Pilot Report: Citation Ascend Is the Ultimate XLS

A recent demonstration flight in Textron Aviation’s new Ascend midsize jet was interesting from a variety of perspectives. For one, this is a great example of an OEM pushing the envelope on upgrading a popular legacy product. It was also an excellent way to compare the state of the art in the aftermarket retrofit field to what an OEM committed to significant upgrades can accomplish.

The Ascend has the distinction of being the final modern Citation model to switch to Garmin avionics—not a surprise given strong aftermarket interest by owners switching to Garmin’s G5000 flight deck upgrade. And having flown an XLS with the G5000 upgrade, I found that flying the Ascend was a little like flying an old friend, albeit with much more than just a shiny coat of new paint. The changes to the Ascend are significant and should propel this jet to an even longer lifetime, well beyond the 1,000-plus family members delivered thus far.

Certified last November, the Ascend is the latest version of what started in 1998 with the Citation Excel. The Excel/XLS series is an example of how Cessna successfully marries old and new, with a two-foot-shorter Citation X fuselage matched to an unswept wing and Citation V empennage, and powered by Pratt & Whitney PW500 engines. Over the years, the Excel/XLS has seen many upgrades, including switching from Honeywell avionics to Collins Pro Line 21 and now to a Garmin G5000 suite.

The last upgrade before the Ascend was the XLS Gen2, which added a lighted airstair door; a new entry door curtain; a high-power outlet at the refreshment center; an updated seat design; a wireless cabin management system with wireless device charging and USB-A and -C ports; a fold-down two-place couch in the vestibule area; and a Bongiovi speakerless surround sound system.

“We really made a nice improvement with the XLS Gen2,” said Lannie O’Bannion, Textron Aviation senior v-p, global sales and flight operations. “We saw an uptick in order activity with those improvements, but the Ascend is a significant improvement over the Gen2.”

With a base price of $18.175 million, the Ascend changes affect almost every part of the airplane, from the windshields to cabin windows, interior configuration, engines, and G5000 configuration.

Avionics Updates

Switching the XLS series from Collins avionics to the Ascend’s Garmin G5000 suite seems like a natural move for Textron Aviation, continuing a familiar interface for Cessna pilots who start flying with G1000, then progress to G3000 or G5000 as they move into the modern Citations. “As customers move up, everything outside of the King Air is Garmin, and this falls in line with that,” said Jimmy Beeson, v-p product development. “It gives them an improved but enhanced familiar platform.” Textron Aviation’s Denali single-engine turboprop is also Garmin-equipped, as are the Caravan and SkyCourier utility turboprops. “Voice of the customer was important,” he added, in helping shape the improvements that resulted in the Ascend design.

In the Ascend, the four Garmin touch controllers (GTC) give pilots more options for controlling the two 14-inch G5000 primary flight displays (PFD) and the single 14-inch multi-function display (MFD). Pilots can, for example, use one GTC to set up and run the PFD and one for the MFD (which can be split into two panes, one for each pilot).

The center GTCs in the Ascend are positioned at a comfortable and easily viewable angle between the top of the center console and the bottom of the center MFD, blending smoothly with the redesigned lower switch panel. The redesign gave Textron Aviation engineers latitude to eliminate unneeded instruments, switches, and buttons, and the result is an extraordinarily clean-looking instrument panel. For example, systems such as pressurization are incorporated in the G5000 avionics, so those are no longer needed separately.

The Garmin mode control panel under the glareshield is flanked by two GCU controllers, one for each pilot. Interestingly, the landing gear handle moved from the right side of the lower instrument panel, about lined up with the copilot’s left knee, to the left side and lined up with the pilot’s right knee. Instead of the Mid-Continent Standby Attitude Module that is installed in the XLS G5000 upgrade below the MFD, the Ascend has a more traditional square L3 standby between the left GCU and the mode control panel, much more in line with the pilot’s view out the windshield.

The Ascend G5000 has all the expected modern features, including electronic checklists and charts, synthetic vision, ADS-B Out and In, the GWX 8000 StormOptix digital radar, and autothrottles (which aren’t available in the XLS G5000 upgrade). Datalink communications are an option and, where available, make possible digital messaging with ATC. “Pilot workload is a piece of feedback we have to listen to as well as [in relation to] cabin technology,” said Beeson.

