Today, the Cessna Citation Mustang is one of the most famous private jets on the market today. For the most part, this is due to its use in popular media – when a private jet is used, it’s often a Citation Mustang, but it’s also due to how well it sold…
Between 2006 and 2017, Cessna produced a total of 479 Citation Mustangs, making the Mustang the single bestselling very light business jet to have ever been produced, having sold more times than the Phenom 100, which is in second place!
Pre-Cessna Citation Mustang
Over the course of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, airlines began to raise prices on its highest-demand business and vacation routes for its business and first class customers (especially the latter).
Whilst not on all routes, on many of these routes the cost of chartering a private jet was only a few hundred dollars more expensive than flying on a private jet for one person. For several, chartering a private jet was often cheaper!
Noticing this, many corporate and private flyers began to acquire or charter business jets for this purpose. To start with, these private and corporate flyers began placing orders for brand-new private jets, resulting most jets having several year-long waiting lists.
Instead of waiting multiple years to receive their new jet, many of these buyers turned to the secondary market, buying used business jets which they could begin operating as soon as they’d paid for them.
In fact, some 1960’s-era private jets were even pulled out of storage, selling for perhaps more than they were actually worth. However, pulling old business jets out of storage did little to quell this sudden spike in demand for private jets.
There were still hundreds of thousands of people with the means to buy a business jet who simply couldn’t get either a brand new or a used one.
Whilst every business jet was in high demand, light business jets and jets that were smaller than light business jets, but larger than turboprop business aircraft like the King Air series or the PC-12, were in the highest demand.
Development
Seeing this, Cessna set out to design a brand-new member of its famed Cessna Citation family that was far smaller than the family’s previously smallest aircraft, the Cessna Citation CJ1.
Cessna would begin designing the jet in secret, before revealing it to the public at the 2002 NBAA convention, as the Cessna Citation Mustang, alongside the Cessna Citation CJ3 (Model 525B), where both jets would receive significant media attention.
Whilst the CJ3 was already completed, only needing to be given its type certification, the Citation Mustang was merely a mockup. Here, Cessna announced that the jet should be built by mid-2005 and certified for its entry into service in early 2006, both targets it would meet.
After entering service in 2006, Cessna would look at developing an updated version of the Citation Mustang in 2010. This version, known as High Sierra, was given enhanced avionics, and all-new cabin interior and synthetic vision systems in the cockpit.
In 2013, Cessna would introduce a significantly updated version of the Citation CJ1, which Cessna called the Cessna Citation M2. Incorporating much of the Cessna Citation Mustang’s design features, whilst also being cheaper, the jet was both cheaper and superior to the Mustang.
Not surprisingly, the Citation M2 began to steal sales away from the Citation Mustang, which influenced Cessna to announce that it would cease production of the jet in 2017, delivering the final Citation Mustang a few months later.
Operational History
Following the Cessna Citation Mustang’s first flight on April 23 2005, it would be certified by most of the world’s major aviation regulators, and entered into service early the following year.
From here, the Citation Mustang would go on to have one of the most intriguing operational histories of any private jet yet…
Private Jet
Among the Citation Mustang’s first operators were private individuals, who operated the jet as their own personal jet. Often, these people were high net worth individuals, who often fly regularly on short-haul routes rather last-minute.
For the most part, these private operators were looking for a mixture of frugality, practicality and luxury in their private jet, which many of them found in the Cessna Citation Mustang.
As of the time of writing, the overwhelming majority of the Citation Mustang’s private operators are located in the United States, where the jet is often used to travel up and down the East Coast (eg. New York to Miami) or partially transcontinental (eg. New York to Chicago).
In recent years, the Citation Mustang’s low operating costs have become quite popular with celebrities of middling fame.
Here, these celebrities charter a flight on the Citation Mustang and have it leaked to the press with the hopes of garnering media attention (and thus more fame) from it. This worked to varying degrees in recent years.
Sadly, most of the Citation Mustang’s original private operators have been operating the aircraft for well over a decade. Due to this, many have since sold the Mustang on in favor of a newer and slightly larger light jet like the Phenom 300.
Corporate Jet
Yet, the majority of the Cessna Citation Mustang’s initial operators weren’t private individuals, but rather corporations, who often used the jet to transport four or five C-Suite executives or other high-ranking employees over short-haul distances.
Here, the Citation Mustang operates in one of two different roles, often depending on the type of company that owns and operates the Citation Mustang.
For many smaller corporations (although everything’s relative), the Citation Mustang is the company’s sole jet. In this capacity, the jet is used to transport the company’s high-ranking employees and executives over short-haul distances, whilst on official business.
Occasionally, the jet may also serve as the owner/C-Suite executives’ private jet, however, this is at their own expense, rather than the company’s (unless the trip is also business-related too, such as attending a trade expose and having a vacation with the family afterwards).
In its other capacity, the Citation Mustang serves as the company’s short-haul jet. Here, it serves all short-haul routes (under 1,300 miles) whilst another, larger jet conducts all long-haul, often international flights.
As with private buyers, many of the Citation Mustang’s original operators have also begun to get rid of the Citation Mustang in favor of larger light jets, such as the aforementioned Phenom 100, Hawker 800 and Learjet 70.
Charter
Seeing the Cessna Citation Mustang’s rare success as both a private and corporate jet, most major North American and European executive charter airlines began to acquire at least a few Citation Mustangs.
For the most part, these executive charter companies offer the Citation Mustang as a step up from VIP-configured turboprops, such as the Beechcraft King Air, Pilatus PC-12 and Diamond Twin Star.
