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There are many articles stating what it is like moving up to a jet, but I went the other way! Moving down for me was actually in many ways moving up! Transitioning to a Cirrus piston single required some adjustments and provided some pleasant surprises along the way.
The Cessna Citation transported me from point A to point B reliably on almost any given day on my routine 1,000 NM trip for many years. Icing, cloud tops and en route frontal weather were rarely a game stopper. The drill was to climb at an initial 4,500 fpm through weather to get on top at 45,000 feet and proceed on to the destination at 400+ KTAS.
Flight planning began with checking des- tination weather, and if that was doable almost everything else could be handled. Engine protection and management was handled by a digital electronic control module. Just push the power levers full forward for takeoff, reduce the levers one notch for climb and one more notch for cruise. It’s a great way to get somewhere fast with minimal concern for flight can- cellation due to weather.
But truth be known, after the initial thrill of flying a jet, it wears off; flying can become routine and not very exciting. What was exciting (in a negative sort of way) was the exorbitant costs of flying
a jet. Fuel was consumed at 150 gallons per hour for the first hour and 110 gal- lons every hour thereafter. The annual cost of the engine maintenance program approached the cost of a Continental engine overhaul performed every year. Parts and airframe maintenance all came with throat-choking numbers as well. Overall, the cost of flying the jet was in the $2,000-$2,500 per hour range.
With retirement, the need to get some- where on a reliable schedule disap- peared. With age came the worry of possibly losing a third-class medical certificate and thereby ending a nearly 60-year, left-seat flying experience.
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FEATURE