Cessna magazine Vol 1 Issue 2 by Melinda Schnyder

flying as it is meant to be

volume 1

AVIATORS AID HAITI owner profile: ELI ZABAR heritage: T-37 “TWEET” RETIRES lifestyle: SPECIAL OLYMPICS AIRLIFT

issue 2

flying as it is meant to be

INSIDE THIS ISSUE FEATURES 12

Blink

CESSNA STYLE 08

Heritage: The “Tweet” Retires

Not your typical cab: Blink is pioneering the air-taxi concept in Europe with a fleet of Cessna Citation Mustangs.

After more than 50 years of turning pedestrians into pilots, the T-37 Tweet calls it quits.

Owner Profile: Eli Zabar

Aviator’s Diary: Aviators Aid Haiti

Meet one of New York City’s most iconic retailers—who also happens to fly his own Cessna Citation CJ3.

Cessna owners fly to the aid of the earthquake-ravaged island nation.

Lifestyle: Special Olympics Airlift

Calling all Cessna Citation owners: We’re looking for a few hundred aircraft to help deliver the experience of a lifetime.

Air-to-Air Photography

Look behind the lens at the art of executing air-to-air photo shoots.

DEPARTMENTS

G1000 Training

Learn what it takes to really learn the ins and outs of the Garmin G1000 integrated flight deck.

House Calls

Cessna service in your hangar: The new ServiceDirect initiative brings factory maintenance and repairs to your doorstep.

Now That’s Entertainment

Preview the Venue™ cabin management and entertainment system for the Cessna Citation CJ4.

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REGULARS 03

Letter From Jack

Welcome to Cessna magazine.

Contributors

Meet a few of the talented people who helped create this issue of Cessna magazine.

COVER

Cessna owners and their aircraft flew into action to deliver aid to all corners of Haiti following the earthquake that devastated the Caribbean nation. Read the story on page 26. (photo: Brady Lane, www.bradylane.com)

letter from Jack

Humanitarian efforts too often are overlooked when considering the value of business aviation to our communities. Jack J. Pelton AIRCRAFT OWNERS SHINE IN TIMES OF NEED In the days following the Haiti earthquake, it was heartening to see the outpouring of support in the business aviation community—from airframe manufacturers to avionics suppliers to aircraft owners and operators. I heard countless stories of general aviation aircraft— private and corporate—mobilizing in response to the tragedy. The National Business Aviation Association played a large role in the success of these efforts, having created a formal process for business jet participation using lessons learned during Hurricane Katrina. The main component, though, is the willingness of our owners and operators to give. Volunteer pilots fly more than 118,000 hours each year on humanitarian missions—those include disaster relief as well as causes like the Citation Special Olympics Airlift. Read about both of these efforts in this issue of Cessna magazine, along with articles you’ll be interested in whether you sit in the cockpit or the cabin of a Cessna piston, turboprop or Citation aircraft. Happy flying,

Jack J. Pelton Chairman, President and CEO Cessna Aircraft Company

volume 1 issue 2

above: Jack Pelton is pictured in front of his restored Cessna Model 195. Jack purchased the aircraft from Velma Wallace, wife of former Cessna President Dwane Wallace. (photo: Junebug Clark, Cessna Visual Media Group) left: Designed for high-altitude flight, the Cessna Corvalis TT also acquits itself quite well near sea level. Read our story on air-to-air photography and find out more about how images like this come to be. (photo: Randy Wentling, Cessna Visual Media Group) vo l ume 1, issue 2 2010 | 3

contributors

PIA BERGQVIST A certified flight instructor for nearly 10 years, she has flown about 40 different types of aircraft and worked as a demo pilot and product specialist for the Cessna Corvalis. Pia loves antique tail-wheel aircraft and owned a 1948 Cessna Model 170, which she flew extensively throughout the United States and the Baja peninsula. Besides flying, Pia enjoys running, hiking, skiing, biking and wine tasting.

JUNEBUG CLARK Trained as a photojournalist, Junebug shoots pictures that tell a story, specializing in “real people doing real things,” for use in advertising, corporate publications and magazines. For more than 30 years, he has been shooting for the likes of Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Federal-Mogul Corp., Eli Lilly and Co., Budweiser, Time, Life, Newsweek and National Geographic.

BRADY LANE Using every tool in his bag, Brady works as a multimedia journalist for the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), telling stories with images, words, sounds and video. In 2009, he documented his experience becoming a sport pilot with cockpit cameras and a blog at www.eaa.org/wings. He continues to record videos of his flights and writes a monthly column for EAA’s Sport Aviation magazine. www.bradylane.com

masthead Unsolicited contributions become the property of Cessna magazine. No part of this magazine may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the written consent of Cessna Aircraft Company. All efforts have been made to ensure that all material is accurate at time of publication. © 2010 by Cessna Aircraft Company.

publisher | Cessna Aircraft Company

The views and opinions expressed in these articles are the authors’ and don’t necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Cessna Aircraft Company or its officers, employees or advertisers.

design and production | Mandala

reader feedback: We welcome your comments on Cessna magazine. Please mail them to: Cessna magazine c/o Cessna Aircraft Company: Lori Lucion One Cessna Blvd. Wichita, KS 67215

art director | Mary Catherine Kozusko

phone: 316-517-2500 email: cessnamagazine@cessna.textron.com

editor | Lori Lucion associate editor | Melinda Schnyder

creative director | Paul Grignon production artist | Lori Hell writers | Pia Bergqvist, Julie Boatman Filucci, Brady Lane, Steven Ludlow, Amanda Martin, Kirby Ortega, Geraldine Pluenneke, Max Trescott

photographers | Junebug Clark, Darin LaCrone, Brady Lane, Steven Ludlow, Dan Moore, Ricardo Reitmeyer, Wayne Stanfield, Randy Wentling

| www.cessna.com

flying as it is meant to be

STEVEN LUDLOW He has worked in video production as part of Cessna’s Visual Media Group for 10 years. Equally at home behind the camera, at the Mac editing video or simply putting pen to paper, Steven considers the varied demands of the job a blessing. Born into a family of pilots and aircraft workers, he’s come by his love of aviation naturally. And, for him, there is nothing as exciting about the work as simply being in the air.

MAX TRESCOTT He started flying at age 15 and is passionate about preserving general aviation for future generations. Max has authored two books, one on the G1000 and the other on flying IFR with modern WAAS-based GPS receivers. He instructs in a variety of glass-cockpit aircraft at client locations and at his home airport of Palo Alto, Calif. He is the 2008 National Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year and writes a monthly avionics and technology column for EAA’s Sport Aviation magazine. www.maxtrescott.com

RANDY WENTLING Growing up in an aviation family in the air capital of the world, Wichita, Kan., with his father working at Boeing during WWII and his mother working at Cessna, Randy was destined to continue the family tradition. At the age of 12, after purchasing a used Pocket Kodak Junior camera, he discovered a passion for photography. He then mixed his love of photography with his family aviation roots and began working at Cessna in the Visual Media Group. He has been there for the past 17 years as a photographer and videographer.

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Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been leading from the front since 1923. Textron is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, and Textron Systems.

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MISSION SUCCESS That airplane went to the boneyard with no write-ups on it. It was equally as capable or more on the day of its retirement as it was on day one. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Lt. Col. Bo McGowan (USAF, retired)

To manufacture the T-37, Cessna built a dedicated facility adjacent to the then-new Wichita Municipal Airport (now known as the MidContinent Airport). The 24,000-square-foot facility was known as the Wallace Plant, named after then Cessna President Dwane Wallace. (photo: Cessna historical archives) 8

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THE T-37 MADE PILOTS FOR THE MILITARY.

The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly is a derivative of the T-37, modified to carry weaponry for light attack missions. Serving during the Vietnam War, the A-37 became the first combat-designated airplane ever built by a general aviation manufacturer and was one of six Cessna models to serve U.S. forces in the conflict. (photo: Cessna historical archives)

story: julie boatman filucci

QUICK: Name a primary trainer built by Cessna that served faithfully for more than 50 years. Did you come up with the Cessna Model 318? Unless you learned to fly in the military ranks, probably not. But Cessna has not only produced the world’s most widely used training aircraft for the civilian world (think the Cessna 172 Skyhawk or the Cessna 152), but also the 318, more commonly known as the T-37 military trainer or, more affectionately, the Tweet, which was retired from service in 2009. Cessna designed the Model 318 (or XT-37) to fulfill its contract to build the first true jet training aircraft for the United States Air Force. Harry Clements was new to Cessna—still in his senior year at Wichita State University—when he was hired by the company in 1952. Clements worked

on two of the five technical volumes of the package Cessna developed in response to the Air Force’s request for proposals. “It didn’t have to be a jet,” Clements said. But Cessna engineers proposed turbine power and clearly favored side-by-side seating for the training environment. The arrangement allowed for better instructor– student communication than was true of the tandem seating in most military trainers of the era. Three prototypes plus a static test aircraft were built for the program. The first series of aircraft was introduced in 1957 with the ContinentalTeledyne J69-T-9 engines, each with 920 pounds of thrust. In response to a call for more horsepower, the T-37B took on the J69-T-25 engines, producing about 10 percent more thrust, and this model went into production in 1959. vo l ume 1, issue 2 2010 |

Later, Cessna developed the T-37C as a weapons trainer with pylons outboard of the gear well under each wing. It also incorporated other enhancements, including a gun sight, and gun and reconnaissance cameras. The model ended production in 1975 with 1,269 built, including all derivatives. Engineering produced an original design departing from its contemporaries, sitting low to the ground with a wide gear stance for easy ground handling and servicing. According to Lt. Col. Bo McGowan (USAF, retired), “The aircraft’s primary role was to turn a pedestrian into a pilot.” McGowan has more than 4,000 hours of flight time logged in the T-37, most of it giving instruction to new Air Force pilots. “Two months to solo,” he said, noting that most new pilots came to the undergraduate pilot training programs at installations like Sheppard Air Force Base with little exposure to flying an airplane.

top: Lt. Col. Bo McGowan and his student, 2nd Lt. Brittney Oligney, taxiing in from Mc Gowan’s last sortie in the T-37. (photo courtesy: Lt. Col. Bo McGowan) bottom: Unusual for a military jet, the T-37 was designed with side-by-side seating to foster communication between instructor and student. (photo: Cessna historical archives) 10 | www.cessna.com

