New again

When the Model 560XL was certified in April 1998 it carried a load of cathode-ray tubes in the panel as part of the then super-modern Honeywell Primus 1000 cockpit suite.

By the time the XLS model came out in 2004, those CRTs had become liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) and the Pratt & Whitney twin turbines got an upgrade, too. The current model of the venerable business jet is the XLS Gen2, which carries the Collins Pro Line 21 cockpit, full-authority digital engine control, another boost to the thrust—and, the recently announced Gen2 part, a more refined interior.

Pilots sometimes refer to the Excel as the Mr. Potato Head airplane because it contains parts of numerous other Citations. The stand-up cabin is essentially a shortened version of the Citation X. The straight super-critical wing and cruciform tail comes from the Citation V, and the Honeywell avionics suite had been used in earlier Citations as well. With a maximum cruise speed of around 440 KTAS, range of more than 1,700 nautical miles, and ability to take off at maximum gross weight of around 20,000 pounds on runways as short as 3,560 feet, the two-pilot airplane has proven popular. More than 1,000 have been built and the new Gen2 interior upgrade suggests Textron plans to keep the model around for a while longer.

The XLS+ debuted in 2008 and has aged well. But the avionics in those 700 or so earlier models are ready for the museum. Seeing an opportunity, Garmin began working with a couple of installation shops to rip out the old Honeywell avionics in favor of its G5000 cockpit. So far, it has garnered more than 70 sales with an out-the-door price between $475,000 to $525,000 with average options. At 1,500 to 2,000 work hours, the project is not for the faint of heart.

Garmin G5000 Retrofit Sales Manager Dave Brown said the value becomes particularly compelling when you consider that the early Primus panel components are facing obsolescence and high maintenance costs. Repairing or replacing a single display, for example, can cost $25,000—if components can be found.

Especially with the Garmin G5000 upgrade and with average XL and XLS airframes selling for $3 million to $4 million, the used airplanes compete well with new XLS+ models that list for more than $14 million.

When you roll your Excel into a shop at Textron Aviation, Elliott Aviation, Duncan Aviation, or Epps Aviation, for example, technicians will gut the panel and you will roll out with three 14-inch Garmin LCDs—two primary flight displays and a multifunction display. Two touchscreen controllers are appended to the aft end of the center console and the mammoth glareshield mounted annunciator system becomes an engine indicating system on the main displays. Replacing it on the glareshield is the Garmin GFC 700 autopilot mode controller—a more conventional placement than on the center pedestal where it was originally located. The weather radar is replaced with the Garmin GWX 75 with a 12-inch antenna. The audio panel becomes remote with playback capability. The package includes TAWS A, ADS-B Out, dual transponders, and a GDL 69A to deliver SiriusXM Aviation weather datalink and entertainment.

From there, your budget will determine how else you can customize the system to your needs. Garmin has an 18-page brochure listing various options, from such things as synthetic vision and SurfaceWatch to underspeed protection and Flight Stream 510. Garmin groups some options into packages, such as the Awareness and Protection package, which includes all of those just mentioned. Want higher-end radar features? Add ground clutter suppression and turbulence detection. A GSR 56 Iridium satellite phone not only provides global voice communications, it also is the platform for Garmin Connext Worldwide Weather information and allows for texting from the Garmin Pilot app.

And if you hear that chime that I heard over Oklahoma, you’ve opted for the FAA Domestic Data Comm system that provides CPDLC-DCL—controller pilot data link communication-departure clearance, which will automate clearance delivery operation at just over 60 of the United States’ busiest airports. En route, you can exchange messages with air route traffic control centers. Crossing the pond? The FANS 1/A+ with Aircraft Communications Addressing, and Reporting System option allows Excel pilots to use popular routes over the North Atlantic that require CPDLC and ADS-C—automatic dependent surveillance, contract.

More useful on a day-to-day basis would be the Takeoff and Landing Data (TOLD) option, which computes and displays on the PFD speed tapes the appropriate V speeds for takeoff and landing.

While the G5000 upgrade can take advantage of some of the attitude and heading reference systems and traffic alert and collision avoidance systems found on earlier Excels, many owners elect to replace those with new Garmin products, such as the GRS 79 AHRS and GTS 8000 TCAS II. Similarly, the GRA 5500 radar altimeter can replace those legacy systems found on early Excels.

Anyone who has seen in-progress upgrades such as this cringe at the sight of the stripped panel with miles of wiring strung nose to tail. Yet, with enough time and Benjamins, it does come together and you end up flying behind the panel I did in Garmin’s 2005 XLS. With modern paint and interior, the 17-year-old airplane looks almost as modern as anything coming off the line today.

To my right is Scott Wheeler, flight test pilot, who, at the sound of the chime, points to the touchscreen display, which shows the message “Confirm CPDLC Contact,” ATC’s request that we acknowledge that we’re prepared to receive vectors and other instructions digitally. He describes the features of the new panel, which will be familiar to anyone who has flown the Garmin G1000, G2000, and G3000 cockpits.

The G5000 suits the Excel well, giving this twentieth-century design twenty-first century capabilities.

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