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November 3, 2009
GreenTrak puts Citation operators on the right track for savings
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Pilots Brandy Hearting and Dan Grace calculate how to optimize their flight using GreenTrak. |
For pilots and operators, time is money and fuel is money. To help optimize each flight and to help reduce carbon emissions, Cessna has introduced GreenTrak, a flight planning software program to help save time, fuel and, ultimately, money for current production Cessna Citation operators.
Announced at the recent National Business Aviation Association show, GreenTrak uses a process known as cost indexing to minimize total trip cost by balancing the cost of direct operation, fuel burn and carbon emissions. This data enables Citation operators to make the best decisions on how best to fly. They can tailor their mission speeds for climb, cruise and descent, which results in the lowest total trip cost.
Several Citations that were on static display at the Orlando Executive Airport at NBAA flew there on GreenTrak-guided missions, and the flight planning software reduced its flying costs.
GreenTrak is a proprietary system – the first offered by a general aviation manufacturer.
“Finally, we have a simple, easy-to-use program to optimize the performance of a Citation, taking into account direct operating costs, to reduce emissions and lower fuel costs anywhere from 8 to 16 percent, depending on the specific aircraft and mission,” says Mark Paolucci, senior vice president, Customer Service.
In addition to being available for current production Citation operators, Cessna plans to releases GreenTrak as an upgrade option to its CESNAV program in 2010 for all current production Citations.
GreenTrak is part of a larger effort by Cessna and the general aviation industry to develop ways to reduce the carbon footprint of its airplanes. “Cessna and other OEMs will continue to work with engine suppliers to develop more efficient engines, and we will continue to develop more aerodynamic airframes, but GreenTrak is an immediate solution for lowering operating costs and emissions,” Paolucci says.
GreenTrak, Paolucci says, is another way to help enhance a customer’s Citation aircraft as a business productivity tool. “We know our customers are counting on their aircraft to help them grow their business – to help the global economy rebound – and GreenTrak will support them across the operational spectrum.”
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