Cessna Citation CJ3

AOPA PILOT· 85· OCTOBER 2004 r piston singles, and if you need to slow down, just go to idle thrust. The air- plane quickly slows, but if you really need to brake, get on the binders, and you'll stop on a dime. Takeoff and climb The thrust levers slide into three posi- tions-takeoff (TO). max continuous thrust (MCT). and cruise (CRU). For takeoff, just advance the levers to the AOPA PILOT· 86 •OcrOBER 2004 A six-seat cabin is standard, but with a belted potty the CJ3 can have eight seats. The biggest of the CJs, the CJ3 is also the fastest and has the longest legs. TO position and hang on. After takeoff, slide the levers into the MCT positions. The FADEC sets the right amount of power for the atmospheric conditions during the entire climb-all the while making sure that engine temperature limitations aren't violated. ----- The day of my flight with Jim Martin, Cessna's senior flight test engineer, the airplane weighed ]] ,300 pounds-2,570 pounds below the 13,870-pound max takeoff weight-and with IS degrees of flaps the preliminary information indi- cated a VI (takeoff decision speed) of 95 KIAS, and a takeoff distance of about 2,700 feet. We used Wichita Mid-Conti- nent Airport's Runway 32, a short taxi from Cessna's Citation Delivery Center. The power went up, the runway sped by, VI came and went, and soon we were in a 140-KlAS climb with a 22-de- gree-high deck angle. This is a maxi- mum-climb-rate airspeed (200 to 250 knots is more typical), but the point was made: Initial climb rates at heavy weights could reach 5,500 fpm. We timed the climb on our way to FL430. It was six minutes to climb to FL250, 8.5 minutes to FL300, and 19 EXPERIMI minutes to FL430. How much excess power can the Williams engines make? Passing through FL350, we were still climbing at 1,700 fpm, doing 203 KlAS. High-speed cruise At high-speed cruise power at FL430 and temperatures four degrees higher than standard, the CJ3 sped along at 413 KTASburning fuel at a rate of 740 total pounds per hour, or about III Like other CJs, the CJ3 has fold-down entry stairs and a forward refreshment center, part of which can be substituted for a side-facing seat. gallons per hour. Martin cautioned that the airplane was still in the experimen- tal category, and its final performance figures had yet to be tallied. Still, he said that the airplane was beating the numbers Cessna had originally posted, and that times to climb, in particular, should be significantly shorter than the numbers that have been listed in early promotional materials. Alrwork After descending to 14,000 feet, gear and flaps were extended and I rolled into a 30-degree bank for the first of several full stalls. The airplane bucked and shook, and the stick shaker rattled the control column (there is no stick pusher), but there was no tendency to drop a wing and recoveries were un- complicated. Just add a gob of power and the commotion goes away. To demonstrate single-engine climb performance, we slowed to 115 knots with gear extended and 15 degrees of flaps (takeoff position) and began a climb. Martin pulled back a thrust lever to simulate an engine failure. This trig- gered the rudder bias system, which automatically deflects the rudder to compensate for engine-out yaw forces. At a Vz (takeoff safety speed) of 120 KIAS, the CJ3 climbed away at 1,500 fpm. Not bad for 14,000 feet. Landings On final, with gear down and 35 de- grees of flaps, power was set to 60-per- cent, some nose-up trim was dialed in, and the result was a Vref of 105 knots and a 0.6 angle of attack This is pretty typical of all Citations, and so was the subsequent landing. Squeeze off power over the threshold, hold a slight nose- high attitude, wait for the runway, then roll it on at about 90 knots. Graceful ar- rivals are a snap, thanks to the trailing- link landing gear. Once the nosewheel meets the run- way, get on the brakes. There are no thrust reversers on the CJ3, so I guess Cessna figures the brakes have enough power to do the job on their own. And they're right. One landing was a maximum performance effort, wiih the goal of stopping smartly. After I planted the airplane this time, Martin ran the flap control all the way down to the 55-degree "lift-dump" position AOPA PILOT· 87 •OCTOBER 2004 Iii i I Links to additional information about CitationJets may be found on AOPA Online (www.aopa.orgj pilotjlinks.shtml) . Keyword search: Cessna. A longerwingspan, digital engine controls and more powerful engines make the CJ3 the flagship of Cessna's small-jet fleet. while I did my best to lock up the brakes. Lift-dump not only extends the flaps to their greatest detlection- it also simultaneously deploys the spoilers. Try as I did, the brakes grabbed without sliding the tires and we stopped in a breathtakingly short distance. We figured it was about 2,200 feet. Cessna appears to have done it again: Found yet another niche for yet another Citation. Never mind that it has a $6 million price tag. So far, some 100 orders already have been placed for CJ3s; 25 of these are for Cessna's CitationShares fractional owner- ship fleet. And while it's impor- tant to talk about its new technol- ogies and im- proved perfor- mance, the CJ3 will no doubt prove once more that it's the easy, pre- dictable handling, so consistent throughout the Citation fleet, that's most likely to cinch a sale. That, and the strong service network. It's an air- plane for those wanting more speed, range, and payload than smaller CJs, but who still want a small-jet feel and the choice of flying single-pilot. It's a formula that's worked every time be- fore, and one that will probably work once more. This raises a speculation: Can a CJ4 be far behind? IDA E-mail the author at tom.horne@ aopa.org First-time jet pilot BY RICH KARLGAARD • "This is the payoff for earning your ticket," said John Reimer, the Cess- na demonstration pilot. We were lined up on Runway 1 at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport. It was just after sunrise, the air outside was pregnant and sweet, and we were trying to beat a thunderstorm rolling down from Nebraska. This is the mo- ment I love in flying, the day's first takeoff. All worldly cares vanish ex- cept for that of making a smooth de- parture. But this morning's takeoff would have an odd twist to it. I would be doing it in a jet. A jet! Understand here that my pilot background is modest: I earned a private pilot certificate in 2001, got my instrument rating a year later, and have accumulated 490 hours total, most of it in Cessna 172s and 182s. My idea of a fast airplane is a lancair Co- lumbia 300, in which I have a half an hour of time. The jet I was about to fly off the runway is Cessna's smallest, the five-passenger CitationJet CJ1. A brand-new one goes for $4 million and cruises at 381 knots and flies as high as 41,000 feet. It drinks less fuel than most turbo- props and gets you half the length of the United States be- fore a fuel stop. While the world awaits the arrival of small- er, cheaper jets such as the Eclipse 500, Adam A 700, and AOPAPlwr· 88· OCTOBER 2004 Cessna's own Mustang, the CJl is the reigning bantam champ. Feet on the brakes, I followed Reimer's instructions to bring the power up to takeoff level, my cue being a Collins Pro Line 21 computer display on the panel. Then it was feet off and we accelerated like a dragster down the pavement. My own airplane, a 2002-model Cessna T182T, rotates at about 60 knots with 10 degrees of flaps. But 65 knots is OK with no flaps, and so is a 55-knot yank if you had bothered to throw down 20 degrees. Flying the CJl is not like that. The V R (rotation) and VREF (approach) speeds are precise. I once rode in John and Martha King's hotrod Dassault Falcon 10, and watched the careful Kings spend five minutes of preflight time calculating VR" Aboard the CJ1, a computer on the center console does all the work, calculating VR to the knot, based on density altitude and weight aboard. On this Wichita morning, the computer spat out a VR of 108 knots with takeoff flaps. The easy part is keeping the CJl aligned on the center- line. The hard part is pinching your bladder during those last 40 knots over the ground, which is '-a-sot. I can hear a few learjet jockeys snickering-lears typically rotate at 130 to 140 knots-but any pilot of a light single would agree. I SPECSHEET Cessna Citation CJ3 (MOdel 525B) Average equipped price: $6.065 million Specifications Powerplants Two Williams Internationat FJ44-3A, 2,780 Ip~t ~~. Recommended TBO ,,4':0pP'tP" ~:~:~~::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~~'~ ~~n Wingspan . Wing area . Wing loading .47. Power loading . Seats Cabin length. excluding cockpit Cabin width . Cabin height : Standard