Questions and Answers about Re-engining Your Aircraft:
With all the recent high-profile activity in the light jet (and very light jet) market, the options and the questions seem to be growing at an almost exponential rate. Drawing on many years of experience in the Citation overhaul and upgrade market, we’ve tried to answer some of the most common questions below:
What are the advantages of re-engining a used Citation vs. purchasing a new light jet?
First of all, saving money. For the cost of a brand new VLJ like Cessna’s Mustang, a re-engined Citation 500/501SP offers greater range, carrying capacity, and speed. In fact, many of the performance numbers are comparable to light jets costing more than twice as much. Nearly all other light jets in this price range offer significantly smaller cabins, shorter range, less speed or are still “powerpoint planes” that have yet to make a delivery.
Second, performance. Both the Eagle II and Stallion offer dramatic improvements in overall performance (much greater range and cruising speed, with climb-to-altitude times cut in half or better!). State-of-the-art FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control) engine controls provide a quieter cabin and increased reliability, as well as contributing to shorter takeoff and landing distances.
Third, economy. The state-of-the-art third generation engine technology in the Williams FJ44 cuts overall fuel consumption by up to 25%, while providing the speed, range and reliability advantages mentioned above.
How fast will it be? How far will it go? How much will it cost?
This comparison chart shows the Eagle II and Stallion performance and cost compared to other Cessna light jets. The Super II is still in development, so we do not have final performance figures yet. You can go here for an estimated performance comparison with the stock Citation II. For pricing, please see the pricing schedule links on the right side of this page.
How long does an FJ44 re-engining modification take?
The Sierra FJ44 Stallion is available with a short lead time. Down time for the modification is in the 10 - 12 week range, while most VLJ’s are either years away from delivery or have waiting lists of well over a year. Many of our customers take advantage of the short down time by refurbishing the paint, interior and avionics as well, resulting in a virtually “new” aircraft.
The full Sierra FJ44 Eagle II modification, which adds the classic Eagle wing modification and substantially increased fuel capacity to the FJ44 re-engining, can add another 12 - 14 weeks to the modification time.
What about my existing aircraft engines?
The prevailing wisdom in the aviation community has been, for a long time, that the best time to upgrade your engines is at TBO, when the old engines are “maxed out.” This paradigm is overdue for a change, particularly with respect to the Citation 500 series.
When an owner reaches TBO on his engines, he now has several choices available – overhauling, engine leasing, or purchasing time-remaining engines. Of these choices, overhauling is the least desirable. This choice is very expensive (sometimes over $500,000 each), fraught with risk and price variability (the quote might be $175,000, but the final bill is $475,000), and subjects the owner to long periods of down time. Even when the cost per hour remaining is significantly higher, owners often choose time-remaining engines, as the up-front cost is much lower, there is no price variability and the gratification is immediate.
Due partly to Sierra’s successful FJ44 Eagle II program, there are increasing numbers of high-time used Pratt & Whitney JT15D-1A engines in the marketplace, driving down the value of TBO engines. Another contributing factor is a sharp decline in the number of JT15D-1A overhauls being performed by approved P&W facilities. This is having a predictable effect on the market, with the supply of ready-to-overhaul engines outstripping demand and driving down prices.
Operators who expect to wait until TBO before having their aircraft re-engined will likely see lower core values, more difficulty selling or trading their engines, and/or more difficulty and expense finding facilities to overhaul their old engines.
The most attractive option of all is not to wait, but to schedule your
aircraft for Sierra’s FJ44 re-engining while your JT15D-1A’s still have remaining time and decent core value. In addition to the financial advantages, you and your passengers could be enjoying the speed, comfort and efficiency benefits of an FJ44-powered aircraft NOW, rather than waiting on your old engines to reach TBO.
Finally, the increasing demand for re-engine modifications will undoubtedly lead to increasing prices in the future, as well as longer waits for available slots in the schedule. As Business & Commercial Aviation magazine said in a recent article* on re-engining programs, “...the red-hot market for business aircraft overall, which is pushing new airframe production capacity to its limit, means an airplane in the hand is worth two in the order book for people who can’t wait.”
*Business & Commercial Aviation, December 2006
When can I schedule a demonstration flight?
Please fill out our demo request form or email us for more information. |
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