New life for Citation Excels
Citation Excels, built from 1998 to 2004, are now upgradable under a program created by former Cessna Chairman Emeritus Russ Meyer; former Cessna CEO Gary Hay; and Russ Meyer III, the program manager for the Citation CJ3 and Citation Mustang.
The three head up a company called CitationPartners, which is set up to modernize the Excels with Garmin G5000 avionics suites, new paint and interiors, special Pratt & Whitney ESP Gold engine coverage, and Textron’s ProParts and PowerAdvantage programs. Both maintenance programs will be offered with no buy-in or enrollment fees. The transformed airplanes will be called Citation Excel Eagles.
“This is light years beyond your typical, garden-variety refurb; it is a true nose-to-tail transformation of the aircraft,” said Cessna Chairman Emeritus Russ Meyer.
The Excel, certified under FAR Part 25, has a max cruise speed of 430 knots, a 3,650-foot takeoff field length, and a max range of 1,800 nautical miles with NBAA fuel reserves. It has seating for up to 10 passengers, features a straight wing, and uses a shortened version of the Citation X’s cabin. Subsequent versions of the original Excel design include the XLS and XLS+.
Brokerage firm jetAVIVA will serve as the Excel Eagle’s sales representative. “With pre-owned available inventory at the lowest levels they have been in more than 20 years, the introduction of the Excel Eagle couldn’t have been timed more perfectly,” said jetAVIVA CEO Tim White. “Our team of specialists in pre-owned aircraft acquisitions can assist buyers in understanding how this solution can go to work for them.”
The first Excel Eagle will be delivered in April. Plans are to produce one completion per month for the remainder of 2021.