empty weight Basic operating weight (2 pilofs) Max ramp weight ·: 1 Max takeoff weight 1 Max zero fuel weight ·1 Max usefulload ~~ Payload w/full fuel "' . Max landing weight : . Fuel capacity 706 g Baggage capacity. aft 1.100 I Performance Balanced field length. SL @ 15'deg 59 deg F : " . thought, and still think, the SO-knot rotation speed of a Lancair 300 is fast. The CJl is almost 30 knots faster and feels like an E-ticket ride. Then you pitch up to 10 degrees, a steep sight picture for a piston pilot. My instincts wanted to pitch up only 5 degrees, so Reimer kept nudging it up. After that, the CJl hand-flies like a dream. We climbed at 2,500 fpm and 140 knots. Flight controls are surprisingly light, Bonanzalike. I have a few minutes of stick time in the right seats of a Pilatus PC-12 and a King Air 200. Those airplanes are ponderous to hand-fly. I expected the CJl to be the same. Not at all. During the Wichita-to-Grand Junction leg, I hand-flew the CJl to FL1S0 before letting Reimer and the autopilot take over. Flying the CJl past Pikes Peak and over Colorado's Monarch range on a morning with 200-mile visibility made me realize that the only thing wrong with my life is that I always seem to be a zero short. If only the CJl cost $400,000 instead of $4 million. If only the Mustang would debut at $240,000 instead of two point four. But then, how many people get to fly a jet at all? We flew over the airport at Grand Junction, Colorado, so that we could turn around and land on Runway 11 against the wind. On final approach I lined up the CJl and kept my eyes flicking between the runway center- line and the ship's airspeed. The computer spit out a VREF speed of 104 knots. Three miles out I told Reimer to take over. "No, you're landing this airplane," he said. V2 (takeoff safety speed) 114 KIAS VFE (max flap extended), 35 deg ..160 KIAS 15 deg 200 KIAS VLE (max gear extended) 250 KIAS VLO (max gear operating) Extend 250 KIAS Retract 200 KIAS Vref (reference speed. final approach) . ................. .107 KIAS VMO (max operating speed), SL to 8.000 ft .. .................................................... 260 KIAS 8,000 ft to 29,300 ft 275 KIAS Mmo (max Mach number) O.72 M Vso (stall speed in landing configuration) .... ... 86 KIAS For more information, contact Citation Marketing. Cessna Aircraft Company. Post Office Box 7706. Wichita Kansas 67277; telephone 800/4-CESSNA (423-7762) in the U.S./ 316/517-6056 outside the U.S.; Fax 316/517-6640; www.CJ3.Cessna.com All speCifications are based on manufacturer's preliminary calculations, and are subject to change. What now? Instinct and memories of SO hours in a Beechcraft A36 Bonanza took over, the sight picture and han- dling being similar. But the speeds, my gosh, we were hurtling toward Earth at 104 knots! Over the threshold, 100 feet off the ground, and we're still going 104 knots! I felt we were going to plow the nose into the runway. I kept trying to flare, and Reimer in the right seat kept pushingthe nose down. Ac- tually, Reimer was flaring, but at a very subtle 1 to 2 degrees up. Just when I figured we were going to bore a hole in the tar- mac, the CJ1's trailing link caught. I said a prayer of thanks while remembering to steer with my feet as we decelerated. The next leg was to San Francisco. With a density alti- tude of more than 7,000 feet, and Reimer recommending a zero-flap takeoff, the computer told us to rotate at a faster 112 knots. Another E-ticket ride down the runway and pre- cisely at VR I pitched up to 10 degrees. After the first take- off from Wichita I had kept my eyes nervously glued to the flight director. But this time I decided to enjoy the flight. I looked mostly outside, and it was a lot more fun. Two thou- sand feet off the ground I rolled the CJl into a gentle climb- ing lS0-degree turn and we headed west. At FL1S0 Reimer took over and my day as jet PIC was done. Flying the CJl is like that stunningly beautiful heiress you dated one time, before she came to her senses. The rest of your life you wonder: Will it ever be this good again? Rich Karlgaard is the publisher of Forbes magazine. His new book, Life 2.0: How People Across America Are Transforming Their Lives by Finding the Where of Their Happiness, has been on The Wall Street Journal's business bestseller list. AOPA PILOT' S9 . OerOBE!! 2004 is b b b ~ r• ~ II ~ ~ p R e