Part II
When Dr. Sayre acquired his CJ1 in 2018, he was already in touch with Tamarack Aerospace to discuss both his vision for the jet and the human factors benefits of Active Winglets. His new aircraft was transformed in October of the same year, providing Dr. Sayre the option to navigate both mild and critical situations with additional ease. “For instance, if you’ve lost an engine and the closest airport is at 3,500-foot strip, without [Active Winglets] you just don’t really feel that comfortable landing there,” he explains. “I can fly down at 85 knots, which is 8 to 10 knots slower than usual, and my plane is under control in 1,500 feet.” He points out that in the case of an emergency on a regular, flatwing aircraft, the pilot would have to make the same crucial and lifesaving decision without that extra margin of safety guaranteed by Active Winglets.
Dr. Sayre also explains that with Active Winglets, situations like engine failure are more likely to be resolved safely as the aircraft can easily maintain climb; with six feet more wing than a standard CJ, the extra lift carries the aircraft over trees, buildings, or mountains. Looking through a human factor lens, stress is better managed and safety margins are increased during emergencies when difficult decisions are already made for the pilot.
Even during a typical flight, Active Winglets bring that extra sense of security for Dr. Sayre, as he is able to significantly increase his climb and avoid disruptions. “I can do much better than the normal CJ in some of those situations, and instead of getting diverted by the ATC, I was recently doing 2,500 feet per minute!” he shares, “You make ATC and yourself much happier.”
One of the more obvious ways that Active Winglets decrease stress happens during cruise, when turbulence can occur. As one of the most uncomfortable and stressful parts of flight (especially for passengers), Dr. Sayre explains the convenience of eliminating turbulence for maximum comfort. “At altitude, all the way at 41,000 feet, I can turn off autopilot and still hand-fly the plane. Any time there is turbulence, the winglets just soften everything.”
He explains that flatwings are stiff, so pilots and passengers are often bumped around during turbulence. “With [Active Winglets], it’s more like a flexing bird – and you can watch it. You can look out the window and see it.” When there is a G-force on his aircraft, Dr. Sayre actually enjoys experiencing turbulent areas without any stress.
One of the most valuable aspects of Dr. Sayre’s specialization lies in his impressive flying portfolio. Having flown over 50 years, including his membership on the Lima Lima flight team, he has experienced incredibly stressful situations in air. Now, he prefers to be assured on every flight possible, from safety margins to fuel reserve – and one of the most well-known benefits of Active Winglets is unprecedented fuel efficiency. Having extra fuel reserved for emergency situations or go-arounds greatly eliminates stress on a pilot, allowing them to enjoy their entire flight without a worry.
Looking back at lessons learned during his flight team years, Dr. Sayre shares the challenge of flying unprepared with a limited amount of fuel. “I’ve been put on the wrong side of that many times. You end up sitting there, wondering how and why you got in that position.” The sheer amount of stress in situations like this can negatively affect a pilot’s decision making and response time. Fortunately for Dr. Sayre, he can now guarantee at least 30 minutes of fuel reserve left in his back pocket after every flight, as he has never preferred to cut it close with fuel. “That’s how I choose to fly. If you’re the kind of person that never pushes your plane to begin with, now anything that the book says is all a given.”
Dr. Sayre explains that working within the parameters of the Citation handbook is extremely easy with Active Winglets, so pilots are able to create decisions that allow them to better use the technology. For instance, pilots can now plan for an extremely short climb time, flying around a thunderstorm with fuel to spare, or getting out of emergency situations quickly. Active Winglets give pilots the freedom and confidence to make decisions easily, both grounded and in-air.
At the end of any mission, the most important factor is pilot and passenger safety. For us, our customer’s expertise means everything. Thoughtful pilots like Dr. Scott Sayre are the very essence of what it means to improve the reality of flight. While our incredible fleet enjoys the skies with ultimate comfort, we can rest assured that our technology provides the smoothest, safest possible flight for our customers.
