Sierra Industries has continued its programme to re-engine the Citation 1SP with the retrofitting of two Williams FJ44-2A engines. The engines on the development Citation 501SP Eagle were started and run for the first time in mid-September. First flight of the aircraft is projected for September 30 with plans to have the aircraft flying at NBAA in October.

On hand for the first run in addition to officers and associates of Sierra Industries Inc, were representatives from Williams International (engine manufacturer) and Advanced Technology Services International (prime engineering and design firm for the project).

The engines were run at various power settings from idle to 85 per cent in manual mode. The FJ44-2A engines incorporate Electronic Fuel Control Units (EFCU), which offer one throttle position automatic engine manage-ment. Once the correlations and data analysis are complete, power settings to 100 per cent will be carried out.

Company president, Mark Huffstutler, stated: "This is a big day for us with the first run of the engines. We formally announced the FJ44 Eagle II programme at the NBAA in 1998 and are excited that we will return this year with the first aircraft. I am pleased that the engine runs went well and we will be flying in a couple of weeks. We can already tell there is a noticeable reduction in vibration and a significant increase in thrust from the runs we have made. We are very excited about the performance potential of this new aircraft."

The FJ44 Eagle II will offer significant increases in performance, utility and safety by combining the Eagle SP modification (change to the airfoil section from wing root to midspan, reducing aerodynamic drag and increasing usable fuel capacity) and the Williams new technology turbofan engines. This aircraft will be capable of cruise speeds in excess of 400 knots, range over 2000 nautical miles and a service ceiling of 43,000 feet. The single pilot status of the aircraft will not be affected by this improvement.

Plans are to achieve FAA certification in the first quarter of 2001 with production starting on customer aircraft later this year.

Sierra currently holds confirmed positions and deposits for ten customer aircraft and will hold current pricing and terms to the end of the NBAA convention.

To find out more, contact Sierra Industries at sierra@sijet.com.