Innovation Alive and Well at World's Largest Aircraft Service Network

Oct. 21, 2013
New Citation models are being equipped with the Cessna–designed CDMS (Cessna Diagnostic Maintenance System) approach to diagnostic maintenance.

LAS VEGAS, Oct 21, 2013 – Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, is adding industry-leading products and support services to the company’s already extensive portfolio of customer maintenance solutions. Innovation efforts focus on technological advances leading to efficiencies and time-savings for maintenance, in addition to mobile capabilities and after-market solutions. Cessna announced the programs today at the NBAA 2013 Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (BACE) aviation trade show in Las Vegas.

Joe Hepburn, senior vice president of Customer Service, says: “Cessna has a long heritage of taking care of customers after the sale. Citation Service is the largest service network in the aviation industry, and continues to rank at the top of customer service surveys for a reason. We take great pride in our aircraft, and we are also very proud of the way we serve our customers throughout their ownership experience. We are always looking for innovative service concepts to present to the customer, and we are enthusiastic about our new and existing offerings.”

New Citation models are being equipped with the Cessna–designed CDMS (Cessna Diagnostic Maintenance System) approach to diagnostic maintenance. This system integrates event-driven and full-time data recording to provide a full-featured, industry leading diagnostic solution.

The CDMS is capable of providing maintenance needs on the pilot’s multi-function display and pushing that data to the aircraft’s service center.

“The integrated diagnostic system is capable of alerting the customer, the pilot, and the Citation Service Center of maintenance need, enabling remote support within minutes of notification, whether the aircraft is on the ground or in the air,” said Hepburn. “The integrated diagnostics provide high confidence that applied corrective action will resolve the issue at the first occurrence, resulting in quicker return-to-service for the customer, and improved operational availability for the aircraft.”

Citation Service will offer the Aircraft Recording System II (AReS II) for Citation customers. AReS II is capable of recording thousands of flight parameters each second, downloading this flight data wirelessly to Cessna’s internal network for analysis by service technicians. This process reduces or eliminates the need for troubleshooting test flights, often enabling the reproduction of an event on the ground using information transmitted from the aircraft. “The data we receive from the AReS II systems allow technicians in many cases to diagnose an issue without having to rely on recreating a set of conditions in the maintenance bay,” said Hepburn. “This system saves customers time and money and allows technicians to get right to the source of the issue, meaning we can get the Citation jet back to the owner much more quickly.”

Cessna also announced an expansion of the company’s mobile service capabilities with two key additions to the company’s mobile platforms. A new service vehicle has been based in Chicago, Ill., as of October 1. This modified truck is more capable of supporting scheduled and unscheduled maintenance and on-site technical expertise. The company will also base an additional full-time mechanic in Houston, Texas to fill the Citation service needs in the region. “There are nearly 6,500 Citation jets in the world. No one knows better how to service these high performance jets than Cessna employees. On-site maintenance is far more convenient for the customer, and we will continue to set the bar high delivering what our customers have come to expect from Citation service,” said Hepburn.

Cessna will offer an upgrade program for legacy Citation X aircraft. The aircraft appearance upgrades include a new paint scheme on the exterior, and a new interior designed by Cessna’s Interior Design team. The flight deck receives upgraded avionics with the Honeywell Primus Elite system. The upgraded Citation X will be compliant with Next-Gen technology requirements with ADS-B Out capability. Phone and Internet capabilities will be increased, and the entire cabin management system will be replaced with updated electronics and more familiar capabilities.

Citation Service Centers will begin offering winglets for legacy Sovereign owners. The prototype legacy Sovereign with winglets made its maiden flight last week. “The winglets are a great addition to the aircraft, and bring both aesthetic and performance benefits,” said Hepburn. “Customers have responded well to the winglets on the new Sovereign. Through a supplemental type certificate, legacy Sovereigns, owners can realize the same climb and performance boost with the winglet addition.” The winglets for legacy Sovereigns are anticipated to be available in 2014.

Cessna Service will also offer aftermarket winglets for several models in the CJ family of business jets through an exclusive agreement with Tamarack Aerospace Group. In certain flight profiles, the winglets can provide an aircraft with greater range, increased useful loads and improved high and hot performance while simultaneously improving fuel economy. Plans call for winglets from Tamarack to be available for installation on several models in the CJ family of aircraft at Citation Service Centers in 2015.

Cessna owns and operates a worldwide network of 15 Citation Service Centers, 39 authorized Citation Service Facilities and 22 Mobile Service Units. For more information on the Citation Service Center network, different service options or to locate a facility or to see a list of programs and upgrades, go to Cessna.com/citation-service.