Cessna Citation 500 Type Certification Marks 50 Years
Yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of FAA type certification for the Cessna Citation 500, arguably creating the biggest-selling product line of business jets. It was on Sept. 9, 1971, that the FAA awarded the certification to the aircraft's Wichita airframer, launching a line of light, midsize, and super-midsize business jets that continues today under Textron Aviation.
Originally dubbed the FanJet 500 but later renamed the Citation, the twinjet was first delivered in January 1972 to American Airlines, which used the airplane for the development of its training program. Powered by two Pratt & Whitney JT15D-1 engines, the Citation 500 was initially certified for two pilots and up to seven passengers, with a 35,000-foot ceiling and Mach 0.70 cruise speed.
Included in the model's $695,000 price tag was ground and flight training at American’s flight training center in Fort Worth, and a three-year warranty on the airframe and one-year warranty on avionics.
Production of the airplane ended in 1985, with deliveries totaling 691. But the type’s legacy continues today with the Model 560XL (Citation XLS+), which is a direct-line variant of the Citation 500.
The type also served as the first of a family of Citations that now includes not only the XLS+ but the M2, CJ3+, CJ4 Gen 2, Latitude, and Longitude. In all, Textron Aviation has delivered 7,831 Citations that have amassed more than 40 million flight hours.
AINsight: Aircraft Owner Trusts Under Indictment
Aircraft owner trusts in the U.S. got a black eye in February when a criminal indictment was filed against Aircraft Guaranty Corp. and Wright Brothers Aircraft Title (defendants). Both defendants allegedly used the owner trust and escrow services to perpetuate criminal enterprise since 2016 involving illicit aircraft transactions valued at approximately $350 million.
The Indictment cited 22 allegedly “offending aircraft transactions,” with the defendants allegedly facilitating bogus aircraft transactions using non-U.S. citizen owner trusts (NCTs) and concealed the movement of funds in and out of escrow accounts. They also allegedly participated in international drug trafficking, engaged in conspiracies to commit money laundering, wire fraud, export violations, and aircraft registration violations.
Fortunately, the indictment has not derailed the use of NCTs from what I see and advise in my practice. But it is conceivable that NCTs could experience heightened FAA scrutiny, legislative actions on disclosing NCT parties, fewer registrations at the FAA by non-citizens, unwelcome media attention, and more criminal investigations into escrow and trust companies.
Still, owner trusts provide a well-understood and essential tool for ownership and financing of aircraft by citizens and non-citizens. The facts in the indictment should not, therefore, deter the continued reliance on non-citizen trusts.
Tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that devastated the world's economy and plunged the aviation industry into turmoil. The moment had reverberated throughout NBAA, as it did the entire aviation industry and the nation.
Since then, the business and general aviation industry has seen security protocols evolve over the years and new and lasting requirements and restrictions implemented. These include the Twelve-Five Standard Security Program, Alien Flight Student Program, and the increased use of no-fly zones and temporary flight restrictions with “gateway airports.”
Business aircraft still can’t fly into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport without an armed security officer aboard, an approved DCA Access Standard Security Program, and vetting through a gateway. A Special Flight Rules area outer circle and Flight Restricted Zone inner circle capturing the “Maryland 3” airports remain in place. So too do ongoing restrictions over Disney parks, sporting events, and certain areas where the President travels.
But looking back, past NBAA president Jack Olcott said having the resources in place to mobilize quickly was critical for not only NBAA but the industry at large, enabling them to weather through the turmoil of the time and its aftermath. And the measures that are still in place now are a far cry from some of the proposals and initial restrictions put in place in the immediate aftermath.
The White House unveiled a multi-pronged initiative that is designed to dramatically step up production of sustainable fuels, reduce aviation emissions by 20 percent by 2030, and progress toward a “fully zero-carbon” aviation sector by 2050. In a virtual event yesterday, the Biden Administration outlined numerous efforts and proposed actions involving multiple federal agencies and a cross-section of the industry to reach these goals. Key among them are a proposed tax credit for SAF production and the launch of a Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge to encourage the production of at least three billion gallons of SAF per year by 2030.
In addition, the White House is supporting the allocation of up to $4.3 billion in new and ongoing funding that supports SAF projects and fuel production, an increase in research and development activities focused on new technologies, and efforts to improve air traffic and airport efficiency. In providing a high-level outline for the goals, the White House said it plans to release a comprehensive aviation climate action plan in the coming months.
The announcement drew strong support from several business aviation leaders. NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen told White House officials during the event that “increasing SAF production is a key part of our sustainability agenda, and we will continue to promote proposals to increase the availability of these fuels as quickly as possible.”
UTG Private Aviation, part of the UTG Group and one of Russia’s largest business aviation service providers, is starting a major upgrade of its FBO at Moscow Domodedovo Airport. The project, which is expected to be completed by mid-2022, includes a complete renovation of its FBO terminal and the construction of aircraft hangars and a helipad.
