WICHITA, Kan., April 19, 2010 – Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, is now offering Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) upgrades for Citation CJ1+, CJ2+, CJ3 and Encore+ aircraft as well as certain Citation Excel and XLS aircraft. The modification is available at all nine Cessna-owned Citation Service Centers.
WAAS gives pilots improved Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation accuracy, allowing for greater access to many airports during difficult weather conditions. WAAS LPV approaches are similar to ILS performance; with some LPV (localizer performance with vertical guidance) procedures having minimums as low as 200 feet.
“This is an opportunity for owners to significantly upgrade their Citation’s avionics capability,” said Stan Younger, vice president of Service Facilities. “When used properly, it’s an enhancement in both safety and operating capability, and is available exclusively from our Citation Service Centers.”
The WAAS upgrade is certified for installation via Service Bulletin in CJ1+, CJ2+ and CJ3 models, Younger said, as well as Citation Encore+ aircraft. It can also be fitted in Citation Excel and XLS models equipped with UNS-1Espw Flight Management Systems. A WAAS installation for the Citation Sovereign is expected to be available later this year.
Owners may contact any of the company owned Citation Service Centers to confirm their avionics suite is WAAS-compatible and schedule an appointment. Actual installation typically takes about 10 days for CJ models and about two weeks for a Citation Excel or XLS.
Cessna is evaluating the possibility for installing WAAS in other classic Citation models, Younger said.
For more information, visit www.cessna.com or www.citationservice.com.