That made the T-37 truly a primary trainer, requiring the low-speed handling and honest flight characteristics that would teach a pilot the proper control response yet forgive mistakes. “If you fly it well, it flies well. If you fly it poorly, it flies ugly, but it won’t hurt you,” McGowan said. “It’s my belief that it’s the single most efficient stick-and-rudder trainer ever built.” To create such a bird, Cessna engineering developed an airplane with positive static stability, meaning it tends to return to straight and level flight if displaced. But the road

to a great airplane had to pass through flight testing: The first prototype would not recover consistently from spins without using the spin chute installed for flight testing. Bob Hagan was in charge of the engineering flight test group at the time, and he flew the XT-37 on its first flight. He also bailed out of the original prototype during spin testing when the spin chute failed to deploy. Clements recalled the issue. “The center of gravity would go off centerline during refueling,” creating a situation where the airplane would be recoverable in one direction but “a crisis” in the other. Under pressure from the Air Force representatives to find a solution in three days or risk program cancellation, Clements designed the nose strakes that helped solve the problem. The tail cone was also extended. In its final configuration, the T-37 has normal spin characteristics, requiring positive input from a pilot but recovering using standard techniques. So why did pilots call it “the Tweety Bird” or “Tweet,” you may ask. The T-37 acquired its nickname from the highpitched scream produced by the engines, even at low power settings. This noise required the Air Force to do significant soundproofing at bases where the Tweet was operated and mandate hearing protection for all personnel working around the aircraft. Clements noted, “We had a project that actually quieted down that scream from the inlet on the

airplane. It involved vanes with sound-absorbing surface material in the ducts, but the pressure losses because of them were too large and reduced thrust and increased fuel consumption, so the Air Force concluded it wasn’t worth it.” McGowan recalls his last flight in the Tweet, after training more than 1,500 students and making more than 3,200 flights with it: a four-ship formation launched from Sheppard AFB with three fellow instructor pilots. “That airplane went to the boneyard with no write-ups on it. It was equally as capable or more on the day of its retirement as it was on day one.” Truly a successful mission.

top: Lt. Col. Bo McGowan (middle) and his daughter, Bailey (left), and wife, Kelley (right), gather on September 18, 2008, at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas where he flew his last sortie in the “Tweet” and was presented with a gift from the 89th Flying Training Squadron. (photo courtesy: Lt. Col. Bo McGowan) bottom: Forgiving flight characteristics endeared the T-37 to instructors and students alike throughout the aircraft’s 50-plus years in service. (photo courtesy: United States Air Force) vo l u me 1, issue 2 2010 |

TIME TO HAIL A TAXI 12 | www.cessna.com

LONDON-BASED BLINK IS PIONEERING THE AIR-TAXI CONCEPT IN THE U.K. AND CONTINENTAL EUROPE WITH A FLEET OF CITATION MUSTANGS. story: pia bergqvist | photography: blink WHAT HAPPENED TO AIR TAXI? The idea that our airways would look like New

York streets has fizzled. The fear that the skies over the American continent would darken with very light jets did not materialize. Somehow the great concept of bringing passengers from point to point, avoiding the hub-and-spoke system of the airlines that makes business and personal travel inconvenient and inefficient, didn’t work. But why did it fail? And, more important, is there still a way to make it succeed? The answer can be found in London, with a company called Blink. The first air-taxi provider in Europe, Blink was conceived by two young entrepreneurs who had a vision to revolutionize business travel. Peter Leiman and Cameron Ogden founded Blink in 2006. In its short life span, the company has expanded to include three bases: London and the Channel Islands in the United Kingdom and Geneva in Switzerland. The company serves more than 600 airports covering all the European countries and operates seven Cessna Citation Mustangs, with orders for more. “Given the economic climate, we’ve been very pleased with our growth,” says Leiman, who serves as the company’s managing director. “In 2009, we averaged 600 hours on each airframe based on the available fleet. And so far, we’ve seen continued growth in 2010.” The world’s fastest taxi? Perhaps. The Blink’s fleet of Citation Mustangs brings most of Europe into range at a cost less than a typical business-class airline seat and on the traveler’s schedule. vo l u me 1, issue 2 2010 |

Blink brings a contemporary flair to private business travelÂâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;from its Ăźber-stylish Farnborough base to its fleet of branded Citation Mustangs, the compnay appeals to the forward-thinking business traveler.

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After raising $30 million to get their business off the ground, Leiman and Ogden launched operations out of London in 2008. While Blink most certainly is an aviation company, the founders did not want traditional words such as aviation, aircraft or jet as part of its name. With their Harvard MBA diplomas in hand, the young businessmen wanted something more avant-garde. Their vision was to provide low-cost personal air travel and give their customers a quick, economical and safe transportation alternative. Blink and you’re there! To illustrate this concept, Blink’s fresh-looking logo symbolizes a compass or a strobe. The center is the hub, and the surrounding dots are the destinations— some big, some small, some close, some far—in every direction. Blink’s fleet of Citation Mustangs has a modern custom paint scheme with the unique logo clearly displayed on the nose. The leather seats in the cabin also feature the logo. Leiman and Ogden’s innovative ideas become clear on Blink’s Website. It has a contemporary and original look with rotating images and several videos that give potential customers an idea of what the air-taxi experience is like. There is also a useful airport locator that allows customers to enter their address to find the nearest airport of service. The new look aside, Blink’s successful business model is predicated on those of established low-cost airlines such as Southwest Airlines in the United States or Ryanair in Europe. The key element of this approach is restricting the fleet to one single aircraft type. What this means is that Blink’s pilots need to be trained and remain current only on the Citation Mustang, keeping pilot training costs

vo l u me 1, issue 2 2010 |

low. The single aircraft type also makes maintenance more straightforward and less expensive, so cost remains low. “We don’t offer a luxury product. We’re a tool for business travelers, and our goal is to get our passengers from A to B quickly, economically and safely,” Leiman said. “We increase the productivity of our customers without increasing the cost. Typically, our cost is as much as 25 percent less than a flight in British Airways business class.” While Blink provides service to personal travelers, its customers are 80 percent business flyers. There is total flexibility as far as booking goes. Customers can book oneway, return or overnight trips at any time, just like hailing a cab. There are five levels of pricing depending on when the flight is booked. Last-minute travel is most costly, and trips booked more than 21 days prior are least expensive. Customers who fly regularly have another pricing option, called “Foresight,” where 15,000 miles of travel is purchased at a cost 70 percent below common “jetcard” programs for return trips. The least expensive option—the corporate shuttle—is offered to companies traveling to the same destinations frequently. And customers save not only their money but also time—a highly valuable commodity in the business world today. Since the Mustang is capable of landing at smaller airports, the pilots at Blink are able to pick up and drop off their customers at a fixed base operator facility close to their offices. Ground transportation time for the customer is therefore kept to a minimum. Check-in time is nonexistent, since the pilot is also the customer service representative. Small airports generally have short taxi time to the runway, and at 340 knots the Citation Mustang quickly brings its occupants to their destination. Leiman and Ogden came up with the concept for Blink while working on a “proof of concept” idea for Wal-Mart as a part of the MBA program at Harvard Business School. The idea was to introduce a very light jet into Wal-Mart’s corporate fleet—the world’s largest fleet of corporate aircraft. The very-light-jet category of aircraft had just emerged in the market, and after studying several types, including The men behind the vision: Blink co-founders Peter Leiman and Cameron Ogden aim to redefine European business travel. 16 | www.cessna.com

the Eclipse 500 and the Adam A700, Leiman and Ogden concluded that there were truly only two choices that would make sense for Wal-Mart’s fleet: the Citation Mustang and the Embraer Phenom 100. In the final analysis, the Citation Mustang became the aircraft of choice over the Phenom 100 because of its operating characteristics, takeoff and climb performance, and cost per hour. “When choosing an aircraft for our business, it was a no-brainer,” Leiman said. The Citation Mustang’s range makes it the perfect aircraft for traveling around Europe, and in 2009 Leiman and Ogden expanded their business to include two new hubs: one in the Channel Islands and another in Geneva. “We chose our hubs based on our client base, and Geneva particularly made sense due to its geographic location and the range of the Mustang,” Leiman said. From Geneva, the Mustang enables direct flights to all corners of Europe, with the exception of the far north. Blink plans to further expand its hubs in the future. The key focal points for expansion are France, Belgium, Holland and Italy. “I can’t tell you how many countries I’ve been to this week,” Leiman said. And the flexibility of Blink’s air-taxi service makes traveling to several countries in a day not only possible, but realistic. info: www.flyblink.com

A growing stable: With seven Citation Mustangs in its fleet today, the company plans to add Mustangs as it grows to include bases in additional European cities. vo l u me 1, issue 2 2010 |

GAUGES TO GLASS TRANSITIONING TO THE NEW AGE OF AVIONICS

story: max trescott | photography: cessna visual media group

TODAYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S INTEGRATED FLIGHT DECKS DELIVER ADVANCED CAPABILITIES, BUT PROPER TRAINING IS KEY TO UNLOCKING THEIR POTENTIAL. WHEN CESSNA INTRODUCED THE GARMIN G1000 into its product line

in the 2004 Cessna Skylane, some questioned whether the aviation world would embrace and convert to glass-cockpit technology. The answer came swiftly and resoundingly: In less than two years, every major manufacturer of general aviation aircraft switched to glass cockpits, and most stopped offering round-gauge instrument panels. That could only occur if buyers were finding value in the new technology. Now the question pilots ask most frequently is not whether they should transition to flying glass-cockpit aircraft, but how to do it effectively.

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technology G1000 training

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technology G1000 training

With the introduction of the Skycatcher light sport aircraft, Cessna now offers a similar glass-cockpit environment for all of its aircraft, from the Skycatcher to the Citation Mustang. Even some older Citation jets can now be retrofitted with the G1000. That benefits pilots by simplifying the transition process and lowering training costs as they move up to more capable aircraft. If you’re not already convinced that integrated instrument panels like the G1000 are superior to older, round-gauge panels, let me share my experiences as an independent flight instructor teaching in glass-cockpit aircraft for the past five years. First, understanding the intrinsic value of glass cockpits without experiencing one firsthand is like trying to comprehend EAA’s AirVenture, the premier aviation event held each year in Oshkosh, Wis., by just reading about it. Like AirVenture, words and pictures are inadequate to convey the richness of the experience of flying a glass-

Using Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT), the Towers and Obstacles database makes awareness of non-terrain structural hazards crystal clear, even in low visibility.

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cockpit aircraft. To truly understand their benefits, book a test flight and experience one yourself.

GLASS-COCKPIT BENEFITS A unique benefit of the G1000 is it lets you aviate, navigate and communicate from a single display. That means your eyes never need to stray far from the flight instruments, enhancing safety. The system also increases awareness of aircraft position, traffic, terrain and weather. Seeing this real-time information graphically makes it easier for pilots to understand their current situation and plan alternatives as a flight unfolds. Best of all, an automated cockpit frees a properly trained pilot from mundane activities, such as keeping the wings level, while providing critical information needed for him or her to make decisions about more important tasks. If there’s a downside to glass cockpits, it’s that they can draw pilots’

These magenta rectangular pathways provide a visual window to help pilots follow the intended flight route. Spaced no more than 1,000 meters apart, they have guidelines in each corner that point in the direction of the active flight plan leg.

eyes into the cockpit, rather than keeping them outside looking for traffic. Yet studies show that pilots of aircraft equipped with glass cockpits spot traffic sooner, since traffic-avoidance systems provide continuously updated information on the position of that traffic. Glass cockpits are no longer just for professional pilots flying larger aircraft. Over the past five years, thousands of student pilots have earned their private pilot certificates in G1000-equipped Cessna Skyhawks at Cessna Pilot Centers (CPCs) around the world. With the introduction of the Skycatcher and its Garmin G300, a simpler yet capable version of the G1000, there is a new entry point for pilots to learn how to fly using glass cockpits.

