Citation Excel (XLS) info required

[davidjh]

Hi all,

Just left regional airline, flying E135LR to start as sim instructor on the Citation Excel. Looking for any tips/info/tech gen to learn and use. I would appreciate input from any experienced/not so experienced pilots and instructors on the above aircraft. You might ask why leave ERJ for XLS? ERJ beautiful jet but when flown 800+ hours p.a (at my age, with family), 5 years enough!:ok:

[davidjh]

Anyone??:confused:

[Xshongololo]

I agree with Cplane.
I used to fly the Excel and from what I remember flap config speeds are very important to adhere to carefully as the all moving stab changes AoA at a speed I cant remember....
During acceleration if you ignore these speeds you will have a severe aerodynamic upset but this is all well understood and explained at Simuflite\FlightSafety.
Operationally we had nose wheel bearing seizure, EEC problems, windshield delamination problems......thers a good FMC and AP but I always felt this top aircraft was a bit lacking on range

[FLEXJET]

Xshongololo,

Things have changed since the incident involving HB-VAA out of Zurich:

Extract from the final report:

"In February 2004 a mandatory service bulletin SB560XL-31-02 was issued. If the speed of 215 KIAS is exceeded and the flaps are moved, the change of the stabilizer angle is inhibited
and a warning activated."

See:
http://www.bfu.admin.ch/common/pdf/1807_e

[cambioso]

Just brought a brand new XLS over the pond to the UK.
Fab a/c and about a 5% improvement on the excellent (!) Excel in every way.
Faultless no-snags ferry flight....very sorry to walk away from her!
If I can help, please PM me.
Regards,
Camb.

[davidjh]

Thank you gentlemen, the latter answers were what I was looking for. Of course I will be trained and train as per manufacturers recommendations. This is not in question! However, my experience has been that sim instructors and "line pilots", for want of a better word, gather different types of information due to different experiences, especially those gained on line. Sort of strategical vs tactical, if that make sense?

Any more info? Thanks again:ok:

[Paterbrat]

Without getting too technical the Excel is a really great Exec aircraft with great figures. Since you will be dealing with line pilots out in the real world two words of caution for the less experienced, lower time students you may be dealing with from other countries.
The rear baggage compartment is huge, comparitively speaking. It is possible to very quickly gross weight out well before volumetricaly running out of space. This can lead to bosses pressurising crews to load more in there than should go in there. If this is compounded by injudicious seating of pax a CofG excursion quickly happens.
Another is the ability of the A/C to climb max gross out in the ME direct to 430. Great if the ISA limits are observed, but on a trip northbound don't then decide to get above the traffic in Europe without looking at the upper ISA temps carefully, it will quickly run out of climb performance quite apart from legal and physical limits.
These two cautions may seem crazy to bring up in Europe or USA, where crews are more meticulous about these things but in other parts of the world where tecnical and legal issues tend to be somehwat lower down the priority list they can and will be real issues, and deadly ones.

To illustrate on a lighter note and sorry straying a bit as well, while in 727 training with Branniff many years ago the ground school was dealing with the fuel system more specificaly with fuel dumping. The instructor had just finshed stating that there were no limits on dumping when an excited exclamation and quick babble of Portugese interupted him. Two VASP pilots were having a discrete barny.
"Share it with the class please" the Instructor told them.
" I told this co-pilot that there was no limit." the Captain exclaimed.
" Yes, but not on the end of the runway to get down to Max TO weight." replied the excited F/O.

Sometimes, the time place and culture are a little different.

[cambiarseole]

Surprised you walked away cambio, didn't you think about trying to nick the job?