Mid-Canada Mod Center (MC2) has completed a substantial flight deck upgrade on a Cessna Citation 560XL aircraft installing a GARMIN 5000 Integrated Avionics System. The modifications, completed for a Canadian operator, enhance situational awareness, reduce pilot workload and address the aircraft’s obsolete CRTs and other avionics. The freshly modernized flight deck is future-upgrade ready and delivers capabilities equivalent to that in Textron Aviation’s latest business jet of the same class, the Cessna Citation Ascend.
Upgrades include three 14-inch (35.6 cm) bright, high-resolution flight displays with two intuitive touchscreen controls that serve as the crew’s primary interface to the system. Featuring shallow menus and simple icons that require fewer hand-eye movements, the new flight deck reduces clutter and unnecessary activity while allowing the pilot to control all aspects of the flight — navigation, communication, traffic surveillance, FMS, checklists and intercom and audio systems. Additionally, all engine indications and crew alerting messages are integrated into the flight deck, facilitating enhanced awareness.
Mid-Canada Mod Center President Bill Arsenault said: “The cost to repair and maintain legacy avionics is driving aircraft operators to upgrade. We take great pride in working with our clients to help them tackle their avionics challenges, and we are very pleased to have modernized this Citation flight deck while it was in for maintenance. Safety is always our first consideration, but extending the life of legacy aircraft and knowing they are ready for future upgrades is tremendously satisfying.”
