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Citations, Got RVSM? If Not, You've Got Trouble
Cessna has a stern warning for the sizeable number of Citation jet owners within the United States who have not yet taken steps to ensure compliance with the imminent Reduced Vertical Separation Minima (RVSM) requirements—time is running out for you.
When RVSM rules are introduced into North American airspace on Jan. 20, 2005, any aircraft that has not been modified for compliance will be restricted to flight levels below FL 290. According to Cessna, about 70 percent of the U.S. Citation fleet will meet that requirement—but this leaves a staggering 900 aircraft that are not yet booked in to undergo the RVSM upgrade. Cessna has STCs available for every Citation model barring Citation Is with MSN 275 or below, and those aircraft do have a kit available from Honeywell. However, Cessna goes on to point out that a "simple" modification is not enough. Not only do crews have to be trained and certified, but the aircraft must be validated on a special GPS monitoring unit flight.
Ron Chapman, Cessna's senior vp customer support, has stern words for those Citation operators who have not yet jumped on the RVSM train. "There are 90 days left before the January deadline. Even if you start tomorrow it's going to be difficult to get all the work done in time. If you have a number of aircraft to deal with it might be impossible. I anticipate there will be many disappointed Citation customers left flying below 29,000 feet burning a lot of expensive fuel. Also, if you want to try and sell that aircraft at some point you will be at a distinct disadvantage. The price will be hit not only by the extra cost of a [future] installation, but also by the downtime that it will incur." Chapman's advice? "Get with a service center and order an RVSM kit now."
Cessna has pledged to hold the price of RVSM upgrade kits if they are ordered before Dec. 31 with a firm installation schedule. After that, the company says, there will be a price increase.
—Robert Hewson
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