The FAA gave type certification for Textron’s new Citation Ascend on Wednesday. Deliveries of the midsize plane are expected before the end of the year. The aircraft includes a new Garmin G5000 cockpit with autothrottles and better performance and amenities than earlier models in the same family. It will carry up to 12 passengers and will have a maximum range of 1940 nm with full fuel and a payload of 900 pounds. It also includes an onboard APU. The Smart Aviator Editor Larry Anglisano got a comprehensive tour of the aircraft at NBAA-BACE last month in Las Vegas.
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As a 17year veteran pilot of the mighty Excel I am not too impressed with this pimp-my-flight.
Yepp, the Garmin cockpit is shine and blinky.
But the yokes still seem offset to the middle by an inch left and right. (Apparently they still origin from the first ever Citation.)
That already leads to bend backs and deformed seats in the current version.
Working in the flat-floor cabin as an aircrew is probably horrible, as the floor has been raised and thus the cabin is really low now.
Also quite similar (as the low cabin) to the Phenom 300 is the stupid design of the area with the foldout tables.
When you look closely, you will see how the sales person bends his legs around the sidewall.
My recommendation to all buyers is to demand the dropped aisle and classic sidewall.
The new cockpit windows are stylish too.
And that’s about it then.
The best feature of the Excel is lost.
Working in that aircraft at airports with ever increasing APU time limits, you cherish the two windows you could open to get the air moving.
Well, well, I think I’m about to ramble on like an old folk who loves his vintage bird.
PS: Guess how that name already is pronounced on the flightline…