FBO executive director Elena Zhdanova told AIN that the company is applying the U.S. model for its terminal makeover—“not pretentious, but convenient with adequate cost of provided services,” she said. “We are creating a fundamentally new system based on the existing terminal, which involves its complete renovation, as well as overhaul of the apron and building of a helipad.”
According to Zhdanova, the project also involves the construction of hangars for aircraft storage and maintenance and the development of related services such as on-site aircraft catering. She expects that when the project is completed in the first half of 2022, traffic at the Russian FBO will double to 200 aircraft movements per month.
RedTail Flight Academy Opens at Stewart Airport
Today marks the opening of the RedTail Flight Academy at New York’s Stewart International Airport and the start of training of seven minority youth from underserved communities in the academy’s Part 141 pilot training program. Charter provider Wheels Up is providing two internships every year to academy graduates and, during a promotional period, donating $1,000 from new Core membership signups to the academy.
The academy honors the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, and Lt. Col. Enoch Woodhouse, one of the Tuskegee Airmen, was on hand to welcome the inaugural cadets during today’s opening. The program is launching with three female and four male students and hopes to grow the percentage of minority pilots to 4 percent during the next 10 years, from the current 2.5 percent (in military and commercial aviation).
The all-volunteer academy was founded by the New York-based Tuskegee Airmen chapter. The training program aims to graduate the cadets in 10 months with a multi-engine commercial pilot license and instrument rating.
“We’re honored to be the first Part 135 provider to partner with the RedTail Flight Academy to help support the next generation of aviation talent,” said Wheels Up COO Thomas Bergeson. “By offering two internships every year to academy graduates, we’re committing to diversifying our employee base and offering positions to underserved communities.”
GE Aviation and the FAA announced this morning that they are partnering on the development of noise and emission-reducing technologies for aircraft engines. The company and government agency have committed to jointly investing $55 million over five years in research on open-fan engines, electrification, noise reduction, and alternative jet fuels via the FAA’s Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions, and Noise (CLEEN) program.
This is the third CLEEN award GE Aviation has received since 2010. Previous CLEEN awards, announced in 2010 and 2015, supported GE Aviation technology advancements, including Twin-Annular Pre-mixing Swirler (TAPS) combustor designs that led to technology now in CFM LEAP and GE9X engines, open-fan architecture, flight-management systems, alternative fuels, and electrification. The latest award comes after GE and Safran announced in June that they were jointly working to reduce engine fuel burn and CO2 emissions by 20 percent via their joint venture company CFM and its RISE (Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines) program, which targets delivery of these new engines in the next decade.
Technologies being funded by CLEEN Phase III include open fan; acoustic liners and outlet guide vanes to reduce noise; a low-emissions combustor that reduces nitrogen oxides (NOx); hybrid-electric power; advanced thermal management to handle hotter core temperatures; and sustainable aviation fuels.
NIAR Werx Accepts First 777 Cargo Conversion Project
NIAR Werx took delivery this week of its first Boeing 777-300ER for a passenger-to-freighter project. Werx director Dave Jones told AIN it is the first of three conversions of the Boeing widebody jet that the organization’s MRO program—in partnership with the Kansas Modification Center (KMC)—expects to complete and deliver by the end of 2023.
Werx is a 2.5-year-old organization founded by the National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University to provide a host of services to OEMs, suppliers, business, and military aviation companies—especially startups—seeking to do projects as small as one-off parts manufacturing all the way up to retrofitting commercial airliners for special missions and other purposes. At the same time, it provides real-world learning and experience for WSU engineering students and students enrolled in the airframe and powerplant and avionics programs offered by the university’s technical college, WSU Tech.
He noted the project will benefit engineering, A&P, and avionics students by giving them hands-on experience with a commercial aircraft, which in turn will help the school attract more students in those disciplines regionally. Jones also expects the project to boost Werx’s workforce in the coming years. “We’re seeing more than 1,000-plus employees working on this in years to come,” he added.
It currently employs about 200 engineers, 100 mechanics and technicians, and dozens of WSU students.
As ever, you can count on AIN for full coverage of NBAA-BACE 2021. Our team will publish three of our award-winning daily NBAA Convention News editions at the show on October 12, 13, and 14. We will also have comprehensive real-time reporting of all the top news at AINonline.com and in our daily e-newsletters. If you are an exhibiting company that wants to share news or propose pre-show interviews and briefings please contact show editor Chad Trautvetter
Photo of the Week
Trio over Thermal. JetEffect v-p Chris Warners took this air-to-air shot of three World War II-era North American T-6 Texan trainers over Thermal, California, during a North American Trainer Association get-together in April. He snapped the image while flying on a similar-vintage Beechcraft T-34 trainer that was derived from the Model 35 Bonanza. Thanks for sharing, Chris!
If you'd like to submit an entry for Photo of the Week, email a high-resolution horizontal image (at least 2000 x 1200 pixels), along with your name, contact information, social media names, and info about it (including brief description, location, etc.) to photos@ainonline.com. Tail numbers can be removed upon request. Those submitting photos give AIN implied consent to publish them in its publications and social media channels.
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