Cabin Amenities

Climbing into the cabin via the airstair door is now easier, with new anti-slip tread and added step lighting in down- and upwash configurations.

The standard Ascend interior configuration fits nine passengers, including a two-seat couch across from the door, a double club area, two seats behind that, and a belted lavatory seat. With the standard setup, the closet next to the forward couch measures 16 inches (41 cm) wide, but an option changes that seat to a single-place with a 33-inch closet, for eight passengers total.

From the outside, the nose of the Ascend presents a different look, more like that of a larger Citation Latitude or Longitude, thanks to new electrically heated windshields that eliminate the XLS’ bulky bleed air eyelets. The cabin windows are 15% larger, which doesn’t seem like much but brings a lot more natural light inside. Optional lighted window rings make for a more spacious feel and mirror a feature available in other Citations. Another change that sets the Ascend apart is a subtly twisted-up wingtip to give a hint of winglet appeal, although there isn’t a huge aerodynamic benefit.

Perhaps the most significant change in the Ascend is the cabin’s standard flat floor. However, rather than a complex redesign of the fuselage with a floor that is lower than the shelf on which the XLS seats are mounted, Textron Aviation elected to fill in the jet’s center aisle trench. This provides the flat floor that has become desirable in the midsize/super-midsize jet market, but also allows Textron Aviation to offer the option of retaining the original dropped aisle, which is available at no extra cost. Another benefit of the flat floor is that it is more comfortable for pets, a key consideration for owners who want to fly with furry friends.

Buyers are going with the flat floor, which reduces headroom to 60 inches in the cabin from the previous trenched aisle’s 68 inches. The entry vestibule remains at the original 63 inches, and a small ramp makes the transition from vestibule to cabin. “Once you sit down, there’s still plenty of space to get into the seat,” said O’Bannion.

“That’s why we focused on seated comfort,” said Beeson. The new seats, designed for the Ascend, allow more swivel action, and passengers can now turn the seat toward the aisle and have a comfortable place to put their feet instead of trying to scrunch them over the shelf or have them hanging over the dropped aisle. I tested this, and the seats offered a high level of comfort, while swiveling outward gave my legs and feet plenty of places to rest, especially when sitting opposite someone in the club seating section.

“You can see how much cleaner it looks,” Beeson said. “What most people do when they get in is sit down and track the seat outboard, canted in towards the aisle. I think this aircraft was built for me, because if I dangle my feet in the aisle, once I tilt the seat towards the middle, I can’t touch the bottom of the dropped aisle. That’s not optimal comfort for me. If you’ve got the flat floor, you don’t have to do that anymore. You can sit much more naturally. Even for taller individuals, it makes much more sense. When you experience the cabin, you get that sense of what we were aiming for, which is seated comfort.”

Although some might think that the 68-inch dropped aisle might prove more comfortable, he explained, “It’s a number. In reality, once you get in, you sit down, you experience that, and it makes sense…Individuals get on the airplane, track the seat, swivel towards the middle, and now they have much more freedom of movement and freedom of comfort in the seat. It’s not something they could have done with the dropped aisle, at least comfortably.”

The new Ascend seats’ electric locking mechanism makes it easier to move in and out of swivel mode and holds the seat more firmly when locked, reducing shaking. Optional leg rests are available, and buyers can specify material patterns and quilting styles. Further work on soundproofing, tapping technology from the Latitude and Longitude, lowers the Ascend’s interior noise by 3 to 4 dB compared to legacy models.

In the rear cabin, the lavatory has a coat closet, and two windows keep the area bright. The seat on the externally serviced toilet folds down to provide additional luggage capacity, although that might not be needed with the Ascend’s 80-cu-ft, 700-pound-capacity baggage compartment.

Opting for the Bongiovi speaker-less sound system fills the cabin with hi-fi audio generated by 26 transducers hidden behind cabin panels. Textron Aviation’s Clairity in-flight entertainment/cabin management system runs on a Heads Up Technologies backbone and has all the modern features, such as Bluetooth connectivity to smart devices for cabin control and playing content, and FlightPath 3D moving map on a touchscreen bulkhead monitor or on personal devices (customer livery is optional).

Textron Aviation just announced that its service centers are installing Starlink low-earth-orbit satcom systems in 560XL models and the Ascend, so this is an option after purchase. Gogo Galileo satcom is also an option, and with the HDX antenna installed, delivers up to 60 Mbps from the low-earth-orbit OneWeb satellite constellation.

