A Cessna Citation II (CE-550) departing just before a thunder storm moves over the airport. As we taxi the aircraft to the runway you can see the shelf cloud of the approaching storm. This was an empty flight where we were doing some flight training so you can hear discussion of speeds to use and technique. The Citation is a probably on of the easiest jets to learn to fly. During the visual approach we pick up some light rain and the landing is on runway 2C at the Nashville International Airport (KBNA).
Tag Archives: jet
Cessna Citation 500 Landing Cockpit View
During the climb out we get a good aerial view of the St Louis Lambert Airport and end the trip with a cockpit view of our landing at Iowa City Airport. In the descent, it’s a little bumpy due to summer thermals and as we turn into the sun for our landing on runway 25 the haze seems to reduce the visibility by half. This trip was flown in a 1974 Citation 500 that had much of the original avionics in the panel. The 500 was the original light business jet and this one was still running on steam gauges. It had no thrust reversers or anti-skid and was equipped with an emergency drag chute.
Cessna Citation 500 Cockpit
This aircraft was definitely old school, but sometimes that’s what it takes to get the job done. The Drag chute release was on the floor between the pilots. When the pilot pulled it up to arm the chute for landing it looked like he was applying a large automotive hand brake. In the possible event off brake failure, the pilot could deploy the drag chute and bring the aircraft to a stop. the drag chute eventually disappeared from later citations. The Citation 500 was the first of the straight wing Citations built by the Cessna aircraft corporation. It was designed to compete not against the faster Lear jets but in the rapidly expanding business turboprop market. With a maximum takeoff weight of 11,500 lbs., a straight wing and turbo fan engines it could operate out of smaller airports and was much more fuel efficient than other corporate jets.
Cessna Citation 500
The down side was that it lived up to its nickname of the “slowtation”. With a cruise speed of 345 knots, It was over 100 kts slower than the Leer Jet. The 500 is powered by two Pratt & Whitney JT15D-1 turbofan engines that produce 2,200 lbs. of thrust each. It has a range of 1,250 nm and a maximum altitude of 35,000 ft. The 500 was only in production for five years then Cessna added thrust reversers, lengthened the wings and renamed it the Citation I.
Flying the Cessna Citation Mustang into O’Hare International Airport, Chicago
A pre-dawn arrival and landing in a Cessna Citation Mustang at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. O’Hare is the world’s 2nd busiest airport and flying single pilot in this airspace can be a challenging experience. I arrived before 6:00 am so avoided the peak traffic times but even so, approach was very busy with airline traffic entering the terminal area. This was evident by the high number of ATC radio calls and the approach controllers request to maintain a higher than normal speed to the marker. No problem for the Mustang, which can slow rapidly. There’s no speed limit on the speed brakes and the gear extension speed is 250 Knots. Pull the throttles to idle, extend the speed brakes, drop the gear and your decelerating towards the outer marker like you just dropped anchor. In the center of the instrument panel on the Multi-Function Display (MFD) you can see how helpful the G1000 moving map display is for situational awareness. On the flight plan page I flip through various approaches to 27L and select and load the 27L ILs approach. With all the city lights on the ground it can be very difficult to visually identify and maintain the landing runway. The course line and all the approach fixes are presented on the MFD map and greatly aid in identifying the airport and the runway. More than one seasoned pilot has started his turn towards the airport and rolled out on the wrong runway. Once cleared for the visual approach the map display is great for confirming you’re on the correct course to the assigned runway. The lighting on runway 27L consist of an ALSF2 Approach Light System leading to the runway, a 4 light PAPI Precision Approach Path Indicator to the right of the runway for visually maintaining the glide path, and at the far end of the runway the pulsing white lights across the runway are hold short lights for use in land And Hold Short Operations LAHSO. Unfortunately, with an early morning summer takeoff I picked up lots of bug splats on the windshield which are visible in the video.
Citation Mustang Landing at Spirit of St. Louis Airport
A Cessna Citation 510 landing on runway 26L at Spirit of St Louis Airport. The Citation Mustang is a single pilot light jet with a fairly low landing ref speeds. For this landing the aircraft was at a weight of 7,500 lbs., the ref speed was 91 kts and the required landing distance was only 2,380 ft. The maximum landing weight is 8,000 lbs. In the video it was a little bumpy on final and you can see that the pitch tends to vary a little more than it does on other aircraft. I think this may be due to the relatively short coupling of the wing and fuselage and would probably be more noticeable to pilots transitioning to the mustang from larger aircraft. Over all, the Mustang has the feel of a sports car and is a good short field performer. Here are a couple of takeoff performance examples at the maximum takeoff weight and high temperature.
Max takeoff weight of 8,645 lbs and Flaps-15
Airport elevation sea level, no wind and temperature +40C
Takeoff distance required is 4,440 ft
Max takeoff weight of 8,645 lbs and Flaps-15
Airport elevation of 5,000 ft., no wind and temperature +20C
Takeoff distance required is 5,020 ft
Flying the Cessna Citations and Beechcraft King Air 350
A year of charter and corporate flying in the Cessna Citation Encore, Citation II, Citation Mustang. Citation Excel and the beechcraft King Air 350. This is a representative video of a year of flying with cockpit views of takeoffs and landings.
How to Charter a Private Jet
A Cessna Citation Excel Charter Jet
Today’s air traveler has three options, buy an airline ticket, buy a private jet or charter a jet. The charter option gives you all the benefits of owning a jet without the downside of ownership. You get the convenience owners have without any of the ownership expenses or headaches. Thousands of air travelers have given up the frustration and inconvenience of flying the airlines for the hassle free experience of flying on a charter jet. FAA Certified Air Carriers or Air Taxi Operators provide a wide range of jet aircraft ready to satisfy the needs of today’s busy air travelers. Flying with a charter company comes with all the conveniences of owning a jet bu none of the downside.
Many charter operators have a variety of aircraft to fit varying missions and provide the aircraft and crew that best fit your needs. This type of flying gives you control over your travel schedule, privacy and access to thousands more airports than the scheduled airlines serve. Your jet departs on your schedule, there’s no frustrating check in process, and it takes you closer to where you want to go. Every seat is first class and many charter aircraft have ac outlets for portable electronics. On the day you’ve scheduled your trip, drive up to the aircraft. The crew will take your bags and you step from your car to your private jet. No waiting. Running behind; no problem. We’re leaving on your schedule not ours.
To set up your first charter flight, call your local airport and ask for the names and phone numbers of local Air Taxi Operators. They’re also referred to as 135 operators. When you call they’ll want to know where you want to go, time of departure, when you want to return, any intermediate stops you want to make, how many people are going, how much baggage you’re taking, catering requests if any, and if you need ground transportation arranged at your destination. Each operator call back with a quote and you select the company that best meets your needs. Be sure to ask about any additional fees like airport landing fees, overnight fees, pilot wait time, or hanger. Most operators charge by the mile or by the hour. You can expect to be quoted for the round trip whether you’re going one way or not and a minimum of two hours a day when the aircraft sits.
McDonnell 220
N4AZ is a one of a kind corporate jet built by McDonnell. The picture was taken in 2009 on the ramp at the El Paso, Texas airport. Anav8r.com has an excellent article on the 220 at http://www.anav8r.com/page03.htm