The Demonstrator

More Than Meets the Eye

James is a Senior Pilot for Textron Aviation and is based out of Singapore and there’s no mistaking his British accent. Still, his qualifications and experience have a distinctly international feel.

Trained under the UK Civil Aviation Authority, James has twenty years of experience which began with commercial operations in Europe before moving onto global private jet operations. With no two days the same, his corporate flying spanned all theatres and all environments. In addition to his UK qualifications, James holds a full European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Airline Transport Pilot Licence with a Type Rating Instructor (TRI) qualification and a United States FAA Airline Transport Pilot Certificate.

Typically, James is away from Singapore for two to three weeks, servicing the Asia Pacific region which encompasses Australasia, China, Far East, India, South East Asia and the Pacific.

On any particular demonstration tour, a pilot only flies a single type to maximise the efficiency of route planning and provide the sales team with continuity of exposure of that aircraft in their area. Within the busy tour schedule, the crew also have days off duty while they are away as required by the company’s Flight Operations Manual (FOM).

And even though James is only demonstrating the Latitude on this tour, he possesses full Pilot-in-Command ratings on the Textron fleet which includes the Cessna Citation Mustang, C525, XLS, Latitude and Sovereign, as well as the Beechcraft King Air and the Cessna Caravan EX.

The range of aircraft types undoubtedly provides a good deal of variety, but the job as a demonstration pilot also calls for James to be responsible for trip planning, airshows, training, client support, deliveries and managing the global airfield database. In the cockpit, the flying also involves certification flights into new airfields with a new aircraft type. Sometimes these duties provide the more challenging aspect of the flying role along with visiting previously unknown airfields with shorter runways with challenging terrain considerations. And no facilities!

Maintaining the balance between operational and commercial considerations is evident in most operations and demonstration duties are no different. Working with changes at short notice within an ever-changing schedule, and still meeting the sales team’s expectations can prove to be a challenge.

James also reflects that a lot of work goes into planning demonstration trips, so when customer changes occur, they can result in an increase in the pilots’ workload.

Even so, James emphasises that the primary task is to conduct flying operations with safety as the highest priority above all.

He states that, “We have to balance our priority of safety and compliance with the needs of our customers and sales team. Sometimes these are incoherent – which can result in the customer being disappointed.

Ultimately, safety is the overriding priority and when a plan is inconsistent with that, we look to provide alternative safer options to enable the sales team to still demonstrate the aircraft to the customer.”

At First Sight

Before meeting any clients, James and his fellow pilot come together as a crew, to review and discuss the flight briefing before meeting with the sales team to give them an update on planning. In turn, the sales team, today from Hawker Pacific, provides James with an outline for the day’s sales activities discussing how they want to involve the pilots. When these meetings have concluded, it is time to meet the clients and introduce them to the aeroplane. This morning the aircraft is the Cessna Citation Latitude.

James picks his moment carefully to walk around the aircraft and explain its external traits. On some occasions it is prior to the flight and sometimes it is after, the key being that he prefers to not be competing with external noise of the aircraft’s tail-mounted Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) as he highlights the finer points.

At first glance, the Citation Latitude’s relationship to the ‘Sovereign +’ is obvious. Albeit a slightly smaller aircraft, the swept wing with slightly upturned tips reflects its maximum cruise speed of 446 knots. Equally impressive is that the Latitude’s 72-foot wing can also see it come over the fence in certain situations with speeds in the double-digits. That’s a significant speed envelope. The leading edge is moderately swept and free of de-icing boots as anti-icing is provided by bleed air, while fuel caps offer another fueling option to the single point refueling station at the wing root on the starboard side.

The faired fuselage has a ‘larger aeroplane’ look to it, but it also offers a high degree of functionality. It provides a straightforward path for systems, cables and hoses to run along the aircraft without interfering with the pressure cell that constitutes the cabin. Furthermore, this area facilitates a shallow drop in the centre wing section that permits attachment of the wings to the fuselage without interruption of the cabin’s cross-section. That equates to a 6-foot, stand-up cabin inside.

Certified for two-crew operations, the flight controls are unpowered, actuated by a directly linked system of cables and pushrods. Five hydraulically-powered spoiler panels are found on the upper surface of each wing and act as a source of roll control and speedbrakes in flight and lift-dumping, ground spoilers on landing. In both instances, the functions are controlled manually by a lever on the pilots’ centre pedestal. On the trailing edge are traditional Fowler flaps, which are selected by moving the cockpit’s flap lever to 1, 2, or Full.

At the rear of the aircraft are mounted two Pratt & Whitney PW306D1 FADEC engines, which each produce nearly 6,000 pounds of thrust. These powerplants give the Latitude a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 30,800 pounds and the ability to take-off in 1100 metres and land in 800 metres. They are impressive numbers for an aircraft with a four-passenger range of 2,700 nautical miles.

Nearby are two ventral strakes which by their nature suggest an aircraft that is quite responsive in roll while having enhanced directional stability. Such strakes can also reduce drag in an aircraft which has an ‘upsweep’ to the rear like the Latitude.