TRANSITIONING INTO GLASS COCKPITS Some pilots assume that transitioning into a glass-cockpit aircraft is inherently difficult. Ironically, the task pilots

The topographical display provides excellent situational awareness over all kinds of terrain. The color-specific overlays clearly indicate potential terrain conflict areas.

often guess to be difficult—scanning flight instruments on a computer screen—is usually mastered quickly. Pilots inexperienced in using GPSs and autopilots will spend proportionately more time learning those components. While it is true that learning the G1000 requires effort and motivation on the part of a pilot, it’s not difficult per se; it’s simply different from what most pilots have previously had to learn. Pilots upgrading to a significantly more complex aircraft than they have flown in the past may find it challenging to have to learn aircraft systems and the G1000 simultaneously. By doing some study of the G1000—even a single flight in a G1000-equipped Skyhawk—before going to Cessna or FlightSafety International for training, pilots will get even more out of their training and achieve a deeper understanding of their aircraft.

Moving traffic is easy to spot in this three-dimensional format. Using familiar TAS symbology, SVT shows the altitude of other traffic in the area. As other aircraft get closer, their symbols grow larger.

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technology G1000 training

After factory training, pilots may want to do some periodic review of the G1000 if they fly infrequently or are flying a mix of different aircraft. For example, Jack Pelton, Cessna’s chairman, president and CEO, flies a company-owned Citation X about 200 hours a year that has a different glass cockpit than the one in his personal G1000-equipped Cessna Stationair. When I first met Jack, he told me he keeps a copy of my Max Trescott’s G1000 Glass Cockpit Handbook in his bedside reading pile. If he hasn’t flown the Stationair recently, he skims through parts of the book the night before a flight.

TRAIN WITH THE BEST Occasionally I fly with an aircraft owner who is frustrated after flying with a flight instructor who knew less about the G1000 than the owner. To avoid that issue, get the best possible G1000 training by going to a CPC, Cessna factory transition training or a reputable outside training facility such as FlightSafety International. There are more than 280 CPCs in nine countries. Most have one or more G1000 aircraft for rent and knowledgeable Training starts on the ground, where half of the eight hours of ground instruction is spent in the classroom (far left and middle right) and the rest in a state-of-theart G1000 lab. In the lab, each customer has his/her own Table Top Trainer (far right) to “fly” a scenario before the first in-the-air flight. While the majority of the flight objectives are met in the actual aircraft, Cessna has three Advanced Aviation Training Devices (middle left) to accomplish these same activities should Mother Nature not cooperate. (photos: Wayne Stanfield, Cessna Visual Media Group) 22 | www.cessna.com

flight instructors. If you’re buying a new Cessna aircraft, you might want to get one or more lessons in any G1000equipped Cessna aircraft at a local CPC before attending Cessna factory transition training. That way, you’ll have some familiarity with the system and absorb even more during the factory training. If you’re buying a new piston aircraft, such as a Cessna Skyhawk, Skylane, Stationair or Corvalis TT, consider taking time to attend Cessna factory transition training in Independence, Kan. The courses are designed to transition pilots from aircraft with a traditional panel to these Technically Advanced Aircraft. Because of time constraints, the training is not intended to make you an expert on the G1000. Rather, it is designed to give you the tools to begin using your new aircraft and G1000 safely, competently and efficiently. The top goals of the training are to develop higher-order thinking and automation competence. These help pilots quickly recognize potential emergencies, make competent decisions and use the automation to the greatest extent possible to get the desired response from their aircraft.

To accomplish these goals, a tested curriculum that employs scenario-based training (SBT), rather than task-based training, is used. SBT incorporates the same maneuvers as task-based training, but arranges them into “real world” learning experiences. Practicing tasks remains the cornerstone of skill acquisition; however, SBT challenges a pilot to think and be proactive. Pilots seeking transition training for a Cessna Caravan turboprop or a Citation jet will want to seek similar training at FlightSafety. It uses the same training philosophies, but the training occurs in multimillion-dollar, full-motion simulators. These give pilots a cost-effective way to explore a full range of normal and emergency scenarios safely. We’ve come a long way since Clyde Cessna developed the now familiar monoplane design with fully cantilevered wings more than 80 years ago. Today, it is the glass cockpit that brings commonality to the entire product line. Clyde couldn’t possibly have anticipated the G1000. But you can bet he’d be proud of the benefits it brings to Cessna pilots everywhere.

TRAINING TIPS  prepare ahead of time. before getting cessna factory transition training or attending flightsafety international, get flight instruction in any g1000 aircraft or use any of the g1000 training books or computer courses. investing time in learning about the g1000 before your training will help you reach a higher proficiency level more quickly.

 avoid automation surprises. the most common surprises i see involve the autopilot. note that some autopilot keys select multiple modes, and in some g1000 installations, the autopilot status indicators are not next to the keys.  form the following habit: before pressing an autopilot key, look first at the autopilot status bar to confirm the selected modes. after pressing an autopilot key, look at the status bar again to verify that the mode you think you selected is indeed shown. also, note whether it is active, or armed to become active later.

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technology G1000 training

The integrated flight deck with the READYPad™, Synthetic Vision Technology, Traffic, Terrain, Safe Taxi and Flight Charts was a key factor in my (purchase) decision. —Ron Bullock 24 | www.cessna.com

AS THE OWNER OF Bison Gear & Engineering Corp., Ron Bullock

covers a lot of ground in his professional and personal lives. The desire to cover that ground more quickly, easily and safely recently led him to purchase a new Cessna Corvalis TT equipped with the Garmin G1000 integrated flight deck. A 300-hour, VFR pilot, Bullock started flying about three years ago to better support his business and more easily commute between his family’s homes in Illinois and Montana. An aerospace engineer by training (he designed autopilot and nosewheel steering servos for the Learjet earlier in his career), Bullock appreciates the prodigious capabilities presented by his Corvalis TT and its G1000 avionics suite. “I have a great deal of appreciation for the engineering done on this airframe to achieve a Utility (Category) rating, coupled with a great avionics package. The integrated flight deck with the READYPad™, Synthetic Vision Technology, Traffic, Terrain, Safe Taxi and Flight Charts was a key factor in my decision to purchase the Corvalis TT,” Bullock said.

Bullock also owns a Cessna Golden Eagle 421-C that he flies with an instructor on business trips, building hours and experience for his multi-engine and instrument ratings. He also owns a share in a Cessna Skyhawk with traditional six-pack gauges that he flies for pleasure in the mountains of Montana.

CM: What has been your experience with training courses in the past? Bullock: Cessna’s G1000 factory transition training is the

communications, and the Readback feature on the radio has been used more than once. In addition, I studied the POH (pilot’s operating handbook) for the Corvalis TT, and the amplified procedures were quite helpful. I put in five hours in the Redbird simulator at JA Aero in Aurora, Ill., with three axis motion (servo drives provided by Bullock’s company, Bison) to polish up my IFR procedures on the G1000.

first immersive training program I’ve been through. In my development as a pilot, I have taken self-administered classes, including one from the University of North Dakota, but nothing as thorough as what I experienced in my three days at Cessna. CM: What was your overall impression of the G1000 factory transition training at Cessna? Bullock: The folks at Cessna factory transition training in

Independence, Kan., provided a pre-arrival assignment customized for the Corvalis TT with G1000 that reinforced my preparation. Once there, Mike Moore and his staff were very well prepared with a solid syllabus and a state-of-theart training facility. After completion of their training, I feel very well prepared for my instrument practical test. CM: What did you think of the structure of the program? Bullock: We received a total of three days of training, equally

divided between ground (with G1000 simulators) and flight schools. At my company, Bison, we engage in an average of 40 hours of training annually for each of our associates, so I have great appreciation for the professional approach that is delivered by Mike and his team. CM: What did you do to prepare for the G1000 factory transition training program? Bullock: I prepped for the factory flight school by flying

instrument flight plans with my instructors on flights to Manassas, Va.; Missoula, Mont.; and in the Midwest. Flying in O’Hare airspace helps to get you up to speed on ATC

CM: What part of the training program did you find most difficult? Bullock: The most challenging aspect of the program is

mastering the procedures and checklists surrounding instrument approaches. Initially, it all felt somewhat awkward, but with repetition, it became second nature. CM: Why is the Corvalis TT the right airplane for you? Bullock: I got started flying Cessna Skyhawks with standard

gauges and progressed to one equipped with the G1000 and KAP140 autopilot. I was looking to move up to a highperformance aircraft and have flown a Diamond Star and had around 30 hours in a Cirrus equipped with Avidyne avionics. One of the instructors at my flight school owned a Cessna Corvalis and suggested that, before I make a purchase decision, I fly a Corvalis. I took one demo flight in a Corvalis TT and, as they say in the movies, it had me at hello! The combination of aerodynamic design, solid link controls and the G1000 integrated flight deck just makes it a beautiful airplane to fly. Corvalis TT owner Ron Bullock honed his G1000 skills at Cessna’s three-day factory transition training program in Independence, Kan. (photo: Wayne Stanfield, Cessna Visual Media Group) vo l u me 1, issue 2 2010 |

AVIATOR’S DIARY: HAITI AIR SUPPORT story, photography and video: brady lane, photojournalist at EAA

IF CESSNAS HAD SLEEVES, THEY WOULD BE

ROLLED UP ITS INFRASTRUCTURE DEVASTATED BY A MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE, MANY PARTS OF HAITI ARE CUT OFF FROM OUTSIDE ASSISTANCE. CESSNA OWNERS JOINED A RESPONSIVE GENERAL AVIATION COMMUNITY THAT DELIVERED DESPERATELY SOUGHT AID TO THOSE IN NEED.

PRESTON HUNTING’S PHONE RANG AT 7:03 A.M. Half asleep in bed, he rolled over to answer.

“Can you get in the air in 45 minutes?” the voice on the line asked. Hunting knew the voice and knew his response before the question was asked. Less than two days earlier, an earthquake had devastated the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and Hunting’s employer, Priority Air Charter, wanted to help. Brian Stoltzfus, co-owner of Priority Air Charter, has volunteered with Missionary Flights International (MFI) for more than 10 years flying Douglas DC-3s into Haiti. He knew his Cessna Grand Caravan could help, and he wanted Hunting to fly it.

