Page 32 - March 2016

year, taking company scientists to a convention in Orlando, Florida required stops in both directions, but the new CJ4 will easily make the trip non-stop. In the week after our visit to BioZyme, a trip was scheduled to Modesto, California, a mission that also benefited from the CJ4’s longer legs.
“Our airport (KSTJ) has everything we need (even precision approach radar, thanks to the Air National Guard Wing on the field), but there is no MRO service, so we have to take the jet to Wichita or have AOG mobile service come to us. Warranty is important to me; I want the airplane covered if maintenance is needed.” After looking at other light-midsize jets, Norton settled on the Citation CJ4. With up to 9 seats and over 2,000 nm of range, it still offered single- pilot ferry capability and will easily serve the company’s present and future needs.
Norton and chief pilot Zane Goforth went to FlightSafety International’s Wichita Learning Center to earn their type ratings. The CJ4 uses a Rockwell Collins ProLine 21 flight deck, as did the Premier, and its Williams FJ-44 FADEC engines were familiar, so the transition wasn’t totally foreign. Goforth came out of an airline background (CRJ and 747- 400 crew cockpits); his transition to a single-pilot rating meant he had to learn to rely on the autopilot and handle emergencies with an empty right seat.
A Typical Company Trip
On the day I visited BioZyme, the daily mission was to be an out- and-back to Abilene, Texas, a 450- mile hop to return an executive of a subsidiary company who had been picked up earlier in the week. BioZyme’s average passenger load is about three, but the single-club plus two interior is comfortable for six and two extra passengers can go on the side-facing seat by the door and a belted lavatory seat. I occupied the copilot slot on the way down
30 • TWIN & TURBINE
and luxuriated in the cabin with the passengers on the way back.
Home-base FBO Express Flight at St. Joseph expertly hangars and ramps BioZyme’s aircraft and Norton insists on having it in a hangar when overnight away from home, if one is available. The CJ4’s custom-designed paint job would soon be further enhanced by a
company logo. The airplane had been in service for only two weeks and would be turning over 30 hours total time on this trip; I was careful to wipe my feet on the FBO mat.
Goforth’s preflight preparation involved supervising the single-point fueling for the trip; 4,400 pounds of Jet-A brought the takeoff weight to approximately 15,500 pounds, well under the 17,110-pound maximum. The static-wick tennis balls were stowed, the refreshment center was restocked with coffee, ice and water, and the aft baggage bin was left ajar to receive luggage. As the steps were raised and the eight- pin door was secured, we turned the right engine and watched the automated start sequence. The engines idle at a low 24% N1, and taxiing is easily managed with rudder-pedal nosegear steering. While slightly longer than a CJ3, the CJ4 has a narrower maingear span and maneuvers easily.
The lately-designed CJ4 cockpit is more pilot-friendly than earlier Citations, with most system checks automated and fewer switches and breakers to check. There are no thrust reversers, but with four- panel spoilers and powerful anti- skid brakes, the runway numbers are impressively short. Goforth found the V1-cut climbout to be impressive during his training; the single 3,600-pound thrust turbofan could manage nearly 1,500 fpm. For our departure, the ProLine computer said V1 was 95 kts, Vr was 98 and V2 was 111. As the FADEC throttles were moved to the takeoff detent, the airplane launched like a scalded cat and was off the ground in under 2,000 feet.
Scooting upward at 240 knots in climb-power detent, the FJ-44’s turned 94% N1 and delivered 3,500 fpm on a near-ISA day. We transitioned to .64 Mach as the climb progressed, and we were still doing 2,000 fpm as we passed FL400. We leveled gently at FL430 about 21 minutes after brake release, even
MARCH 2016
SPECIFICATIONS Cessna
Citation CJ4
Powerplants
Seats Fuel
Performance Certified ceiling
Single-engine ceiling Max. cruise speed Takeoff distance Landing distance Max. range (w/reserve)
Climb rate-2 engines Climb rate-1 engine
Weights
Ramp MTOW Zero Fuel Landing Basic Operating Useful load
Dimensions Wingspan
Height Length Cabin length Cabin width Cabin height Baggage
Williams FJ44-4A, 3,621pounds/thrust, 5,000-hour TBO 2+8
870 gallons
45,000 feet 28,200 feet
451 kts @ 31,000 ft. 3,190 feet
2,740 feet
2,192 n.mi.
3,854 fpm 1,270 fpm
17,230 lb. 17,110 lb. 12,500 lb. 15,660 lb. 10,260 lb. 6,970 lb.
50.83 ft. 15.42 ft. 53.33 ft. 17.33 ft. 58 in. 57 in. 1,040 lb.
Average equipped price: $8,995,000 Information:www.cessna.txtav.com