Lear 45/ Citation Excel

[Chonk Chonk]

Couple questions. I Have been flying a Citation II for over 3 years. Customers i fly or are looking to upgrade the plane and are looking at either a Lear 45 with BR mod or a Citation Excel. I guess i am asking what peoples thoughts are on the 2 aircraft? I have got all the stats from Conklin De Decker but what about the things that arent listed? The things you would only know by flying them? Is there any truth to the statements that because i have been flying the Citation i should stick with it? Would the transition from the Citation to the Lear be quite drastic or is it nothing the line in doc couldn't take care of? As far as i am concered prolly one of the biggest adjustments would be the fms as i am used to steam gyros. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

Ch.

[Sepp]

Both a/c have their fans - me, I love flying the XL. Transition to either shouldn't pose a problem; I know many other kettle-drivers who've made one or other of the jumps.

The biggest problem with moving to either is coping with the sense of rejection ... no-one asking you why wou're flying backwards, y'see! :p

[galaxy flyer]

In my experience, the conversion from steam gauges to FMS-based EFIS will be greater than to either plane. The XL has better runway perf while the LR45 has better range and speed. Figure out what works best for the Boss and enjoy it. Both are great and very popular planes.

I have about 2500 hours in the C550, too.

GF

[hawk37]

While the two aircraft have similar range, the Lear 45xr high speed cruises at .79 to .80, the XL at .74 or so. Lear at FL 430/450, Xl at FL 390/410. The XL cabin is much bigger, cross section is reported to be same as the CX, about a falcon 50 width/height. Not so for the lear, it's larger than the CII but no where near the XL. XL has much better field performance. The 45 takes 7 passengers with full fuel, the XL 2 or 3. I think you could fly either with ease.

[erikv]

When comparing speed, you should take a look at average sector length as well. The straight wing and higher thrust-to-weight ratio of the XL will allow it to get up to cruising levels quicker, allowing bigger part of the flight in cruise. We once compared H800XPC against the XLS for various sectors and found the XLS was faster on sectors up to about 1:20 hrs and up to about 2 hrs, the difference was small.

Another plus for the XL(S) is the baggage compartment. Don't have the facts at hand, but I was told it's about 30% bigger than that of the Lear.

Erik

[FLEXJET]

Good point for the XL is the luggage compartment, big volume with a 700lbs limitation, quite good!