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Two Haitian boys size up a Cessna Stationair flown by Mission Aviation Fellowship moments after it landed in their village on the island of La Gon창ve. (photo: Brady Lane)

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haiti air support

Hunting departed Kidron, Ohio, for Fort Pierce, Fla., where MFI was collecting supplies to send to Haiti. That afternoon and into the night, MFI volunteers loaded 2,700 pounds of supplies into Priority Air Charter’s Caravan. As the sun peeked over the Atlantic the next morning, Hunting fired up the 675-horsepower Pratt & Whitney PT6A-114A and departed for Haiti with a co-pilot from MFI in the right seat. Neither knew what to expect. Toussaint Louverture International Airport (PAP) in Port-auPrince was closed for two days after the earthquake and had just reopened. “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to land, so I brought extra fuel. … When we came over the mountains and saw Port-au-Prince, it looked like a bomb had gone off. Nothing prepared us for what we saw,” Hunting said. He was glad to have friends on the ground. “As we approached Port-au-Prince, I called the guys at Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) who have a hangar at the airport. They called the tower for me, told them I was one of theirs, and the tower put us right in.” PAP has a single runway with no taxiways. Back-taxiing is common at the airport, which typically sees 30 flights a day. After the earthquake, more than 200 planes were in and out of PAP daily. To handle this traffic, each plane was given a time slot. The airport became so busy one day that a Boeing 747 had to hold for five hours before landing. Ramp space was limited, too. Thankfully, MAF was there to help unload cargo from Hunting’s Caravan. For the next eight days, Hunting flew 10-11 hours each day transporting food, water, medical supplies, doctors, wheelchairs, crutches and other goods between Fort Pierce and Port-au-Prince. Each hour of his time was donated. Priority Air Charter supplied the aircraft, and donations to MFI covered the fuel bill. Each round-trip cost about $4,000. “I don’t know who these people are that we’re helping, but God has told us we’re to help people that need help. It’s not the guy who dies with the most airplanes who wins. I’m

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storing up my treasures in heaven, not here. I’m paying it forward,” Stoltzfus said. Complications and obstacles were common. Port-au-Prince was the only airport in the country with 100LL or Jet A. With only two fuel trucks available, it would often take hours to flag one down. While waving his arms one afternoon to get the fuel truck driver’s attention, Hunting looked back at his plane. Two of his passengers had just taken their seats—a 14-year-old girl and her mother, both wearing exhausted postures. A missionary from their village climbed into the plane, helped them buckle in, and then, with tears in his eyes, leaned forward and gave them both a long hug. “It was one of those moments where everything stood still,” Hunting recalled. He realized then how life-changing these flights were for his passengers. He didn’t know all their stories but could see the impact of his work in their tears. When flying the Caravan at max weight, Hunting stopped for fuel at Exuma International Airport in the Bahamas, which is almost exactly halfway to Haiti. On one of these stops, he landed just after another Caravan transporting medical supplies and doctors to Haiti. Hunting walked over to the plane and asked if it was heading to Port-au-Prince. Out of the cockpit poked the pilot and a recognizable voice. “Yeah,” said actor and aviation activist Harrison Ford. Preston Hunting fuels up one of the two Cessna Grand Caravans his employer, Priority Air Charter, sent to Haiti after the earthquake. Hunting donated more than a month of his time and logged more than 250 hours flying Grand Caravans in Haiti after the earthquake. (photo courtesy: Preston Hunting)

top left: Preston Hunting helps unload relief supplies after one of his many flights to Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au- Prince. (photo courtesy: Preston Hunting). top right: A young Haitian boy holds his sister while walking on the gravel airstrip in La Gonâve, Haiti. (photo: Brady Lane) middle left: The island of La Gonâve is seen under the wing of Mission Aviation Fellowship’s Cessna Stationair as it departs for Port-auPrince. (photo: Brady Lane) bottom: Though Sam Bullers has been flying in Haiti for 33 years, he said scenes like the one here of a collapsed hospital brought tears to his eyes. “It’s appalling to see a hospital with 200 people inside that’s now just a pile of rubble.” (photo courtesy: Sam Bullers)

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There’s a special place in my heart for the Stationair. The plane does a respectable amount of work for its size and has nice STOL (short-field) qualities. There’s not another plane I’d want to fly into La Gonâve’s short, rocky airstrip. —Sam Bullers “I did everything I could to act normal,” Hunting said. “He had lots of questions about how to get in, how to park and how to unload.”

Haiti for 33 years, he borrowed a friend’s 1967 Stationair and spent two weeks transporting lifesaving supplies among Hinche, Pignon, La Gonâve, Port-au-Prince and Santiago.

With a few phone calls, Hunting arranged for Ford to use the general ramp under MAF’s control so he could avoid the mayhem at the main ramp.

“There’s a special place in my heart for the Stationair. The plane does a respectable amount of work for its size and has nice STOL (short-field) qualities. There’s not another plane I’d want to fly into La Gonâve's short, rocky airstrip,” Bullers said.

“We helped each other unload airplanes. There weren’t any cameras and lights. It wasn’t a media event. It was Harrison Ford sweating. He flew his own airplane in because he wanted to help,” Hunting said. The MAF pilots who had been so helpful to Hunting offered the same kindness to Ford. After all, he was another pilot there to help hurting people. Huddled around a map, they gave him tips about flying into Hinche, a small town about 60 miles northeast of PAP. MAF pilots fly into Hinche multiple times a week using Cessna Stationairs and Skywagons. The dirt and gravel 2,500-foot runway in Hinche is classified as “unimproved,” but even that might be an overstatement. Goats and donkeys graze on the runway, and motorcycles, cars and pedestrians regularly cross it, unaware of planes approaching to land. “On final approach, you can’t be watching your airspeed; your eyes have to stay outside. You never know what or who you’re going to see run in front of the plane,” said MAF pilot Michael Broyles. After the earthquake, thousands of Haitians fled the capital to surrounding villages. Port-au-Prince hospitals quickly filled past capacity, so injured people were transported to temporary clinics in remote villages like Hinche. These towns were not prepared for the influx and relied heavily on planes like Ford’s Caravan to deliver relief and supplies. Sam Bullers was another pilot who helped fly food, water and medical teams to these remote villages. Having flown in

A DIFFERENT KIND OF “AIRPORT” Hinche, Pignon and La Gonâve weren’t the only remote villages in desperate need. The epicenter of the January 12 earthquake was 10 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince in a small town called Léogâne. Within minutes, the town was 80 to 90 percent leveled. Robin Eissler, co-founder of Corporate Aircraft Responding in Emergencies (C.A.R.E.), was busy working from her office in Georgetown, Texas, when she received a request from a desperate aid worker in Léogâne. The city was essentially cut off from Port-au-Prince and had received very little aid in the first few critical days. “We don’t have an airport, but we have a road,” the aid worker told Eissler. Eissler began doing what she does best. C.A.R.E. was established after Hurricane Katrina to help coordinate aircraft going into disaster areas. She works with government officials and nongovernmental organizations to match needs in a disaster area with the best plane and pilot for the job. With a few phone calls, U.N. forces and local police agreed to shut down the road and provide security. She then called Adam Schaefer, chief pilot for Tradewind Aviation out of Oxford, Conn., who had just arrived in Haiti with a 1998 Grand Caravan. “If people didn’t need these supplies to stay alive, I would never have considered it. Not a chance,” Schaefer said. “Landing on a road wasn’t on my list of things to do in life.”

opposite page—top left: Sam Bullers flew a Cessna Stationair in and out of remote airstrips like the one here in Pignon, Haiti. He said more than 10,000 people relocated to the Pignon area after the earthquake. “It’s not what you say with words; people can see your heart through what you do,” Bullers said. (photo courtesy: Sam Bullers) middle left: Goats and other animals commonly graze on the runway in Hinche, Haiti, requiring pilots to be extremely cautious when landing on and departing from the airstrip. (photo: Brady Lane) top right: Most roads in Port-au-Prince have more pedestrians than vehicles, like this woman carrying chairs. (photo: Brady Lane) bottom: As local community members gather to talk with the Mission Aviation Fellowship pilots in La Gonâve, children group up for a photo in front of the Cessna Stationair that visits their village each week. (photo: Brady Lane) vo l u me 1, issue 2 2010 |

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If people didn’t need these supplies to stay alive, I would never have considered it. Not a chance. Landing on a road wasn’t on my list of things to do in life.

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—Adam Schaefer, chief pilot, Tradewind Aviation, Oxford, Conn.

He talked to his co-pilot and began planning the mission. Neither knew the exact width or length of the road, so they agreed if something didn’t look good, they wouldn’t do it. As they flew over, there appeared to be enough room between a small bridge and a cluster of trees to make a safe landing. An anxious crowd gathered at the end of the road. As the plane settled onto the road, a cloud of dust enveloped the plane. Schaefer and his co-pilot braked heavily and came to a stop just 50 feet before the cluster of trees. The crowd erupted with cheers and applause. They unloaded supplies and noticed that even the local Boy and Girl Scouts came to help secure the road. As they departed, one of the wings brushed a tree, so Schaefer let the locals know they would need some trees trimmed in order to come back. “Immediately, people got out their machetes and started chopping,” Schaefer said. “Four or five days later, we had about 2,500 feet of road to use—about twice as much as those first few days.” In the next three weeks, Schaefer and his team flew 57 more trips to the Léogâne road—carrying more than 77 medical and rescue personnel, about 75 gallons of Jet A to run their generators, and more than 100,000 pounds of food, water, tarps, clothing and medical supplies. “It never quite felt normal landing on a road. There were lots of things to consider. There’s no wind sock,” Schaefer said. “And we had to make sure the road was closed and secured … there was tension every time. “The Caravan has a unique niche for this kind of operation. Its short-field performance, high load capacity, rugged frame and high wings made it the perfect plane for the Léogâne road.” Within a couple of weeks, C.A.R.E. had established six fulltime dispatchers working the smaller regions throughout the country and encouraged any pilot traveling to Haiti to contact them. “Every flight leaving for Haiti was at gross weight, and it was our goal to fill every seat coming out,” Eissler said.

opposite page: Ewaton Lokhai (foreground) and members of his elite platoon show off some of the evidence captured in their fight against poachers. Oswald Sangawe (left) and Danny Woodley (right) sit on the wings of Woodley’s KWS Airwing Cessna 180. (photo: Ian Billinghurst)

top left: Since Léogâne has no airport, Adam Schaefer of Tradewind Aviation landed a Cessna Grand Caravan on a 1,200-foot section of road to deliver muchneeded supplies to people located near the epicenter of the January 12 earthquake. Schaefer said the Caravan was the best plane for the job. “For a short-field, heavyload performer, you can’t beat it,” he said. (photo courtesy: Adam Schaefer) bottom left: Aerial view of the makeshift airstrip. (photo courtesy: Adam Schaefer) top right: Mission Aviation Fellowship keeps a whiteboard of Haiti airstrips in its office in Port-au-Prince where pilots can comment and keep track of runway conditions. (photo: Brady Lane) bottom right: The anticipation of help arriving caused large crowds to gather, but Haitian people knew the importance of staying clear, so they formed a human barrier on the road so the aircraft could land as safely as possible. (photo courtesy: Adam Schaefer)

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C.A.R.E. helped coordinate flights among seven airports in Haiti—eight if you include the Léogâne road. In the first two months after the earthquake, the organization helped coordinate nearly 700 flights transporting 3,500 people and more than 1 million pounds of supplies.

“These airplanes and pilots were the life of Haiti. They kept Haiti alive.”