For flights that remain in the contiguous U.S. and parts of Canada and Alaska, Gogo’s Avance L3 Max air-to-ground connectivity system comes standard, and Avance L5 is an option.

Power and Performance

Upgraded 4,218-pound-thrust PW545D engines provide more thrust and boost range by about 100 nm compared to previous models. The new engine has longer hot-section inspection and time between overhaul intervals, at 3,000 and 6,000 hours, respectively. However, to use those longer times, the optional Pratt & Whitney Canada flight data, acquisition, storage, and transmission system must be installed, and the customer has to enroll in an engine program and Camp Systems maintenance tracking.

New for the Ascend is the upgraded Honeywell RE100 (XL) APU that can be left unattended while running.

A typical IFR range with four passengers is 1,940 nm at high-speed cruise. Maximum cruise speed is 441 knots, and full-fuel payload is 900 pounds. At its maximum altitude of FL450, the Ascend has a cabin altitude of 6,800 feet.

With a mtow takeoff field length of 3,800 feet, the Ascend can climb to FL410 in 20 minutes or FL430 in 26 minutes.

High-speed cruise tops out at 437 knots in standard conditions at FL330 at lighter weights, with a 1,600 pph fuel burn. At FL410, high-speed cruise with a mid-weight load is 420 knots and burning 1,234 pph.

At a more efficient long-range cruise power setting, the Ascend cruises at 391 knots at FL430 and burns 1,042 pph.

At maximum landing weight and sea level, landing distance is 3,180 feet.

Back in the Cockpit

The Garmin upgrade for the Excel through XLS Gen2 transforms previous models into a thoroughly modern airplane, albeit with some necessary legacy buttons and switches. Textron Aviation took great advantage of the opportunity to bring the Ascend into a higher level of comfort and convenience, almost as though there were plans to make this Part 25 airplane into a single-pilot machine (which obviously isn’t the case). The G5000 suite with well-integrated systems is near the pinnacle of flight deck design, and perhaps won’t be exceeded until a possible future switch to the fully touchscreen-capable G5000 Prime, not that anyone at Textron Aviation told me this is coming.

In any case, the Ascend cockpit is roomy and ergonomically welcoming, a good example of design that enhances safety by freeing up the pilots’ attention for important matters.

With Textron Aviation senior pilot Wade Williams in the right seat and senior pilot Bill Hoyer in the cabin, the G5000’s weight and balance showed Ascend N502XL carrying 3,960 pounds of fuel with a takeoff weight of 17,775 pounds, 2,725 pounds less than the 20,500-pound mtow. Fuel capacity is 6,740 pounds.

The weather was, unfortunately, perfect for our flight with clear skies and wind straight down the runway, so I didn’t get to fly in challenging conditions, although demo flights in good weather are probably much safer.

The first step to bring the Ascend to life is switching on the battery, then starting the APU. All the avionics come on automatically, and the optional Honeywell Laseref VI ring-laser-gyro inertial reference system starts its alignment process, which takes a few minutes. The Laseref replaces Garmin’s GRS 7800 attitude heading reference system and helps the Ascend stay on track in case of GNSS jamming activity.

A new feature for the Ascend is a warning if the fuel crossfeed is left on too long; if too much fuel—60 pounds—is sent to the other wing, the system will alert the pilot.

The Ascend comes with Garmin’s GDL 60 ground-based communication system as standard. When connected via cellular LTE, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth, the Ascend can automatically upload database updates and transfer flight data logs to assigned users, such as Textron Aviation’s LinxUs maintenance system.

Williams uploaded our flight plan from his iPad using ForeFlight into the G5000 FMS. After reviewing it, all we had to do was push the activate button. The plan was relatively simple: climb west toward Dodge City and then back to Wichita.

We reviewed the active performance numbers to make sure they reflected speed restrictions in the Wichita airspace. The Ascend’s autothrottles will help make sure we stay on the scheduled speed constraints, which are adjustable.

After checking the takeoff field length requirement, which was 3,195 feet, Williams ran the systems checks, including the new runway overrun awareness and alerting system. He then selected his crew profile in the G5000 system. The number of options in the profile settings continues to expand and includes, if desired, settings for each phase of flight.

