This month we saw Bombardier halt Learjet production, Textron Aviation unveiled the Citation CJ4 Gen2 and BCA explored the HondaJet Elite with operators to establish likes, dislikes and more. Take a look at our roundup of the biggest stories in February.
By Mike Gerzanics2021-02-25T14:00:00+00:00
Cessna has drawn on new technology to make its flagship Longitude a pleasure for passengers and pilots alike. We put the super-midsize type to the test.
Despite the global Covid-19 pandemic, the super-midsize segment of the business jet market is showing signs of life. This is in part being driven by an uptick in demand for fractional jet operators, as businesses and the well‑heeled have flocked to their services in order to avoid the perceived risks of travelling via scheduled airline operations.
Bombardier continues to be the market leader in this segment – based on deliveries and orders – with its Challenger 300/350 offerings. Dassault and Gulfstream also maintain a strong presence, with their Falcon 2000S and G280 models, respectively. And from a technological viewpoint, Embraer’s Praetor 600 is the stand-out offering, with a full fly-by-wire (FBW) flight-control system and available head-up display.
- February 25, 2021, 1:26 PM
Operators placing orders for the Citation Excel Eagle by March 31 will pay an introductory price of $3.45 million. (Image: Visual Media Group/CitationPartners)
Led by a threesome of former Cessna executives including longtime CEO and current chairman emeritus Russ Meyer Jr., CitationPartners is breathing new life into one of the Wichita airframer’s most popular twinjets, the Citation Excel, in a new nose-to-tail refurbishment program called Citation Excel Eagle. Using the help of Textron Aviation’s Wichita service center and FBO/MRO Yingling Aviation, CitationPartners’ goal is to turn out one or more Excel Eagles a month.
The program, which was announced in late February, transforms previous NetJets airframes into a fully-inspected aircraft with new parts, interior, paint, and Garmin G5000 avionics. Introductory pricing on the first three Excel Eagles, as well as for orders taken by March 31, is $3.45 million. After that, the price increases t
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Credit: Textron Aviation
We were cleared for takeoff on Runway 01R at Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (KICT) and the Citation Longitude’s FADEC-controlled engines allowed me to simply push the throttles full forward. Hitting the Takeoff/Go Around (TO/GA) buttons earlier armed the autothrottles, which took over after I pushed them full forward. The engines responded quickly to takeoff thrust. Keeping the aircraft aligned with the runway centerline was simply a matter of steering with my feet and each V-speed came quickly. Our V1, decision speed was 107 kt., rotation speed was 113 kt., and V2, takeoff safety speed was 125 kt. As with many over-powered aircraft, these speeds seem to be of little consequence with all engines operating: They come and go very quickly.