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“Airplane owners and pilots are exactly the kind of people you want in a disaster area. On more than one occasion, they

helped make on-the-spot decisions … and even siphoned gas out of their airplanes to help run hospital generators,” Eissler said.

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haiti air support

The response from airplane owners and pilots far surpassed Eissler’s expectations. “We had everything from Cessna Stationairs to Cessna Citation Xs, even a Boeing 757 flying relief into Haiti—a great representation of our industry.”

MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER FLIGHT I VISITED HAITI LAST SUMMER and witnessed firsthand the

incredible work that airplanes and good-hearted pilots do in Haiti. Even before the earthquake, Haiti was in great need. I flew as a passenger with Mission Aviation Fellowship in a Cessna Stationair to Pignon and La Gonâve and in the organization’s Cessna Skywagon to Hinche. I could tell you all about what wonderfully rugged and reliable aircraft we flew over the mountains or about the donkeys that wouldn’t move off the runway as we approached Hinche, but instead I’ll tell you about a woman sitting next to me. In her arms, she cradled a newborn. As we made the 30-minute flight from Hinche to Port-au-Prince, I watched the mother gaze upon her baby’s face with a subtle smile. I looked out my window as we approached the mountains surrounding Port-au-Prince and saw a winding dirt and gravel road beneath us. From 4,500 feet, I could see how recent floods had eroded more than half the road in places.

After the earthquake, tens of thousands of people left Port-au-Prince and relocated to outlying villages like Hinche and Pignon. small aircraft like cessna stationairs and grand caravans transported food, water and medical supplies to these remote villages, which were not prepared for the influx. (photo courtesy: Sam Bullers)

I had driven the streets of Port-au-Prince enough to know potholes were so deep in places, no vehicle dared drive faster than 20 mph. Without this aircraft flying in Haiti, not only would the aid workers who were building schools and installing water purification systems have a hard time getting to Hinche, but this mother and newborn would be traveling that road beneath us. I was told it takes four to eight hours to travel that road in good conditions, and that’s if you’re fortunate enough to have no flat tires. I looked into the face of the sleeping newborn and again back down to the road and thanked God for airplanes in Haiti. A mother holds her newborn while preparing for a flight from hinche to Port-auPrince in mission aviation fellowship’s cessna skywagon. (photo: Brady Lane)

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—Brady Lane, EAA photojournalist

HOW TO HELP If you own a plane and want to donate your aircraft and time, C.A.R.E. can help put you in contact with organizations in Haiti that have needs. The most effective pilots operating in Haiti work very closely with an established organization. These organizations can help with logistics and ensure that your efforts fulfill a real need. Flying in Haiti is unique. Sam Bullers has flown mission flights for 33 years and said flying in Haiti is considerably different. “Controllers don’t watch out for you here, so it’s important that you bring someone with you who has flown here before.”

The fuselage of Mission Aviation Fellowship’s Cessna Stationair is reflected in a wing-mounted mirror as it flies from Pignon to Port-auPrince. The plane can be “adopted” by visiting www.maf.org to help cover some of the expenses of maintaining and operating the aircraft in Haiti. (photo: Brady Lane)

Bullers spent four weeks in Haiti after the earthquake and saw numerous pilots stranded without fuel. “You don’t want to come down here, get in the way and end up causing more damage than good,” he said. If you are flying into Port-au-Prince, be mindful that the airport continues to be very busy, the air traffic controllers don’t have radar, and ramp space is limited.

Bullers also recommends refreshing your mountain flying technique. The terrain in Haiti is unforgiving, and the runways require your full attention. “Get advice, and be sure to talk to someone before flying into any airstrip in Haiti,” he said. Another way to help is to support the airplanes that will be in Haiti for years to come, like Mission Aviation Fellowship’s (MAF's) Cessna Stationairs and Skywagons. MAF’s pilots have established relationships in the country and have undergone specific training for the conditions in Haiti. Its planes have also been specially equipped with tire flaps and thick rubber boots installed on the leading edge of the horizontal stabilizer to protect against flying rocks when landing in rugged places like La Gonâve and Hinche. Each of its planes is available for “adoption” on the organization’s Website, www.maf.org. If you are willing to undergo the same training as MAF’s staff pilots, you can also support these organizations by becoming a volunteer pilot. Volunteer pilots help fly routes during busy seasons and when the missionary pilots are home on furlough. Another aviation organization in Haiti for the long haul is Missionary Flights International (MFI). Brian Stoltzfus donated two of his Caravans to fly supplies for MFI after the earthquake and believes that supporting organizations like MAF, Samaritan’s Purse and MFI is the best way to help Haiti. “These organizations already have planes in Haiti and are established to do the most efficient work,” Stoltzfus said. “It may not be as glamorous, but if you’re really wanting to help, consider donating money or your time to these nonprofits that are going to be staying in Haiti for the long term.” According to Stoltzfus, MFI didn’t charge for any flights for weeks after the earthquake. In order to continue providing these services, it will need donations and volunteers. He puts his heart where his mouth is, because one of his Caravans arrived in Haiti less than 72 hours after the earthquake and, at the time of this writing, is still there flying six days a week.

CONTACT INFORMATION Corporate Aircraft Responding in Emergencies (C.A.R.E.) www.facebook.com/group. php?gid=345189284760 Robin Eissler, Co-Founder 561-714-3070 Mobile 512-864-2400 Office robin@jet-quest.com

Mission Aviation Fellowship

Missionary Flights International

www.maf.org 800-FLYS-MAF (359-7623) maf-us@maf.org

www.missionaryflights.org 772-462-2395 mfi@missionaryflights.org vo l u me 1, issue 2 2010 |

With a keen eye for detail and demanding palate, nothing goes unnoticed by Eli Zabar. Whether it is the specific taste of a finely aged cheese, the aesthetic appeal of an assortment of grapes, the location of the sugar packets on the table or even the special request from a customer for Slovakian nut bread, Eli doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss a thing. 36 | www.cessna.com

because

every detail

matters

story: geraldine pluenneke | photography: junebug clark

ONE OF NEW YORK CITY’S PREMIER PURVEYORS OF EPICUREAN DELIGHTS, ELI ZABAR DELIVERS THE GOURMET LIFESTYLE. BACK WHEN THE BEATLES’ “LET IT BE” first filled the airwaves, you couldn’t walk into a Jewish

deli and buy a little round of Saint-André—the cheese was difficult to find in Manhattan outside the restaurant Lutèce. There were no bottles of balsamic vinegar, no French-press coffee-makers, no mesclun mix, no American farmstead cheeses—anywhere. While you might stumble upon extra-virgin olive oil in an Italian grocery in Hell’s Kitchen, or the rare bodega carrying fresh cilantro, both were virtually unknown. But a 22-foot-wide Jewish “appetizing” store on Broadway and 80th specializing in superior smoked fish and decent coffee beans was poised to introduce New York to then-mysterious ingredients and equipment that now stock nearly every city kitchen. The family behind the tiny store would soon spawn not one but two epicurean empires, straddling Central Park. As it did, Manhattan mortals first tasting radicchio and chèvre began to see the Zabar brothers as godly figures on a food Mount Olympus hurling down lightning bolts of sun-dried tomatoes, caviar and potato gnocchi.

GLOBE-TROTTING BEGETS GASTRONOMY In 1934, Louis Zabar, a Ukrainian immigrant, opened the sliver-wide store at 80th Street. When Louis died in 1950 at age 49, his eldest son, Saul, 21, took over temporarily to help his mother. Today, at 80, he’s still company president. Louis’ middle son, Stanley, transferred to a law school

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nearby so he could tend to Zabar’s finances and has since 1952. Eli, who was 7 at the time of his father’s death and would go on to found his own culinary empire on the other side of Central Park, began to learn the business from the ground up. “They understood trends before a lot of others did,” reflected New York Times food and wine columnist Florence Fabricant. When competitors encroached, Zabar’s fought back. “They would not be undersold,” Fabricant said. The store filled with a clientele mix as varied as its smoked fish, from celebrities like Woody Allen and Itzhak Perlman to housewives from New Jersey. David Kamp, a Vanity Fair editor and author of The United States of Arugula, said Zabar’s became a magnet for “a more worldly, affluent, educated, Upper West Side–intellectual, New Yorker–reading, PBS-tote-bag-toting shopper.”

ELI MOVES EAST Eli fell hard for French foods on a post-high-school trip in Provence. It changed his palate, just as Alice Waters’ college trip to France forever changed hers (and America’s). Eli was ready for Zabar’s, but was Zabar’s ready for him? “Eli’s the first to tell you that maybe he was a little bit of an entitled brat, maybe ... a little abrasive,” Kamp said. Eli’s brothers “had a more middle-class to working-class upbringing.” Eli attended Columbia University by day and worked as Zabar’s shift manager in the evenings. When he inquired about the possibility of becoming a partner in the business, his brothers said “no”—a partnership wasn’t available at entry level. Rebuffed, Eli snagged a job at a grocery wholesaler. Soon he wanted a raise. His boss countered, “You can go out one day a week and try to pick up some accounts.” With unerring instinct, Eli worked accounts the full-time salesmen rejected into a larder of contacts. Drawing on those accounts, in 1973, he opened E.A.T. at Madison and 80th Street, fashioned after “Justin de Blank’s London store, with a New York deli influence,” according to Eli. A smash hit from the start, he curated an eater’s delight. “He inherited the ahead-of-his-time gene,” said Fabricant. When asked about the perceived schism between the brothers Zabar, Eli demurred. “It’s easy (for people) to think that when one brother goes off to do something by himself. I don’t think it existed ... their business was extremely small; there wasn’t room or opportunity for me.” Eli Zabar knows the value of local and organically grown produce. He advocates buying from local upstate New York farmers whenever possible—that is, of course, for what he doesn’t grow in his rooftop greenhouses. He even pays local farmers special visits to keep the relationship going and growing. 38 | www.cessna.com

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Kamp offered another reason: “Eli said, ‘I want to open on the Upper East Side because I love the way the women smell.’” Either way, E.A.T. was just the beginning. He’d barely settled into leased space at Madison and 72nd when Ralph Lauren arrived, coveting the whole building, and bought Eli’s lease out. “For $3 million,” recalled Saul. “No,” Eli said with a smile the next day, “for much more.” With the proceeds, Eli bought an old vinegar factory at 91st and York and developed a market, café, commercial bakery and later 20,000 square feet of rooftop greenhouses. Next came Eli’s Manhattan—at Third Avenue at 80th—offering a café, wine, flowers and a food market. Today, his total Manhattan square footage, including retail, bakery, warehousing and greenhouses, is more than 160,000.