During our pre-takeoff briefing, Williams reminded me that even with the elevator trim set perfectly, just like the XLS, the Ascend requires a hefty pull on the yoke during rotation.

Starting the fadec PW545D engines is dead simple: just push the start button, then move the throttles forward to the idle position once the fan starts turning. With both engines running, I switched one then the other generator off to make sure they could each handle the load.

After I released the parking brake and with flaps 2 set, the V speeds populated on the PFD, with V1 at 94, VR at 101, and V2 at 113 knots.

The Garmin 3D exocentric taxiway routing view popped up on the PFD. After Williams called ground, he plugged in the route to Runway 19L, and I could see the highlighted taxi path depicted clearly on the display. Eisenhower Airport (KICT) is not terribly complex, but at larger airports, taxiway routing is extremely helpful.

For the first takeoff, I elected to use the autothrottles. In the Ascend, these don’t engage until 400 feet.

As Williams had warned, after the Pratts accelerated the Ascend quickly to rotation speed, I pulled and then had to pull some more before the jet broke ground. Once airborne, with gear and flaps up, the autothrottles engaged and kept the Ascend below 200 knots. I kept my hands on the controls to get a better feel for the airplane until we climbed into the high teens, then switched on the autopilot and climbed to FL360 for a performance check.

It took 16:30 for our relatively direct climb to FL360. We hung out for about 15 minutes, clocking Mach 0.746 and 430 ktas, while burning 690 pph per side, with temperature at ISA+2 degrees C. Cabin altitude was 4,400 feet with a 9.2 psi pressure ratio.

We tried to look for some thunderstorms to display with the GWX 8000 StormOptix radar, and saw some at the limits of the radar’s reach, but clear skies covered most of the western U.S.

I wanted to get a feel for the Ascend’s handling, so we descended to 14,000 to 15,000 feet for some steep turns and slow flight practice, trying out the speedbrakes on the way down. There is no speed limitation for speedbrake use.

The steep turns revealed solid, stable handling, and I was able to maintain a steady altitude, although that may be due more to the helpful flight path vector on the PFD than my skills.

I pulled the power back and trimmed nose up, then slowed to about 140 knots, then with landing gear extended and full flaps, to about 120 knots. The Ascend handles well at low speeds, without some of the heavier feel that I’ve experienced when flying larger Citations, and the practice gave me confidence for the upcoming landings.

The first order of business was a coupled go-around, which the Ascend does without anyone needing to touch any controls other than the go-around button, then landing gear and flaps. We vectored around north of KICT with autothrottles engaged, then joined the ILS to 19L, watching closely as the autopilot flew a perfect approach. At minimums, I pushed the go-around button, and the autothrottles smoothly ramped up the power, and the autopilot checked our descent and raised the nose for the climb away from the runway.

For my first landing, I elected to keep the autothrottles engaged. Level at 3,000 feet, I turned left onto the downwind leg and followed Williams’ suggestions for when to add flaps and lower the landing gear. The visual approach looked perfect as we rounded base to final, and the autothrottles remained engaged right until touchdown. I lifted the nose a little too soon and floated a little bit, but held the airplane steady until it settled smoothly onto the runway. A touch of reverse thrust and brakes slowed us down—I didn’t want to use maximum braking—and we turned off about two-thirds of the way along the runway.

For my final takeoff, I wanted to go fully analog with no autothrottle, and hopefully, with a proper rotation. Williams suggested raising the nose to 10 degrees and being ready to pull the power back fairly quickly to level off at pattern altitude.

I pushed the throttles all the way forward, and the lighter Ascend gained speed quickly. When Williams called out “rotate,” I gave the yoke a hefty yet smooth pull, and we left the ground right on schedule. With the attitude at 10 degrees and speed rapidly increasing, I reduced power and leveled off below 3,000 feet.

Without the autothrottles managing power this time, I got a little low and slow on the base leg, but I could feel it happening and started adding power just as Williams was pointing out the low energy state. The Ascend quickly returned to the proper glidepath, and unlike the first landing, I did a better job holding the nose in the right attitude as we crossed the threshold, and after I pulled the power all the way back, the Ascend gently touched down right on the centerline.

It was a great way to end a flight that bracketed my previous experience in the G5000-upgraded XLS, illustrating how Textron Aviation is not holding still on improving all of its products.