Scheduling a Cessna Citation CJ3 initial or recurrent training has improved. LOFT in Carlsbad, CA, one mile from Palomar airport (KCRQ), has added another full-motion simulator to its expanding capability. In addition to its two Cessna Citation CJ1, Citation Ultra, and Citation 560XL simulators, the new CJ3 offering helps fill gaps and provide a more robust training selection for LOFT’s customers.
Building the Simulator: Authenticity from the Ground Up
The LOFT CJ3 simulator is not an approximation of the aircraft — it is the flight deck. Built around the actual cockpit of a real Citation CJ3, every switch, knob, avionics screen, and system is present and functional. The only thing missing is the airframe around it. One of the CJ3s I flew and managed for years was close in serial number range to the aircraft used in the simulator’s development, which allowed me to contribute in-flight data and first-hand operational experience to support the project. LOFT also instrumented a Cessna Citation CJ3 to capture detailed flight data across numerous test flights, ensuring the simulator’s aerodynamic model faithfully represents the real aircraft.
These complex simulators are far from off-the-shelf products. Every training device LOFT builds is meticulously designed to exactly emulate a specific aircraft. Each light, annunciator test sequence, and control force must match the actual aircraft. Using the authentic flight deck means pilots experience the correct tactile feel of every knob and switch from the moment they sit down. As a practical bonus, the sim offers noticeably more legroom than the actual aircraft — a small but welcome comfort during long training sessions.
Visuals are provided by RSI Visual Systems, the same high-resolution platform integrated into LOFT’s Citation 560XL simulator. The FAA certification process for a new simulator is rigorous and thorough. LOFT’s development team — encompassing technical writers, simulator technicians, instructors, graphic designers, and others — collaborated over nearly two and a half years to bring this simulator and the training program from concept to approval. As part of that certification, FAA evaluators conducted multiple test flights in the simulator and used sophisticated audio measurement equipment to verify that sound levels for virtually every noise source in the sim matched the actual cockpit.
The Training Program
LOFT’s CJ3 training curriculum was built upon the foundation of its highly regarded CJ1 program, inheriting the proven structure while incorporating improvements that have since been folded back into its other courses. The initial program runs ten days and includes 48 hours of ground school along with 10 hours of simulator time — eight hours of training and two hours for the check ride. Recurrent training is structured as a three-day program and is available for both 61.58 and Part 135 requirements. All courseware was developed in-house at LOFT, ensuring a consistent, high-quality experience from ground school through final evaluation.
The training curriculum is scenario-based and was developed with a particular focus on challenging, real-world airport environments. Pilots can expect to fly approaches into destinations including KJFK, Aspen (KASE), Denver (KDEN), Eagle County (KEGE), and San Francisco (KSFO) — airports that collectively demand precision, situational awareness, and proficiency with the CJ3’s systems under realistic conditions.
LOFT’s training manuals reflect the same commitment to quality. Rather than relying solely on manufacturer documentation, their technical team researched every system independently, resolved inconsistencies across multiple sources, and produced pilot-friendly materials that clearly explain CJ3 systems architecture.
The LOFT CJ3 simulator features Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics, and to accommodate Garmin G3000 avionics in the CJ3+, they offer a differences course. Operators of the CJ1+, CJ2+, and CJ4 will find the CJ3 training architecture familiar, as the program was deliberately modeled to align with the broader CJ family.
One standout development during the program build was the creation of a suite of electronic flight bag applications, including an innovative weight and balance app. Having used many weight and balance tools over the years, I can say without hesitation that this is the finest training tool of its kind I have encountered. It is intuitive, accurate, and genuinely useful both in the classroom and in the cockpit.
Instructors
The quality of any simulator program ultimately depends on the people delivering it. LOFT’s CJ3 instructor cadre brings a combination of deep type-specific experience and current, real-world flying. Many of their instructors continue to fly professionally, which keeps their instruction grounded in the practical realities pilots face flying these aircraft.
Flying the Simulator
While I conduct turbine instruction in actual aircraft, nothing compares to the efficiency and the ability to fully explore the aircraft envelope that a full-motion simulator provides. My son Tigre and I recently spent time in the LOFT CJ3 simulator evaluating the new platform, and I came away genuinely impressed.
Much of the simulator training is conducted under simulated night conditions, which is where the RSI visual system truly proves its worth. Circling approaches at night are one of the most demanding tests of a visual system’s accuracy, and the CJ3 sim handles them exceptionally well. Flying the RNAV approach to Runway 4R circling to Runway 31R at KJFK, for example, requires precise visual reference management from minimums all the way to touchdown. Reaching MDA, executing a slight turn to parallel RWY 4R, acquiring the lead-in lights, and completing the circle to land — the sim’s visuals tracked every element accurately, even when flying just below the cloud layer. The runway environment was crisp and usable with enough time to configure the aircraft for landing.
Daytime VFR operations proved equally convincing. Flying departure and arrival profiles around complex terrain — including mountain airports in the curriculum — the RSI system rendered ground texture, terrain relief, and environmental lighting in a way that supports genuine situational awareness rather than simply providing a visual backdrop. The control feel throughout matched my experience with the actual aircraft well, and the motion platform conveyed acceleration, buffet, and turbulence in a manner consistent with what you would experience in the airplane.
Summary
After nearly two and a half years of development, LOFT Aero has delivered a CJ3 training program that is thorough, well-crafted, and operationally relevant. For operators and pilots seeking initial type ratings, 61.58 recurrent training, or Part 135 recurrency, LOFT’s new CJ3 program deserves serious consideration.
The combination of a meticulously built simulator, a rigorously developed curriculum, experienced instructors who are actively flying, and a location convenient to the western United States makes this a standout offering in the Citation training landscape. Whether you are transitioning into the CJ3 for the first time or working to maintain currency in an aircraft you know well, LOFT Aero has built a program worth your time.
