Seven Cessna 500 Citations were delivered in the initial year, 1971. By 1978, the various Model 500 Citations had become the best-selling business jets in history. Cessna then undertook to develop the load, seating and range of the Model 500 with the introduction of the Model 550, known as the Citation II. The latest version of the Citation II is the Citation Bravo, with improved climb and cruise performance, and the addition of trailing link landing gear with a narrower track to improve ground handling. The Cessna Citation II is by itself the best-selling business jet in history, with at least 850 delivered by the year 2000.
Years ago, I became interested in the Cessna Citation. I flew Rod Conklin's Citation II in FS95 and 98 and started creating an AF99 Citation Excel from Bill Alderson's Citation X. When Louis Sinclair's FSDS came on the scene, I abandoned the Excel and mulled over whether to attempt to convert it to FSDS, (I bought FSDS and let it sit on the shelf for well over a year), or start over with a clean slate. Somewhere along the line, I decided I wanted the Citation I built to be single-pilot capable. This eliminated the Excel all together, and narrowed the current model Citation choices to the CJ1, CJ2 or Bravo. My access to detailed three-views made the Bravo my choice. I was only going to make a basic Bravo model in FSDS, because I didn't have the time to really learn the modeling program, and that is what this is, a Basic Bravo. I converted it to Gmax, because I wanted to have thrust reversers and see the landing lights from the cockpit. She came out better than I thought she would, so I have decided to release her to the public. I hope to improve her over the coming winter, maybe learn to make a virtual cockpit for her and other things, but for now, this is it, the Basic Bravo.
CREDIT TO THOSE WHO HELPED
So many people helped me whenever I had questions, I am afraid I will forget someone. Please forgive me if I do.
Rod Conklin for his Citation II in the days of old, he made his AFX available.
Bill Alderson, who made his Citation X AFX available.
Chris File, who made the conversion to Gmax possible, no way it would have happened without Chris and the entire gang at Free Flight Design, including
Felix Rodriguez and Alexander Lawrence, whose Citation Ultra Panel for FS98 is used in a modified form in the Basic Bravo. The willingness of these guys to donate their talent free of charge made this project so much fun! A great group.
Ernie Kennedy, whose FS98 Citation gauges inspired me to buy three books on C and learn to make my Bravo gauges, which I would never have learned to do without
Dai Griffiths, who actually took the time to answer my e-mail on how to make strings!
Chuck Dome. We all know of Mr. Dome. His Citation autopilot is used here, as is his Bendix/King CNI 5000 radio stack from his CJ2. They work great!
Peter Sidoli, who provided me with the N1 numbers so I could program the gauges, a real Citation pilot and nice guy, too.
Jim Campisi, who tried her out almost two months ago, and was bold and kind enough to say she wasn't ready and could be better, and that if I learned this much, I could at least build on her a little more. Thanks a lot, Jim, I think you were right, and I tried to do that.
INSTALLATION
Unzip the file. Place everything except the gau.zip file in a folder named "Bravo", (exclude the quotation marks), in your FS2002 aircraft folder. Unzip, (extract), the gau.zip file into the FS2002 gauges folder. In other words, place all of the gauges in the gau.zip file in the FS2002 gauges folder. That's all.
FLYING BY THE NUMBERS
OK, I tried to make her fly realistically, and to whatever degree I was successful, I owe it to Peter Sidoli and Jim Campisi.
TAKEOFF: If the temp is way below standard, use N1 97%. Close to standard, use 95%. Way above, use 93%. Use 15 degrees, (3 notches), of flaps and rotate at about 105 knots to 15 degrees nose up and climb at about 3000 fpm to 18,000. I then trim to climb at between 170 and 190 knots and keep the fan speed at the N1 we used for takeoff until 28,000, and then I use N1 100% until cruise altitude, whatever you want.
CRUISE: 104% N1. If you want more range, climb higher at 104%, if you want more speed, stay lower. She does about 405 knots true at 33,000', with 1200 pph in standard conditions. You have to fly the fan speed, 104% maximum N1. You can get more than that down low, but you are overspeeding. I fly 104% everywhere.
DESCENT: About 3500 fpm. I use the speed brakes and about 78% N1. Try it out and let me know if it works for you. I haven't done a lot of testing in this area.
LANDING: You can fly it in autopilot approach mode if you start about 15 miles out below the glide slope and come in at about 160 knots level in altitude hold. She will hook up on intercept and fly the ILS right down to decision height. I can't take credit for this, a lot of people have worked on this and I just followed their ideas.
Reference speed is about 105 knots, 15 degrees of flaps until the inner marker and full flaps from there. She's real easy to land, almost boring, but that's the way Citations made their name, by being real easy. Thrust reverse can be used down to 60 knots, but she lands real short without it, too, so try her out and let me know.
A FEW SPECS
Ceiling.....45,000 feet
Range.....1,750 nautical miles IFR
MVO......262 kts IAS to 14,000 feet
275 kts IAS to 28,000 feet
.705 Mach to 45,000 feet
RESTRICTIONS
She's freeware, just don't make money or take credit for other people's work.
