Cessna has celebrated the 20th anniversary of the maiden flight of its CitationJet prototype.
On April 29, 1991 test pilots Bob Leonard and Bob Carnahan took off from Wichita’s Mid-Continent Airport, reached an altitude of 10,000 feet and checked, amongst other performance data, the handling and trim characteristics and engine response of the very first CitationJet prototype.
Powered by two Williams-Rolls FJ44 advanced turbofan engines, the CitationJet was the first business jet to use a true natural laminar-flow wing. These features allowed for a roomier cabin, faster speeds and longer range than the original Citation 500 and its replacement, the Citation I. The acquisition and maintenance costs of the six-passenger, T-tailed CitationJet attracted many first-time Citation owners.
“The price and the performance of Williams International’s all-new FJ44 series advanced turbofan engines allowed Cessna engineers to create an entirely new generation of light business jets with the CitationJet,” Cessna Chairman, President and CEO Jack Pelton said.
“The CitationJet was a success from the moment it was announced at NBAA in 1989 and was instrumental in Cessna today boasting 6100 Citations, the largest fleet of business jets in the world.
“Many of the concepts that made the CitationJet an impressive breakthrough influenced the development of future Citations, such as the Citation X and Citation Excel.”
The CitationJet prototype was eventually joined by other pre-production aircraft for the certification program. FAA certification was achieved in 1992 and deliveries began a year later.
Today, the extended Cessna CitationJet (shortened to ‘CJ’) family includes the CJ1, CJ1+, CJ2 and current production versions the CJ2+, CJ3 and CJ4. Local Cessna rep Aeromil Pacific displayed the first CJ4 to arrive in Australia at the recent Avalon Airshow.
Cessna delivered 359 CitationJets, and today the global CJ series fleet has surpassed 1450 aircraft.
The Citation CJ4 enjoyed its official Australian launch at Avalon 2011. (John Absolon)
