The Citation Family- Part 2
Longitude, the latest Citation entered service at the end of 2018.
In Part 2 of our feature on the Citation business jet family we explore their mid and super-midsize offering including the Citation III, Excel, X, Sovereign, Latitude and new large cabin Longitude.
The Citation Midsize Jet Lineup
Citation III/ VI/ VII
Citation VII mid-size jet. The original Citation III marked Cessna’s first departure from light jets.
The Citation III/VII line was a major departure from first generation Citation light jets. Produced from 1983 to 1992, the Citation III was Cessna’s first step into the midsize jet category. With seating 6-8 passengers and a taller cabin, the Citation III was built to fly over 2000 miles. Subsequent upgrades lead to the Citation VI and Citation VII, the latter featuring more powerful engines. Businesses could now fly their employees farther, get more done, and be back home to their families all in the same day.
Citation Excel and XLS
The Excel was developed in the mid 1990s as a replacement for the Citation VII. It was designed to fit in to the product line between Cessna’s light jets and its super-midsize Citation X. The Excel’s cabin interior is similar to that of the Citation VII however the Excel has a larger baggage compartment. First deliveries were made in 1998. The upgraded XLS and later the XLS+ were first delivered in 2004 and 2008 respectively.
Citation X+. Sleek. Designed for speed.
The Citation Super-Midsize Jet Lineup
Citation X
The Citation X (“Citation Ten”) challenged the status quo with a bold and innovative design. More than 2 decades after it was first launched it remains highly popular with those who need to travel coast to coast with an emphasis on speed. Capable of flying up to Mach .935 the Citation X remains the fastest business jet on the market. Its high speed capabilities enable some trans-continental trips to be cut by up to an hour over other jets in its class. Uniquely recognizable, the Citation X features a swept wing more common to ultra-long range jets, and large engines that appear out of proportion to other aspects of the airframe. The Citation X was produced between 1996 and 2018. Inside the aircraft cabin maintains many of the traits Cessna incorporated into its other midsize jets with more headroom and two sets of club-style seating. The Citation X+ has upgraded engines and flight deck, and standard addition of winglets. The aircraft’s range is roughly 3,700 miles.
The Sovereign+ is distinguishable from its predecessor by raked winglets that help improve performance.
Citation Sovereign
In 2002 Cessna delivered its first Sovereign, a stretched and highly upgraded version of its popular XLS+ aircraft. Retaining the basic cabin profile of the Excel series, the Sovereign features a longer fuselage with seating capacity for up to 12 people in a flexible design, although typically configured with 8-9 seats. With a range of over 3,600 miles, it is capable of flying coast to coast across North America.
Citation Longitude interior.
Citation Latitude and Longitude
The latest super-mid and large cabin entries in the Citation business jet lineup are the Latitude and Longitude.
Both feature a true stand-up cabin of over 6 feet in height and 6.4 feet wide. They offer continental and international range of 3,100 miles and 4,000 miles respectively. The Longitude can be configured for up to 12 passengers, however both aircraft typically seat 8-9 people. We’ll take a closer look at these aircraft in future articles.