impressive video of a German Airbus airline crew trying to land in a horrendous crosswind. Other than the wind, the weather was good. The crab angle on final was substantial and the turbulence enthusiastic. It turned into quite a tussle over the runway as the pilot tried to land. […]

Two wings. Check. Horsepower up front (or maybe in the back). Check. Liquid money in the tanks. Check. Somewhere to go? Hell, yeah! Hang on a minute. As absurdly simple as it sounds, it is a fact that different aircraft serve different roles. Sometimes, the plane, pilot and mission dont match up any more. We know how it goes. You go through primary flight training in a tame little trainer, perhaps a short-legged Cessna 152 or 172, or maybe a Piper Warrior. Youve become accustomed to the frequent fuel stops and finite loading capabilities, and know every avgas-fueled diner within 100 miles. But maybe youve started a family, gained a baby or just want to get out of your own backyard without stopping for fuel quite as often. Maybe something faster, more comfortable, something that will get you over the terrain and out of that miserable chop. And if you need to cover half the country in a day, youll definitely need a faster ride. Or not. If youve passed the point in your flying or professional career where you no longer need that go-fast airplane, youre a good candidate for a lower fuel burn and lower cockpit workload. Too, if your medical renewal isnt much of a gimme any more, perhaps the Sport Pilot and LSA world can open new doors to you as others close.

Theres no going back-we are in an era of high-tech avionics and cockpit automation. Even some LSAs are sporting “glass” cockpits and simple autopilots; cross-country airplanes sport panels and equipment unheard of even in high-end turbines scant years ago, and the turbines themselves are becoming more accessible to owner-pilots. Even the most capable of these airplanes, however, has its automation limitations. Proper operation and constant monitoring of automated systems remains the responsibility of well-trained and emergency-current pilots. On April 19, 2008, a Cessna Citation Mustang suffered substantial damage when its pilot ground-looped the light jet to prevent a runway overshoot at Carlsbad, Calif. According to the NTSBs preliminary report, this was an intentional act to prevent going off a cliff past the end of the runway after the pilot landed “fast” and beyond the mid-point of Carlsbads 4600-foot available landing surface. The pilots quick action may be credited with sparing injury (or worse) to the four people on board.

In January of last year, the nose baggage door of a Cessna CE-525 CitationJet opened during takeoff from Van Nuys Airport. Moments later, the jet crashed into an empty lot in a residential neighborhood just north of the airport, killing both pilots. As you might expect at a busy airport, many people who knew something […]

Eclipse mixed two slices of good news in with a heaping portion of bad news earlier this month. The company announced it was increasing the price of its Eclipse 500 twinjet by $550,000 to $2.15 million-a jump of 35 percent-effective immediately, and based on June 2008 economics. The good news came in the form of […]

Nothing can spoil a nice trip on a good-weather day like bumpy air. Like most other things in meteorology, its somewhat possible to predict turbulence. But unlike most other things in meteorology, as well as in life itself, there is something you can do about it. Altitude, time of day, tall-and not-so-tall-buildings and the relative flatness of the terrain over which were flying can all combine to make what should have been a smooth, relaxing flight into your (or your passengers) worst nightmare. Sometimes, those are the cards youre dealt. Most of the time, though, it doesnt have to be that way. The air that supports our aircraft is a fluid subject to the laws of physics. Ignoring the local influence of the sun and obstructions for a moment, when the wind blows, its flow is laminar-all air moves together smoothly. Even though that air might be moving rapidly it will be pretty smooth. If you upset the laminar flow of that wind, things can get interesting in a hurry. The upset can be something physical like a mountain or just a different air flow. The result on the nice days is just a slight change to the laminar flow of the wind. On bumpy days, though, the result is air in the boundary between the laminar flow and the upsetting influence is not smooth at all. In fact, there are often eddies and backflows, same as you get aft of an airfoil thats just at or past the its critical angle of attack. Depending on the strength of the wind and the opposing forces, those eddies and backflows can be slight or quite severe, with the corresponding flight through them being either a little jittery or enough to separate wing from fuselage.

The fuel filler caps on the new Cessna Skyhawk 172TD aren’t your garden-variety flip-lid 100LL caps like I’d pried (or twisted) open countless times before. These babies are industrial, overbuilt Teutonic-looking things, placarded in bold letters to make it clear what kind of fuel to use: “Jet-A Only.” They seem emblematic of this new breed […]

In February Cessna announced details of its new Model 850 Citation Columbus, the first business jet in the line to have a flat-floor cabin with 6-feet 1-inch stand-up headroom. The Columbus promises 4,000 nm of IFR range flying at Mach .80 (459 knots) while carrying eight passengers. The airplane is an all-new design and will […]

When I earned my first jet type rating more than 25 years ago it was just assumed that I knew how to fly and could pass the course. If I couldn’t, the check ride would find my shortcomings, and I would be out the door. The training was one size fits all, sink or swim, […]