Page 12 - March 2015 Volume 19 Number 3

way around the redesigned pedestal. The rudder pedals are adjustable as well. The flight controls are sturdy transport-style yokes, connected to honest no-nonsense cables; none of this fly-by-wire midget-stick stuff. There’s a nice big pitch trim wheel right by your knee. No stick- pusher protection is required, only a stick-shaker for stall warning. The CJ3+’s front office feels like a real flight deck.
Modernity is abundantly found in the CJ3+’s operating features; much of the former switching and testing has been eliminated or automated. The rotary systems-test knob of earlier CJ’s is now incorporated into the GTC 570 controller. There is no avionics switch, because when the main battery is on, the G3000 suite is powered up. There’s no anti-skid brake switch to bother with, and the anti-collision beacon activates with the first engine-start button. As much as possible, the pilot’s life has been simplified. There’s no noisy air-cycle machine, just heat- exchanger cooled bleed air and a vapor-cycle air conditioner for hot weather, available to precool the cabin with a GPU.
We engaged the partial-avionics dispatch switch to obtain ATIS and clearance before starting, then brought up full battery power for the fully-automated engine start, now controlled from the pedestal rather than the left side. All that’s needed is pressing the “start” button and pushing a power lever up an inch or so. Although the FADEC should prevent an exceedance, we still guarded the shut-down latch in case the computer wasn’t working fast enough. Temperature peaked out around 670 C. and the generator came on line as soon as the 53% idle stabilized. Although we didn’t do it, the checklist shows single-engine taxiout as an option, if a lengthy hold is anticipated.
The 14.1-inch G3000 panels were now alive, showing our position on a nice taxi diagram, and we moved out of the delivery ramp with a shove on the throttles; steering is positive and light. There’s a trailer-truck size to be accommodated as one swings the CJ3+ around taxi turns, but the wide range of nosegear movement makes it easy. Only occasionally did I have to resort to braking to keep speed down on long straight
runs. I found little grabbing and jerking with the powered anti-
skid brakes, so the passengers should be happy.
Pretakeoff checks are short; flaps were set to 15 degrees to lower the V2 number, and we did a rudder-bias test by running up each engine in turn to feel the opposing rudder pedal begin to move. Reimer warned me that I could expect an engine cut at any time, but not to get excited when it happened. V1 was 98 knots, Vr was 101 and V2 was 111. Acceleration was a rush when we pushed the levers through the FADEC detents to the five-minute takeoff power setting. We were up to Vr when the right engine went to idle, but, like Reimer said, the rudder bias kicked in and all we had to do was bank a little to port and watch the VSI settle into a 1,000 fpm single-engine climb. Powered back up, the climb rate shot up to 4,000 fpm initially; the maximum gear operating speed is 200 knots.
Sliding the levers back to the “climb” MCT detent, we climbed at 230 knots, showing 95.7% N1 and a beginning fuel flow of about 1,000 PPH. At FL180, the G3000 asked us to confirm the change to standard baro. By then, we had engaged the autopilot, with its controls in the glareshield coaming, where it allows one to keep eyes out front and watch a PNF’s inputs. Out of FL200, we were climbing at 2,700 fpm at 224 knots IAS, later transitioning to .55 Mach. At FL300 the rate was still 2,700 fpm, indicating 200 knots,
• • • •TWIN & TURBINE
MARCH 2015