The Cessna Citation Family- Part 1
The CitationJet CJ4 entered service in 2010.
Almost half of all private jets on the market today come from one company, Textron Aviation, and its popular Cessna Citation brand. Well over 7,000 Citations have been delivered since their debut on the market in September, 1971. No other business jet family offers solutions in every category ranging from the smallest Very Light Jets, all the way up to the manufacturer’s recent foray into larger cabin options.
Since 2014 Cessna is no longer a separate company, but a brand of Textron, a U.S. technology firm. Other Textron aviation subsidiaries include Bell Helicopter and Beechcraft, while also supporting the Hawker line of jets.
The Cessna Citation Light Jet Lineup
Cessna Citation I, the original Citation.
Cessna Citation Encore, which began flying in 2000.
The advent of the Citation light jet helped to usher in a new era for time sensitive travelers beginning in the 1970s. Many firms located in communities with limited or even no commercial airline service could now conduct business more freely, visiting several suppliers in a single day, opening up new markets, and supporting their overall growth.
The light jet by nature is not overly luxurious. These aircraft are practical, designed as productivity tools for businesses, and also a more cost-effective means for leisure travelers who want to experience private air travel up to 3 hours at a time. As a testament to their success, the Citation line has grown and flourished since the first Citation first appeared on the scene.
Citation I/ II/ Bravo/ Ultra/ Encore
The first Cessna Citation business jet was the Citation I, or Cessna model 500. Development began in the late 1960s on a light twin-engine jet capable of operating from smaller airports. With seating for 5 passengers the Citation I is a nimble little aircraft capable of cruising at over 400 miles per hour at altitudes up to 41,000 feet.
The Citation I was later stretched and evolved into the Citation II/ Bravo, with seating for up to 8. With range improvements the aircraft then evolved into the Citation V/ Ultra and finally the Citation Encore. The latter also introduced a slightly taller cabin of 4.8 feet. The Bravo, Ultra, and Encore can be hard to tell apart from the outside but have various refinements to provide more cabin comfort, range, and newer cockpit technologies inside. They all have a V-shaped tail design in common.
The Citation M2 is currently the line’s entry level jet and has been flying since 2013.
CJ4 interior.
Citation Jet/ CJ Line
In the early 1990s, Cessna’s light jet lineup was re-imagined and newer variants carry the Citation Jet (“CJ” for short) name. Each CJ is distinguishable by its T-tail design, compared to the V-tail design of the earlier models. These aircraft feature several advances over their predecessors and are designated CJ1, CJ2, CJ3, and CJ4 depending on their cabin length and passenger capacity.
The 1990s and early 2000s also saw Cessna shrink the Citation light jets to produce two very light jet models; the CJ1 and the Mustang.
The Citation Mustang was produced from 2006 to 2017. With seating for 4-5 passengers the aircraft is limited to roughly 800 miles at full passenger capacity.
The slightly larger CJ1, meanwhile, gave way to the Citation M2 currently in production.
The largest of the Citation light jets currently in production, the CJ4, can travel over 1,900 miles and seat 7 passengers.
In Part 2 of our exploration of the Citation family we’ll take a look at the mid and super-midsize line of business jets including the Citation III, Excel, X, Sovereign, Latitude and new Longitude.