Sorens Aero
Sierra Industries designs new airstairs for out-of-production Citation jets2015-09-23
US engineering company Sierra Industries is seeking supplemental type certification for its new airstairs, designed for Cessna's out-of-production light Citation business jets.

SkyStep will be offered as an alternative to the standard stairs – designed and supplied by Cessna – and can be retrofitted at a cost of $15,000 at Sierra’s facilities in Uvalde, and San Antonio, Texas.

"We are simply reacting to customer demand," says Sierra's manager of creative marketing, Jim Gerrish. "Many owners of these older light jets have been asking for longer and more solid air stairs for some time. So we've designed them."

SkyStep has significant improvements in functionality and appearance over the original, Sierra says.

The aluminium structure has three “evenly spaced” enclosed steps – compared with the Cessna’s two-step, open-tread design. The first rung is positioned close to the ground, to ease passenger comfort and safety, it adds.

Other features include pneumatic cylinders, which “softly” deploy the door and prevent damage to the sill and toes, and an inertia reel cable with T-handle. This is designed to make the step easy to retract from inside the cabin, says Sierra.

The SkyStep is targeted at owners and operators of the approximately 2,500 twin-engined Citation V, Ultra, Encore, CJ1, CJ2 and CJ3 business jets globally. Certification is scheduled for later this year, says Gerrish.

BY: Kate Sarsfield

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