A Cessna Citation CJ3 retrofitted by Duncan Aviation with the Rockwell Collins Fusion avionics suite has finished its first round of test flights with “excellent results,” the aircraft and avionics maintenance company told AIN at LABACE 2016. The testbed aircraft, which started flight trials with the new avionics earlier this month from Duncan’s Lincoln, Nebraska facility, will receive a software update from Rockwell Collins next month before beginning a final round of testing.

“The system performed flawlessly on our one hour, 10 minute initial flight in the CJ3,” said Rockwell Collins principal flight test pilot Scott Simpson. “The test flight included three approaches with synthetic vision displayed for both pilots, graphically-entered flight plan updates and other avionics checkout procedures.”

The cockpit upgrade replaces Pro Line 21 portrait-oriented displays with three larger 14.1-inch touchscreen displays in landscape format. Included in the upgrade are ADS-B out, WAAS LPV and synthetic vision, and the touchscreens eliminate the need for traditional FMS control display units mounted in the pedestal. The synthetic vision includes Rockwell Collins’s airport dome, which highlights the destination airport and extended runway centerlines with mile markers.

STC certification of the CJ3 Pro Line Fusion upgrade is expected by early next year. Installations will be available at Duncan Aviation and Textron Aviation service centers. Last year, Rockwell Collins estimated the fly-away cost for the upgrade in the $315,000 to $325,000 range.

However, Duncan and Collins have teamed to offer a special “early adopter” price of $299,000 for the first 25 customers who place a deposit before November 4. In addition to the special price, those operators will receive free Pro Line 21 databases from the time of deposit until six months post-STC approval and a $5,000 labor credit from Duncan Aviation. At press time, the companies had received 15 deposits for the CJ3 Fusion upgrade package.