At the opposing end, the nose locker is populated by a range of units that power the Garmin G5000 system. There are also two transformer rectifiers or ‘TRs’. The early model Sovereign’s alternators only supplied AC power for windshield heating. In the unlikely event of a dual generator failure, the Latitude’s TRs kick in and redirect the alternator AC power from the windshields, convert it into DC to power the DC bus. It is a true standby electrical system that provides a good deal of peace of mind.

With its tail standing over 20 feet tall, the Latitude sits atop a tricycle undercarriage that has a chined nosewheel tyre for water and slush deflection a trailing arm main landing gear for flattering touchdowns. The four main gear wheels possess multi-disc anti-skid carbon brakes which are hydraulically powered and actuated by the top of the rudder pedals.

An impressive look externally, James can’t wait to show me what the Latitude really has to offer.

Crossing Latitudes

The air stair to enter the Latitude is substantial to say the least and holds steady underfoot. Inside the cabin, the plush interior of lush carpet and luxuriously upholstered seats are complemented by the highly-polished fold-out tables and aft bulkhead. At each end of the cabin, a large colour screen shows that we are stationary at Sydney Airport, but that will not be the case for long.

James slides into the best seat in the aircraft. He emphasises the clean look of the flight panel and centre pedestal. Modern avionics have freed up an immense amount of space in modern cockpits and the Garmin G5000 and its three massive 14” multi-function screens is no exception. Each pilot’s seat has a Garmin Touch Screen (GTC) outboard of their seat while two central GTCs are used for flight management and performance functions.

Two sporty, but substantial, thrust levers are the tactile portion of the autothrottle system. Fully coupled to the autoflight system, the throttles have a Take-Off/Go-Around, or TOGA, button that drives the throttles to their maximum setting for take-off, or in the event of a go-around.

The two control columns are equally sleekly finished and also house a function found in airliners. The two yokes are connected to different sources of roll control — the captain’s yoke is linked to the ailerons while the first officer’s yoke is connected to the spoilers. The two systems can be split, allowing the aircraft to be controlled in roll by either ailerons or spoilers, should a system failure dictate that this is necessary.

The cockpit continues to impress with the straightforward engine start under the watchful eye of James and the FADEC system. Behind the thrust levers are a row of simple push-buttons, two of which are guarded. To commence engine start James simply selects the appropriate engine and pushes the button. With greater than 9% N2, the guarded ‘run’ switch is selected, and the cycle begins. Fuel is fed to the engine, the temperatures and oil pressure rise and soon the light in the ‘run’ button extinguishes, and the engine is stable. The process is repeated for the second engine and the Latitude set to go.

The nature of a flight can vary. Normally it involves a sector to a secondary location, but occasionally it can be a round-trip back to the departure airport. Today the flight is from Sydney to Brisbane and is typical of a day at the office.

As we taxi out James highlights the wealth of information on the displays. Particularly the TCAS displays that highlight the nearby traffic. Lining up and cleared for take-off, the Latitude accelerates at an impressive rate and the critical speeds roll down the speed tape. We are airborne by 120 knots and climbing away initially at 180. The flaps are retracted on schedule and we accelerate to 250 knots to 10,000 feet and then 280 knots as we head for Flight Level 390.

Established in cruise flight, the Latitude is extremely quiet in the cabin as we move along at Mach 0.8. This is a great chance for the customer to get a true feel for the aircraft in terms of its cabin comfort and flight capabilities. Customers always like coming forward to view the flight deck and James and the crew always do their best to interact with them within the confines of safe operation.

‘Customers always like coming forward to view the flightdeck.’

With brilliant sunshine outside, James reduces the speed, allowing us more time to discuss the aircraft and its merits, particularly the functionality of the Garmin system. It is a worthwhile aspect of the demonstration flight as the speed capability of the aircraft has been displayed, but by then slowing down other aspects can be covered in a timely manner.

The descent, approach and landing are managed in an equally time-friendly manner and this is obviously a trait of the demonstration pilot to showcase the aircraft to its full potential across the broad scope of operation.

By the time the Latitude has parked at the FBO, James has given the potential customer every chance to be impressed by the aircraft. As the air stair is lowered, he is already preparing for the next customer who awaits inside the terminal. The day is not yet over.

Post Flight

Once the Latitude is parked, James looks to answer any further questions that customers might have about range, speed, performance, fuel flows and his own past experiences with the aircraft. Once he has farewelled the customer, the crew undertakes an operational debrief in addition to a debrief with the sales team to share what we thought went well and what we might have done better. And then the cycle begins again with a briefing regarding the next customer.

From James perspective, the job requires a good balance of flight experience, self-improvement, product knowledge and a passion for the aircraft and what needs to be done.

He highlights that, “It is not like an airline job!”

His ultimate aim is to ensure that everyone he meets, whether that be customers, sales folk, other pilots, young children, parents or ground staff, all have a positive and memorable experience with the demonstration team and the aircraft.

I think that everyone that encountered James Wilson and the Cessna Citation Latitude will agree that his team met that ultimate aim.