SPARING NO EXPENSE While his brothers shaved prices, Eli tested the ceiling. “(Eli) was prescient. He anticipated the direction in which America was going culinarily before most did. ... What he doesn’t apologize for was his ambition or his pricing,” Kamp said. “He doesn’t fool around,” said Fabricant. “His produce is excellent. He has some of the best prepared food in the city.” “Taste was really a big part of his M.O.,” said Mary Cleaver, this page: Eli concocted his own special coffee and espresso blends. Eli’s House Blend is made from very lightly roasted beans. It is 75 percent Guatemalan and 25 percent Costa Rican, with just a hint of acid to give it great body. opposite page: Eli’s love of aviation blossomed long before actually owning an aircraft. He holds several ratings and uses his CJ3 for business and pleasure. He even remembers to make sure the family dog is taken care of: Chew toys are found in the seat-back pockets just in case the canine gets restless. 40 | www.cessna.com

owner of acclaimed Cleaver Co. caterers, who worked at E.A.T. in the ’70s. “He understood that some of his clientele needed to learn about taste and were willing to (let him) be the one to tell them. That there was a slice of the population interested in buying something because it was expensive. That was the market Eli really understood, and he was brilliant at working it.” Of grumbles that he’s overpriced? When asked, Eli sat silent, then said, “What it comes down to is that I bring something very special to the table. There is a creative soul behind this whole enterprise ... a lot of experimentation. I put a very high value on my talent. And if you want what I’ve got, you’ve got to pay for it. What the customer gets in return is something very, very special that I don’t think they get anyplace else.”

SLAVE TO STARTER Eli’s creative soul leavened his breads. By the early ’80s, wonderful breads were growing scarce in Manhattan as old bakers died off. Eli baked his very first loaf following a New York Times recipe, then began incubating theories: Outstanding bread requires non-industrial flours, high temperatures and natural yeast starters, not flavor-abrasive commercial yeast. (“I’m a slave to starter,” he said. The culture he uses today, the progeny of a piece of dough from an old Jewish bakery in Tarrytown, has been fed flour and water every few hours for nearly 30 years.) By 1985, he’d developed his wildly popular Health Loaf. “The best bread I ever invented,” he said proudly. Baked from coarse, stone-ground whole wheat flour, its dense, moist flavor and seeded crunch reveal a great deal about its creator.

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top left: With the store at 91st and York Avenue being housed in an old vinegar factory, Eli pays tribute to that heritage by offering a large international selection of vinegars. lower left: Eliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s flower shop design and bouquet styles are fashioned after those found on the streets of Paris. top right: The perfect meal must be accompanied by the perfect bottle of vino. No one understands this better than Eli. Having a wine shop in his repertoire allows him to share this passion with others. He often invites his favorite wine producers to conduct tastings in his store. lower right: Eli Zabar works with the Amagansett Farmers Market, the Peconic Land Trust and Amber Waves Farm to deliver organic foods and promote education of the local community on the value of eating nourishing foods.

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He wanted more. In the early ’90s, he flew his own personal aircraft to Saratoga Springs, N.Y., to meet with Michael London, whom Saveur magazine calls “the best baker in America.” London recalled that Eli kept a taxi waiting outside for several hours while they talked. “Eli told me he wanted the lion’s share of bread in New York,” London said. Today, Eli’s Bread uses 105,000 pounds of flour weekly baking bread for nearly 1,000 restaurants, hotels and markets.

FLYING YOUR OWN CITATION HAS ITS BENEFITS Flying his own aircraft has put Eli in the unique position to serve the culinary demands of an extremely specialized clientele—the aircraft owner and operator. “We do a lot of aviation catering, mostly out of the E.A.T. store on Madison Avenue,” Eli said. “My own direct experience has helped me in this catering business because I know small spaces. I don’t care how big your plane is, it’s still small. “Most of the people that use my catering are regular customers in the store themselves. They are looking for a particular quality, and they are looking for something that they are familiar with. My chefs make wonderful sandwiches and wonderful salads that are really fresh, that are made out of ingredients that have never been frozen. They are absolutely seasonal, and you are eating them just a few hours after they are made. “It’s really the highest level that you can get in airplane food. The people who use my catering are people who mostly own their own airplanes. People who know what good is.”

IT ALL BEGINS WITH THE INGREDIENTS All conversations about food with Eli Zabar almost immediately turn

Eli’s Cafe wears two hats. During the day it is a café, with self-service breakfast and lunch offerings and coffee bar. Featuring sandwiches, soups, salads, and pastries, it allows patrons to sit and relax a bit, or supports the on-the-go lifestyle of Manhattan. As the sun sets, it is transformed into TASTE, a more formal venue. Out come the Frette linens for elegant, full-service dinners, complete with hand-selected wines.

ELI’S E.A.T. SHORTBREAD COOKIES • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. • Bring butter to room temperature. • Mix together the butter, sugar and salt—by hand or with an electric beater or mixer. • Add the vanilla. • Sift the flour and add it to the butter and sugar—this will be easier with an electric beater or mixer than by hand. • When the dough begins to form a ball, dump it onto a flat surface dusted with flour and shape it into a flat disk about 1 inch thick. • Wrap it in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

¾ cup butter 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon salt

• Roll the dough out on a floured surface to about ¼ inch thick. • Cut it into shapes using cookie cutters—hearts are nice. • Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 20-25 minutes, just until the edges begin to color. • Cool the cookies on a wire rack. • Enjoy!

vo l u me 1, issue 2 2010 |

into a lecture on the importance of ingredients. To ensure the freshest ingredients, Eli has gone to extraordinary lengths to procure the best of the local, while traveling across the planet to bring back the exotic. Wine tastings back and forth between Italy and France, cheeses from the Alps and the south of Spain, salmon from Scotland, caviar from Russia—even the salt comes from the Mediterranean: E.A.T. would not be E.A.T. if Eli didn’t have the capability of projecting himself anywhere in the world on a moment’s notice. The entries in his logbook of his trips around Europe in his Cessna Citation CJ3 look like a European airline schedule. Always on the lookout for what you will think tastes fabulous, Eli leaves no small landing strip unexplored. “I couldn’t do what I do without my plane,” said Eli. “My passion for food extends into making new discoveries, finding tastes no one in New York has experienced. I’m like a little kid when I discover something that’s really good, that somebody else has made.” The trick is to recognize a taste that will be popular and bring it back before anyone else. You have to know both the chemistry and psychology of cooking to do it well, and it’s something Eli has been doing spectacularly since 1973. Eli said his driving passion today stems from his anger over the debasement of so much American food by industrialization, combined with a responsibility to teach what he’s learned.

THE IMPORTANT THINGS Despite a healthy competition among the brothers, the extended Zabar family has celebrated four holidays together annually for 40 years. Recently, Eli, his wife, Devon, and their twin 17-year-old sons prepared the Seder feast for 34 guests, the 20th straight year the clan celebrated Passover at Eli’s. The food was exquisite. Today, the brothers have nothing but compliments for one another. And retirement? Not when the game is so exhilarating.

ELI ZABAR—FLIGHTOGRAPHY Years flying: Nearly 30—first flight lesson was in July 1980. Ratings: Single-engine private, IFR, commercial and single

pilot for CJ series. Average hours flown per year: Approximately 200. Aircraft ownership history: Not your typical airplane food:With Eli’s love of aviation and exquisite food, it comes as no surprise that he would have an airplane catering business. You can order snacks or full meals. Ingredients come from the vast selection of delicacies found in his stores, and each meal includes all the essentials for a fabulous culinary experience. opposite page: A rare find in Manhattan, large greenhouses sit on the roof of the vinegar factory. Here, Eli puts his green thumb to work by growing his own tomatoes, salad greens and herbs. Now that’s fresh! 44 | www.cessna.com

Mooney 201 Cessna 140A Piper Aerostar Cessna 425 Conquest 1 Piper J-3 Cub

Cessna Citation CJ1 Cessna Citation CJ2 Cessna Citation CJ3 (three) Cessna Citation CJ4 (on order)

vo l u me 1, issue 2 2010 |

46 | www.cessna.com

COME TOGETHER, CESSNA STYLE story: melinda schnyder | photography: cessna visual media group

The Citation Special Olympics Airlift delivers more than just athletes to the games. Be a part of it this year!

The lighting of the cauldron at the Special Olympics U.S.A. National Games indicates that the games have begun. Approximately 3,000 athletes from every state in the U.S. and about 10,000 coaches, volunteers, family members and supporters come together to cheer on the athletes to the finish line. (photo courtesy: Special Olympics) vo l u me 1, issue 2 2010 |

Smiles & Laughter

As athletes emerge from the door of their special “dove,” they are greeted by volunteers who get the pleasure of accepting the first smile. They are there to lend a helping hand as the athletes take one step closer to their dream of participating in the Special Olympics U.S.A. National Games.

SEEING MORE THAN 200 CESSNA CITATION business jets

arriving one after another. Watching the most enthusiastic and grateful passengers you can imagine emerge from each airplane. Witnessing an army of volunteers work in unison to fit in hundreds of arrivals, taxis and tows while offloading, transporting passengers and crew, refueling and orchestrating departures in about 600 minutes of ground time. Knowing that the event has been more than 18 months in the making: a massive collaboration including the Federal Aviation Administration, on-site airport officials, local fixed base operators, hundreds of volunteers from the community, Cessna employees and volunteers, Citation owners from across the country and the Special Olympics organization. Talk to anyone who has participated in the Citation Special Olympics Airlift and he or she will say you have to experience the event to really understand the impact it will have on your life. You have the chance to discover for yourself—Cessna Aircraft Company needs additional Citations to help reach its goal of transporting 2,000 athletes, family members and coaches from across the country to Lincoln, Neb., for the 2010 Special Olympics USA National Games on July 17 and returning athletes to their home bases on July 24. “It takes a lot of pre-planning to make the Citation Special Olympics Airlift happen, and the most important element 48 | www.cessna.com

If we didn’t have your help, I’m not sure how we would get there. It is people like you who make it happen for athletes like me. —Kyle, SO athlete, basketball

Hats off to all involved in this most worthy endeavor. The planning and professionalism of this event is unsurpassed. It was a seamless event for us. —Greg Cook, president and co-founder, Cook Portable Warehouses

The Citation Special Olympics Airlift is a unique event that brings together the general aviation community to carry out the largest peacetime airlift in the world. —Harrison Ford, actor and honorary event chair

If you don’t have a smile, I’ll give you one of mine. —Author unknown

I could not believe the generosity and kindness that my child was shown. It made a stressful time much easier. —Barbara, mother of an SO athlete

Peace begins with a smile. —Mother Teresa

Hugs & Happiness

In just a few short moments, bonds of love are formed between the athletes, the pilots and the volunteers. Each shows his or her gratitude toward one another with a simple yet very meaningful hug.

