First G1000 Install Completed On Cessna CitationJet

Last summer, the Garmin G1000 integrated flight deck was certified for installation on the Cessna CitationJet. Since then, we are excited to report several Citation Service Centers have completed installations. Here’s the story of the first installation by Cessna’s Wichita Citation Service Center:

 For Click Bond Inc. of Carson City, Nev., the G1000 upgrade to its CitationJet met all expectations for an on-time conversion to the all-glass avionics suite that gave the company a more productive aircraft. It was the first aftermarket Cessna Citation CJ1 installation of the Garmin advanced avionics suite.

“From the moment that we picked up the airplane from the Wichita Citation Service Center through today we have not had any glitches or bugs in that G1000 system or in the GFC700 autopilot,” says Click Bond’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing Karl Hutter, one of the company’s three Citation pilots.

Patented Click Bond Fasteners
Click Bond is a successful business that designs and manufactures assembly solutions and fastening systems for a wide range of aviation, space, and marine vehicles. Its patented core technology replaces the mechanical fasteners traditionally used for attachment of nutplates or brackets with modern high strength adhesives – the “bond” in Click Bond, Hutter says. The other Click Bond pilots are Hutter’s father, Charles Hutter, the founder, president and CEO, and professional pilot and A&P Jere Marble.

The Click Bond trio of pilots provided a range of flying experiences that served to verify the design  philosophy and seamless approach to integration that the G1000 brings to the aviation industry.

Karl Hutter explains, “We’ve got three pilots who have three different sets of experience on different sets of equipment.  So, for example, my background is flying Cessna 182, Aerostar, and CJ aircraft.  The 182 has a Garmin 430 in it, and has for a long time.  Through my whole flying career I’ve been using Garmin handheld products.”

In addition to its CJ, which gets about 200 hours a year, Click Bond operates a pair of Aerostars with Garmin equipment for its shorter flights from Carson City.  

“Because my Aerostar has Garmin equipment, I have been in the Garmin and the Garmin interface world for a very long time.  I will tell you that actually stepping into the CJ with the new G1000 suite, (having only explored on-line materials and used the simulator) was a very, very seamless transition,” Hutter says.

First Flight Acclimated
On his first short hop, from Wichita to Olathe, where Garmin is headquartered, Hutter became accustomed to the G1000 quickly. “I got in that airplane and actually flew in IMC to a GPS LPV approach, used the VNAV capabilities, the autopilot flight director, coupled approach capabilities, the whole shooting match, successfully without any unease at any time during that flight, and that’s a fast flight.”

As for Click Bond’s other pilots, “My dad is a much more of a steam gauge guy, likes the old Collins radios with the big chunky knobs, and I can’t dispute that there’s something wonderful about that.  While he has flown an older Garmin GPS in his own Aerostar, he is much more an old-school pilot, systemswise.
 
“Now, the CJ we’re flying had the old Honeywell system, the SPZ-5000 with a KLN-90 GPS in there.  Now that he’s getting past the initial familiarization phase, he is really enjoying the new system and coming along quite well. 

“And I think that Jere, our professional pilot, is somewhere in the middle, having flown the KLN-90 and other FMS systems in a variety of airplanes, from Falcons to Caribous to CJs. His attitude is, ‘Well, this is really cool, and I’m learning what I need to learn.  It’s a new FMS to him, and it’s just a different airplane.’ I know he is enjoying it quite a bit,” Hutter says.

Flexibility
Since it features a flexible design, the G1000 adapts to a broad range of aircraft models. It can be configured as a two-display or three-display system, with a choice of 10- or 12-inch flat-panel LCDs interchangeable for use as a primary flight display (PFD) or multi-function display (MFD). An optional 15-inch screen is also available for even larger format MFD configurations.

The Wichita Citation Service Center did the install, the first for a CJ1, in the promised eight weeks. Because Click Bond’s Citation is a relatively early model 525 and it was the first CJ to get the G1000 conversion, the Garmin-Cessna team was ready for surprises during the installation process.

“We had incredible support from both teams, from Cessna and from Garmin. They engaged us in a constant stream of communication.  As they got into the project they discovered the specifics that are involved in not just putting the G1000 suite into any CJ, but what it takes to put a G1000 into a specific CJ. Changes were made along the way.  Some things are in a little different place than in the airplane that they initially used for the STC.  So there were a few challenges that came along, but really the Cessna-Garmin team tackled them all and kept us very much in the loop,” Hutter says.

“They were great about it.  And the aircraft actually delivered on time.”

Benefits Aplenty
The benefits of the G1000 in Click Bond’s CJ1 are obvious to Hutter. “This was the much anticipated route forward for CJ owners to get to WAAS.  From a marketing standpoint, pilots who operate out of small home fields, especially in the Southeast or in the Northeast where the weather often is low, will welcome this.”

He continues, “Flying in Carson we have great weather most of the time but our airfield is in a valley with mountainous terrain all around. When you come in here at night with your hands full, it’s kind of a black hole.”

“Having a picture of those mountains on the synthetic terrain, and having them not be yellow or red, takes away a lot of concern.  That kind of situational awareness in a CJ is a game changer,” Hutter says.

For more information, contact your Cessna Citation Service Center at 888-99-CSC-4-YOU (888-992-7249).