At Textron Aviation, both new and legacy aircraft owners have
access to manufacturer-exclusive expertise. Designers,
technical experts and industry-leading innovators all sit at
owners' fingertips, eager to assist and advise.
Throughout the nearly 100 years of forward-thinking work,
communities of Cessna® and Beechcraft® owners, operators and
enthusiasts have formed. Often, Cessna® pilots and other
longtime owners find each other, form connections and breathe
unadulterated truth into the marketplace about iconic
aircraft. The Citation® jet line is no different.
True to the Citation® reputation of quality and longevity,
many of these owners are paired with their aircraft for many
years, leading them to look for ways to upgrade and refresh
the aircraft they love. It's one place they can take full
advantage of Textron Aviation's expertise.
One upgrade is becoming more common — moving from
Collins Pro Line 21™ to Pro Line Fusion® avionics.
Two Cessna Citation CJ3® jet owners explain why they chose to
evolve their aircraft by investing in this avionics upgrade.
Dr. Shervin Oskouei and Len Rand detail their thought process
and satisfaction with moving to the new avionics suite.
MEET THE PILOTS
Dr. Shervin Oskouei, CJ3® jet owner
Known for his expertise in musculoskeletal tumors, Dr. Shervin
Oskouei is an orthopedic surgeon with decades in the medical
field. Commonly sought after to speak at conferences across
the nation, Dr. Oskouei is known for his quality of care and
his willingness to share his learnings with others.
Dr. Oskouei has owned his Citation CJ3® for more than ten
years and uses it for both leisure and work travel. He flies
between his two homes in Georgia and Colorado, but also
travels across the United States to attend and speak at
conferences.
Q: What is your favorite part of flying?
"In one word: freedom. The freedom to go wherever I want,
whenever I want is simply something I cherish, and I hope to
continue doing it safely as long as I can. The other thing I
love about flying is the continuous learning. I am always
learning and the more I learn the more I realize there is to
learn. That to me is simply awesome."
Q: What made you decide to become a pilot and own an
aircraft?
"I started flying mainly because I found it challenging and
gratifying to learn something new and acquire new skill
sets. I was never introduced to general aviation growing up
although I always enjoyed travelling. The more I started
flying the more I realized how much there is to learn, and I
find it all very challenging yet incredibly enjoyable.
Understanding things like complex airspaces, changing
weather patterns, use of onboard radar, complex SIDs and
STARs, and the complexities of aircraft systems are things I
really enjoy learning about. Having my own aircraft was
something I never imagined possible. However, as my mission
changed and my travel required longer and more complex
missions, I continued to upgrade aircraft until I landed on
the CJ3 which to me is the pinnacle of single pilot
aircraft."
Len Rand, CJ3® jet owner
Len Rand is nothing if not multitalented. His career spans
technology, venture capital, private equity, partnerships and
operations. That's not considering his vast experience in
aviation as well.
Rand has spent decades in the sky and worked in commercial and
charter aviation. He understands the business side of flying
but puts his time into giving back as well. His Citation CJ3®
flies for business, leisure and charity transportation.
Q: What is your favorite part of flying?
"The focus of technical flying (IMC and flying into crowded
airspace and airports) disconnects me from the daily cares
and stress of life. Honestly, it is my 'Zen' space."
Q: What made you decide to become a pilot and own an
aircraft?
"A combination of technical challenge and utility were the
original impetus to becoming a pilot. The convenience and
utility (plus the joy of flying) have kept me hooked."
THE UPGRADE
Q: What made you decide to upgrade your avionics
suite?
Shervin
"As a single pilot, I wanted everything Fusion had to
offer. For instance, having three very large screens with
the ability to subdivide them any way I want to is awesome.
I can have onboard radar on my PFD while having SiriusXM
weather on the MFD, making decision-making around complex
weather that much more facile. I can have my approach chart
on half of my MFD while the other half shows the moving map
making situational awareness very simple. Another advantage
for me is the synthetic vision capabilities. Since my second
home is in the mountains, I love the ability to have
synthetic vision, especially when arriving at night in
inclement weather. Being able to show all the available
weather products on large screens on the MFD is very useful
in weather avoidance and I have found the touchscreen to be
incredibly intuitive."
Len:
"When we acquired the aircraft it needed an upgrade to
ADS-B and WAAS/LPV. The cost of that was over 50% of the
upgrade to full Fusion. In looking at the features and
benefits of Fusion (and the increase in aircraft value) the
jump to a full upgrade was an easy choice."
Q: What was the process of moving from Pro Line 21™ to Pro
Line Fusion® like?
Len:
"We read the manual, hooked the plane up to a power cart
for about an hour and off we went “into the wild blue
yonder”. Seriously, the operating sequences were the same as
Pro Line 21, with the added layer of an intuitive
touchscreen UI. This made the transition very easy."
Shervin:
"It was incredibly easy. I find Fusion to be even more
intuitive than Pro Line 21. If you can do it in Pro Line 21,
you can do it the same way or numerous other ways in Fusion.
The touchscreens also add another level of simplicity. In
addition, in an emergency, Fusion adds many more intuitive
resources such as auto population of approaches to nearest
airports and other aids."
Q: How did you handle training as a pilot when you
upgraded?
Shervin:
"I was worried about the lack of a simulator, not only for
the transition but also for recurrent training. During my
first recurrent at Flight Safety after upgrading to Fusion,
I was worried about flying in the sim with Pro Line 21.
However, since they are both Collins products with similar
architecture, I found my muscle memory came back immediately
and I was able to do my recurrent without any avionics-based
issues."
Len:
"In my case, training was not an issue. Training is not
about button-pushing anyway. Being able to program the
avionics is easy and not the part of training that matters.
With the operating sequences being so similar, it's not
really been a problem."
OVERALL PERCEPTION
Q: How do you feel about the upgrade overall?
Len:
"It's an awesome system with a significant improvement in
situational awareness and a far more intuitive interface
than previous Pro Line incarnations. For us, it was money
well spent, with both operational and aircraft value
benefits."
Shervin:
"I am absolutely certain I have made the right move and am
very happy with my decision to upgrade to Fusion. One late
evening after sunset, I had to execute a missed approach
when the weather dropped below minimums at KEGE last winter.
Flying single pilot, having all the tools Fusion has to
offer to do this safely and without much fuss was enough to
convince me I made the right decision. I couldn't be any
happier. It has delivered as promised and worked flawlessly
from the day I picked up the aircraft from Textron Aviation
after the upgrade. I have tools available to me that I
didn't have with Pro Line 21 and with other avionics I had
in prior aircraft. The situational awareness I have with
Fusion is unbelievable. If the financials make sense to you,
there is no doubt you will be happy with the upgrade."
Ready to Evolve Your Aircraft?