of our planning is knowing how many aircraft we can count on and where those aircraft are based,” said Jack Pelton, Cessna chairman, president and CEO. “Not only does this information allow the Airlift team to begin coordinating logistics, it lets each state’s Special Olympics delegation plan for how they will get to the games. State organizations have small budgets, and often the cost of travel falls on the families of the athletes. Many cannot afford last-minute airfare, so travel methods will need to be decided now.” The Airlift relies on corporations and individual Citation owner-operators to donate their Citation business jet(s), pilots and fuel to transport participants to the games, which are held every four years. In 2006, 235 Citations carried 1,500 athletes, their families and coaches to Des Moines, Iowa, for the competition. They came from 40 departure points in 28 states. Special Olympics is an international organization that provides people with intellectual disabilities continuing opportunities to realize their potential, develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, and experience joy and friendship. Special Olympics offers year-round athletic training and competition in Olympic-type sports, including the USA National Games. This is the sixth Citation Special Olympics Airlift organized by Cessna. “The Airlift is an opportunity for the athletes, it’s an opportunity for Cessna to demonstrate its communityminded approach, and it’s an opportunity for all of us to do something positive and high-profile to promote aviation in a time when aviation faces some difficulties,” said actor

50 | www.cessna.com

and honorary event chair Harrison Ford, who plans to fly his Citation in the Airlift. While the Airlift’s purpose is to safely transport athletes, families and coaches to the Special Olympics USA National Games, the pilots who volunteer get a lift, too. “There is no more rewarding trip that you will ever make in your career than to fly coaches and athletes in the Citation Special Olympics Airlift,” said Neil Brackin, General Mills’ director of air transportation. “You will be rewarded multiple times over, not only in the personal feeling of making a difference, but also in goodwill in your business community.” General Mills has had an all-Citation flight department for more than 20 years, and the Minneapolis-based company has participated in each of the Citation Special Olympics Airlifts. “Not only is this a great thing to do for the athletes, but the coaches and chaperones accompanying them are very appreciative,” Brackin said. “They spend weeks, months, years getting the athletes ready, and the Airlift allows them to concentrate on having fun with the athletes instead of worrying about getting everyone to the games safely.” As Eddie Shaw of San Antonio-based Zachry Holdings Inc. pointed out, the commitment is an easy one for a company already using business aircraft. “It’s such a great feeling to be a part of the Airlift, and it’s easy to do,” said Shaw, Zachry’s chief pilot. “An established operator like us already owns the airplane and has it insured, the crews are already employed, the hangar space is

This is just another example of how general aviation owners and operators give back to their communities. —Jack Pelton, Cessna chairman, president and CEO

(This) is an opportunity for the athletes, it’s an opportunity for Cessna to demonstrate its community-minded approach, and it’s an opportunity for all of us to do something positive and high-profile to promote aviation in a time when aviation faces some difficulties. —Harrison Ford, actor and honorary event chair

A hug is a great gift—one size fits all, and it’s easy to exchange. —Author unknown

Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt. —Special Olympics motto

The Airlift would not be possible without the support of Citation owners and operators, so our goal as event organizers is to make participation as easy as possible. —Rhonda Fullerton, Cessna community relations manager and director of the Citation Special Olympics Airlift

A hug is a smile with arms, a laugh with a stronger grip. —The Quote Garden

Togetherness & Teamwork

In the celebration, high school band members get their drums and trumpets blazing, cheerleading squads clap to the beat, and FAA and airport staff guide the doves as volunteers form lines to high-five the athletes as they make their way across the tarmac.

rented—all we are doing is taking the aircraft out of service a couple of days and buying some fuel. The reward for the company and us personally is well worth it.” Everyone who has participated agrees: The Citation Special Olympics Airlift will be an experience that will have an impact on your life in addition to the lives of the athletes and families you help. “This is just another example of how general aviation owners and operators give back to their communities,” Pelton said. “I’m very grateful for all the Citation owners who participated in our past Airlifts. Here’s an opportunity again for those of you who know how important it is and those of you who have recently joined the Cessna family. Catch the spirit and join me in Lincoln this year.”

COME TOGETHER, CESSNA STYLE HOW TO GET INVOLVED REGISTRATION FOR THE CITATION SPECIAL OLYMPICS AIRLIFT IS SIMPLE AND EXCLUSIVELY ONLINE AT: WWW.AIRLIFT.CESSNA.COM IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, PLEASE CALL 888-LNK-LIFT (888-565-5438).

AT A GLANCE WHAT: CITATIONS ARE NEEDED TO TRANSPORT 2,000 PARTICIPANTS TO AND FROM THE 2010 SPECIAL OLYMPICS USA NATIONAL GAMES. WHEN: JULY 17 & 24, 2010 WHERE: LINCOLN, NEB.

The Airlift requires the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and aircraft. Cessna is aiming to transport 2,000 athletes, coaches and family members to the 2010 games. 52 | www.cessna.com

There is no more rewarding trip that you will ever make in your career than to fly coaches and athletes in the Citation Special Olympics Airlift. —Neal Brackin, director of air transportation, General Mills

Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. —Henry Ford

The emotions caught me off guard. Every time Cessna announces they are accepting volunteers, I jump on it. —Terry Stent, volunteer pilot

It is amazing how much you can accomplish when it doesn’t matter who gets the credit. —Author unknown

Delegation travel is the largest expense for state Special Olympics programs, and without the Airlift, fewer athletes would be given the opportunity to compete. —Charles Cooper, president and CEO, 2010 Special Olympics USA National Games

vo l u me 1, issue 2 2010 |

SERVICE on

DEMAND YOUR HANGAR. CESSNA FACTORY SERVICE.

story: steven ludlow | photography: cessna visual media group YOU MIGHT CONSIDER AN ON-DEMAND Citation Service Center operating out of your hangar a revolutionary idea, but Mark Paolucci would disagree with you. Paolucci, senior vice president of customer service at Cessna, sees the company’s new ServiceDirect initiative as the next logical progression in a disciplined evolutionary process. In 2007, Cessna prototyped its first Mobile Service Unit (MSU) to provide aircraft-on-ground (AOG) support to customers within a day’s drive of its base of operations in Texas. The MSU is a full-sized service truck, equipped to handle a variety of maintenance and diagnostic functions. The self-contained truck, with a ground power unit (GPU) and compressor, is also outfitted with hydraulic power, jacks for every model of Cessna Citation, a Tommy lift capable of removing engines, an extensive technical library and select replacement parts. Manned by two Cessna-trained technicians, the MSU can handle everything from light to medium maintenance and repairs. The program was well received for its AOG response, but Paolucci and his team continually sought more customer input. And that’s when, as Paolucci put it, “we became enlightened.” They saw that scheduled MSU visits became nearly as common as unscheduled ones and realized that customers were seeing cost savings and convenience in using the MSU for routine maintenance. Paolucci said that initially the cost benefits of using the MSU seemed to be in the fuel expenses, wear on the aircraft and— perhaps most important—time saved by not traveling to the nearest Citation Service Center. All of this more than offset the nominal mileage and deployment fee of the MSU. But owners who operate their own service departments also realized that using the MSU could minimize or even eliminate costly 54 | www.cessna.com

Testing Citation electrical systems in customer hangars is just one of the procedures the versatile MSU is called on to perform.

The trucks are designed with onboard equipment necessary for diagnostic checks and fixes for nearly every system in the Citation product line.

Hydraulic controls operate outriggers that anchor the MSU truck while a large boom enables it to perform heavy lifting operations.

Specially equipped Mobile Service Unit trucks are strategically deployed around the country in support of scheduled and unscheduled Citation maintenance activities.

technology mobile service units

vo l u me 1, issue 2 2010 |

technology mobile service unit

investments in specialized tooling and training for technicians. In addition, owners began to recognize that maintaining the Cessna pedigree is more easily achieved with on-site support. “One of the most important things about owning an aircraft,” Paolucci said, “is preserving resale value, and there is no better way to do it than by ensuring that every maintenance sign-off is from the factory.” He pointed out that Cessna has a well-earned reputation for the technical excellence of its factorytrained technicians. “Every year, each Citation Service Center achieves the FAA’s Diamond Award for continual training,” Paolucci said. With the success of the experiment, Cessna fast-tracked MSU expansion, and the fifth MSU went into service in South Florida earlier this year, joining units in Texas, North Carolina, Arizona and Southern California. By the end of 2010, between nine and 14 MSUs will be in operation domestically, along with one in Europe. As successful as it has been, the MSU was just one element of a bigger progression. Paolucci’s team began to take a closer look at the limitations of the MSU and discovered other areas of opportunity. This is what Paolucci meant by an evolutionary process, and he pointed out that Cessna’s history of customer service is further illustration of the point.

For 30-40 years, fixed base operators (FBOs) were the industry model of general aviation service. In 1972, as Cessna was preparing to debut the first Citation jet, the company realized that these more complicated aircraft would require a dedicated service network. With the implementation of the first Citation Service Centers, Cessna became the first to build company-owned, brick-and-mortar service facilities dedicated to a single product line. Eventually, as customers requested a more robust AOG response from manufacturers, GO Teams were developed whereby technicians could be dispatched on short notice to remote locales. The weakness of these teams was that the service personnel still had to scour the local airports for specialty tools, jacks and sometimes parts. It was a step in the right direction, and Paolucci acknowledged that GO Teams have their place, but customers needed more. Cessna developed the Air Response Team (ART) to build on the GO Team concept. ART deploys a dedicated Citation aircraft, carrying technicians, tools and parts, with the singular goal of ensuring the customer doesn’t miss his or her next flight. ART offers a more complete response for the customer, and in the event the grounded aircraft cannot be fixed on time, ART can provide the transportation the customer needs. In response to an ART deployment

in December 2009, a new Citation Mustang owner penned an open letter in a Citation owners’ forum with a glowing review of his experience. With his aircraft grounded due to a trio of glitches he refers to as “teething pains,” customer Russell Boyd contacted Team Mustang to resolve his issues. Within 24 hours, after not finding resolution over the phone, two Citation Service Center techs and a variety of FedEx packages filled with parts arrived at Boyd’s hangar. When an anti-skid control board was found to be the problem, and the part was not on hand, ART was immediately dispatched, and the crew worked into the night so Boyd could make his flight the next morning. After making that flight, Boyd was pleasantly shocked to find that the team had tracked his progress when they called him right after landing to confirm that everything had worked properly. Paolucci was quick to throw water on his own team’s success, however, when he pointed out that there are nearly 6,000 Citations in service around the world, and there is only one ART. So, by its nature, it’s a resource of last resort, and simply one that cannot be promised to everyone. He said again, “Our customers needed more.” Thus was born the MSU and, with the addition of the new Temporary Personnel Support (TPS) and HomeService programs, the introduction of the multifaceted ServiceDirect maintenance delivery group.

TPS offers customers on-site factory technicians for a contracted period of time to provide assistance with maintenance and implementation of their aircraft. HomeService then melds what is perhaps the best of both the MSU and TPS concepts, while simultaneously offering unprecedented support to remote areas. With HomeService (tagged “Your Home, Our Service”), Paolucci’s team took most of the components of an MSU and packed them into a specially designed cargo container. With the capability to ship the container to nearly anywhere in the world, combined with the deployment of Citation Service Center technicians, Cessna is again modeling an industry-leading advance in customer support. Paolucci would say little about what the next development in customer support may be, insisting his team is focused on the successful implementation of the next fleet of MSUs and ramping up the other elements of ServiceDirect. But he is clearly always on the lookout, and his message to Citation customers is: “We’re listening.”

The Mobile Service Units can handle most service procedures up to and including engine swaps on all Citation models.

Each Mobile Service Unit carries a full complement of equipment and usually is dispatched with two Citation A&P mechanics. vo l u me 1, issue 2 2010 |

TWO YEARS SUMMED UP

OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS CAN BE IN TWO WORDS: "THANK YOU." Any way you look at it, it's an impressive list. But these aren't our accomplishments, they're yours. You told us what you wanted from Cessna Customer Service, and this is where it led. You helped us create and launch innovative programs that are efficient, money saving, time saving, and personalized. And we can't wait to see where our partnership takes us next. Once again, thank you for your loyalty. And thank you for making us the best Citation service in the business.

th e

story: amanda martin | photography: junebug clark

ROCKS!

TAKING THE DIGITAL LIFESTYLE TO THE SKIES WHEN CESSNA INTRODUCED THE CITATION CJ4, the company promised to take all the things customers have come to know and love about the CitationJet family and elevate them to entirely new levels. A key element in any new aircraft development process is creating the ideal cabin environment. Beyond spaciousness and sleek design, customers want comfort and usefulness that matches their lifestyle. Engineers on the CJ4 program found a way to incorporate the first high-definition cabin management and entertainment system available for light jets. Venue™ Cabin Management System by Rockwell Collins sets a new standard for cabin entertainment and connectivity by delivering an array of features and capabilities never before available in the light-jet category. It fully integrates your in-flight entertainment and business capabilities into one easy-to-use system.

60 | www.cessna.com

“When developing the cabin management and entertainment system for the CJ4, we put a special emphasis on simplicity and ease of use,” said Brian Steele, Cessna’s program manager on the Citation CJ4 program. “It doesn’t get any easier than Venue. There’s a menu-driven system controller at each seat. Plus, along with selecting audio and video programming, you can use the controllers to control cabin lighting, temperature and even the window shades. Once you experience Venue, you’ll wish your home entertainment system was this capable and easy to use.” Rockwell Collins announced Venue in 2007 at the same National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) trade show where Cessna announced the Citation CJ4. The companies also announced at the show that Venue would debut on the CJ4. Until Venue, jets the size of the CJ4 lacked the necessary architecture for advanced cabin capabilities. These aircraft

technology in-flight entertainment

Collaborate in flight: Venue lets you share your laptop display on its screens.

Work, watch, listen, manage: The contemporary CJ4 cabin transforms into a sophisticated multimedia room with the new Venue Cabin Management System. Bring your media with you: iPods and other MP3 devices dock seamlessly with Venue.

have limited room for onboard equipment, and there is little space to run the cables necessary to deliver high-definition video in a traditional manner. Venue achieves the goal of having a digital infrastructure— communications, lighting and temperature controls, and high-definition video displays—on a light jet by combining several functions in fewer boxes and distributing highdefinition video signals through small, lightweight cables. In addition, a flexible distributed architecture with powerful processors at each seat makes it easy to quickly add innovative features to the Venue system. The system’s light weight, cost and functional requirements make it an ideal solution for aircraft spanning from the 62 | www.cessna.com

Venue allows Cessna to move toward a common platform with the flexibility to add advanced features and continuous introduction of new capabilities. light- to super-mid-jet segments of the market, thereby enabling unprecedented capability in smaller jet cabins. Its scalable architecture allows Venue to expand to meet future technological advances and larger jets. Different systems based on plane size are very expensive, but Venue allows Cessna to move toward a common platform with

Ideal for more than just work: Venue’s wide-screen, high-definition displays bring Blu-ray and DVD movies to life.

Like remote controls that you’ll never lose, intuitive Venue control panels are located at each seat.

the flexibility to add advanced features and continuous introduction of new capabilities. “Venue emulates the home electronics experience, bringing high definition and an intuitive user interface to the aircraft cabin,” said Andrew Mohr, Rockwell Collins’ director of marketing for cabin systems. “We’ve never had a product like this before. Citation owners are going to be blown away that Rockwell Collins and Cessna have been able to take state-ofthe-art technology and put it in cabin management.” Venue makes the Citation CJ4 an extension of today’s digital lifestyle, whether in the office or at home. The system creates flexible, workable and integrated business capabilities. Passengers can plug their laptop into the audio and video

jukebox and make last-minute preparations en route, keep an eye on flight progress with the integrated wide-screen 3-D digital Airshow® moving maps or enjoy entertainment options including music and video. Venue’s Media Center was developed for use with the latest consumer electronics technologies—from MP3s to gaming systems to Blu-ray Discs™ and DVDs. The advanced architecture offered by Venue supports video resolutions up to 1080 pixels and is fully compatible with new high-definition standards such as HDMI®. Not only is Venue the first high-definition cabin entertainment system available for light jets, it is the most complete system ever offered in this category of aircraft.

vo l u me 1, issue 2 2010 |

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ON A MISSION: AIR-TO-AIR PHOTOGRAPHY story: kirby ortega with pia bergqvist | photography: steven ludlow and randy wentling, cessna visual media group

Close encounters in the skies over the American Southeast produce images of the mesmerizing kind. Here’s the true story. GREAT AVIATION PHOTOGRAPHS CAN BE ENCHANTING.

Airplanes appearing to fly right out of glossy magazine covers. Airplanes banking into golden sunsets. Airplanes skimming rugged mountain ridges. It’s hard to take your eyes off the images. Have you ever wondered how those exquisite mood shots are created? As chief pilot for propeller operations at Cessna Aircraft Company, I’m often assigned the challenging and exciting task of flying either the photo ship or the target aircraft used for a Cessna photo flight. Let me describe to you what has to happen before you are able to marvel at those beautiful images that grace magazines, brochures and posters worthy of framing.

66 | www.cessna.com

Photo specs: camera—Nikon D700 shutter speed value—1/250 aperture value—f/18 ISO—200 (photo: Steven Ludlow) vo l u me 1, issue 2 2010 |

Photo specs: camera—Nikon D700 shutter speed value—1/500 aperture value—f/7.1 ISO—160 (photo: Steven Ludlow)

BEHIND THE LENS

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68 | www.cessna.com

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The creation of Cessna’s air-to-air photos occurs during what we call a photo mission, which requires several departments to work in harmony. The Marketing Communications Department works as the conductor of an orchestra consisting of photographers, airplanes and pilots. “There are so many things that need to come together, the most challenging of which is sometimes the one we don’t have control over: the weather. But when everything lines up, it’s perfection,” said Lori Lucion, director of Marketing Communications at Cessna Aircraft Company. Once a need for still or video pictures of certain airplanes is established, a shot list is developed of the photos that need to be taken. “When we create a shot list for a marketing project, we’ve already got the layout thought out,” said Lucion. “We sketch the positions we want the aircraft to be in, and from there we create a list of what we’re looking for.” Once the shot list has been established, the pilots and cameramen identify the ideal locations for the photo mission, given seasonal conditions and aircraft performance. The shooters often come from Cessna’s own Visual Media Group (VMG)—a team of highly experienced staff photographers, videographers and designers. In addition to being a brilliant photographer, you can’t be afraid of flying real close to other airplanes to be chosen for an air-to-air photo mission. You also have to be immune to motion sickness as you’re hanging out the window of one moving object looking through a lens that’s pointed at another moving object. But the excitement is worth the challenge. “The biggest thrill really is just nailing it—when all of the elements come together, and you get dynamic, beautiful footage of the aircraft,” said Steven Ludlow, photographer/ videographer at VMG. “When you find the right light, the right backdrop and smooth air to work with to get the shot you want, it’s a rush.”

Photo specs: camera—Nikon D700 shutter speed value—1/125 aperture value—f/13 ISO—160 (photo: Steven Ludlow)

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In addition to great photographers, a successful air-to-air photo mission requires machine and man to be functioning together, so the photo platform—the aircraft carrying the photographer—is an important part of the mission. I became intimately familiar with N6542U, a 1986 Cessna Turbo Centurion that served dutifully as Cessna’s photo platform for almost 20 years. The middle seats in Four-Two-Uniform were removed to accommodate the pilot, art director, two shooters and all the gear they needed to complete their tasks. But, as the product line grew, the Turbo Centurion appeared to shrink. With an increasing number of jets to shoot, its speed capability simply became inadequate for the task. This became apparent in some of the photos shot from the Turbo Centurion as the subject aircraft had to fly with a high angle of attack to keep its speed down. Cessna resolved this dilemma by adding a Cessna Grand Caravan to the photo ship fleet. The faster and much more spacious Grand Caravan became the new photo platform. The Grand Caravan photo ship is a nice ride, equipped with the Oasis interior and customized for air-to-air photography. At the rear of the aircraft, there are windows on both sides that open in flight, so the photographers can hang their cameras outside to improve shooting angles. The shooters can also rotate their seats 180 degrees and find the ideal perch from which to record the excitement of formation flight. Depending on what’s needed for the photo mission, there may be a still and a video photographer onboard the photo platform at the same time. “Most times we’re shooting, there’s only one prime openwindow position. So whereas we’d often love to shoot both the still and video shots at the same time, we have to trade back and forth,” Ludlow said. “When you’re flying by that perfectly lit mountain pass, there is no second flyby. Those moments are truly fleeting.”

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Photo specs: camera—Nikon D700 shutter speed value—1/125 aperture value—f/22 ISO—160 (photo: Randy Wentling)

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Photo specs: camera—Nikon D700 shutter speed value—1/400 aperture value—f/9 ISO—160 (photo: Steven Ludlow)

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Besides the photographer, the formation pilot is key to a successful photo mission. This guy needs to have the skills to position the aircraft in the optimal location for photos with an emphasis on safety. Before a pilot gets to this point, he is enlisted on a photo shoot and given the role of grip. The grip in the world of air-to-air photography is responsible for moving subject airplanes to different locations and pushing airplanes around on the ground for detail shots. During his internship, he will ride in and observe from both the photo platform and target airplanes’ perspectives. If it’s a good fit for the pilot, he will keep training with an experienced formation pilot in the Grand Caravan and eventually be slated to fly the photo platform on an actual shoot. The photo platform pilot is the director of the show during the photo shoot. From selecting the locations to reviewing the shot list to forecasting the weather, he is the go-to guy. He may not be on the next cover of Flying magazine, but he silently enjoys a sense of satisfaction in knowing how it all came together. And once he achieves competence, he’ll be transferred to the shutter side of the camera. Normally, I’ll spend about six to eight hours flying with a candidate on the wing of the Caravan before turning him loose.

Photo specs: camera—Nikon D700 shutter speed value—1/800 aperture value—f/5 ISO—160 (photo: Steven Ludlow)

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Creating spectacular air-to-air photography requires a great deal of skill from all the team members involved. Between the Marketing Department’s vision, the photographers’ skills, the performance of the aircraft and the capability of the pilots, Cessna’s team has brought about an untold number of iconic images. While it is a beautiful and thrilling sight to see another airplane tucked up against your wing, the proverbial statement “Do not try this at home” definitely applies.

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