Often, these are on routes that need to carry the same amount of people as a turboprop, however over distances that turboprops can’t fly on, or routes that turboprops legally can’t fly on (usually over large bodies of water).
Alternatively, these executive charter airlines offer the Citation Mustang as one of their lower cost options for those flying private for the first time, or those who are flying private on a “budget” (everything’s relative).
In recent years, chartering a private jet like the Citation Mustang has also become quite popular for celebrities, whose manager can charter it without needing to worry about the paparazzi at the other end.
Although it will depend on things such as the executive charter airline you fly with, the route and time of year (among other factors), it would likely cost you around $2,500 per hour to charter a Cessna Citation Mustang if you were so inclined.
Fractional Ownership
Yet, it hasn’t just been executive charter airlines that have acquired the Citation Mustang. Indeed, whilst not as common as other very light and light business jets, many fractional ownership companies have acquired the jet too.
For most of these fractional ownership companies, they have often bought brand new Citation Mustangs straight from Cessna, or have acquired them on the secondary market with the intention of selling fractions of them to high net worth individuals.
Here, these high net worth individuals purchase a share of the jet, which allows them to fly a certain number of hours on the jet per year, whilst having to pay for the flights direct costs (such as fuel and maintenance).
Currently, the cost to acquire a share in a Citation Mustang will differ greatly, mostly depending on how big the fraction is. After all, a 1/3 share is larger than a 1/8 share and should (in theory) be more expensive.
Whilst it differs from company to company, the current going rate for a 1/3 share of a 2010-2017 Citation Mustang is around $750,000 to $800,000, whilst a 1/8 share currently sells for between $250,000 and $275,000.
To pay for things like dead leg flights, pilot wages and airport fees, fractional ownership companies do charge a monthly/annual fee. Although it differs from company to company, the monthly fee is usually between $15,000 and $25,000 per month.
Features
Today, the Citation Mustang is classified as a very light business jet, essentially the smallest kind of private jet there is. Naturally, the Citation Mustang is among the smallest private jets to have ever been built.
Despite this, even among other very light business jets, the Citation Mustang is still extremely small, being far shorter in terms of height and length than almost every other jet in its class.
With that being said, it is one of the widest jets in its class, with only the Citation M2 being wider.
In terms of speed, the Cessna Citation Mustang is slightly slower than other very light jets on regularly length journeys. On longer length journeys, however, the Citation Mustang actually travels faster than its competitors do!
In terms of range, the Citation Mustang is also much weaker than its competition. Compared to the average jet in its industry, the Citation Mustang has a 10% shorter range, although this is often negligible on the kind of routes that very light jets often fly on.
However, this lack of speed and range does have an up side: runway length. As the Citation Mustang’s engines are less powerful, they need less time to slow down, thus allowing the Citation Mustang to land on runways that not even other very light jets can!
Instead of trying to be the best jet in its class, Cessna have tried to make the Citation Mustang appealing in another way: price. Even today, the Citation Mustang is quite cheap, both in terms of cost to acquire and cost to operate…
Price
Prior to ceasing production in 2017, the Cessna Citation Mustang was among the cheapest private jets to acquire brand-new, having a price tag of only $2.76 million. This made it one of the cheapest private jets to have ever been built!
Since ceasing production, however, the only way for you to acquire a Citation Mustang would be to get one on the secondary market. Luckily, there are several available assuming you wanted to purchase one!
On the low end, it can cost as little as $900,000 for a 2006-2010 Citation Mustang. However, these jets often have very little time until their engines need an overhaul, which can be quite expensive (as much as $100,000 per engine in some cases!)
On the higher end, it can cost between $1.5 and $2.2 million for a 2010-2017 Citation Mustang, mostly depending on age, the number of landings and the number of hours on the engines (among other things).
In terms of cost to operate, the Cessna Citation Mustang is similarly quite cheap. Although it depends on how many hours you operate the jet for per year, it generally costs between $1,000 and $1,300 per hour to operate the Citation Mustang!
Despite having released several newer members of the Cessna Citation family since releasing the Citation Mustang, the Citation Mustang is still the cheapest private jet that Cessna has ever produced in terms of both acquisition costs and cost to operate…
Specifications
| Specifications | Cessna Citation Mustang |
|---|---|
| Length | 40 ft 7 in (12.37 m) |
| Wingspan | 43 ft 2 in (13.16 m) |
| Height | 13 ft 5 in (4.09 m) |
| Crew | 1 – 2 |
| Passengers | 4 – 5 |
| Cruise Speed | 630 km/h (390 mph; 340 kn) |
| Range | 2,161 km (1,343 mi; 1,167 nmi) |
| Service Ceiling | 41,000 ft (12,500 m) |
| MTOW | 8,645 lb (3,930 kg) |
How Safe is The Cessna Citation Mustang?
When we look at the safest and most dangerous aircraft currently in our skies, our minds generally tend to focus on commercial airliners like the A320 and 747. Private jets like the Cessna Citation Mustang, however, are often left off these lists…
Oftentimes, this is for done for good reason. After all, of the millions of flights each year, only a small percentage of them are done by private jets, with only a tiny percentage of the world’s population ever flying on a private jet in their lifetime.
Yet, for those looking to fly on the Cessna Citation Mustang, you are probably wondering how safe (or dangerous) the Citation Mustang truly is.
Fortunately, the Citation Mustang is actually quite safe. Of the 479 Citation Mustangs Cessna have built, only six have ever been involved in an aviation-related incident to date, with only three being hull-losses (where the aircraft is damaged beyond repair).
Of these three hull losses, only two have been fatal, resulting in a total of four fatalities.
Despite having so few fatalities, the Citation Mustang made the news in October 2017, when one owned by an air charter company crashed in Germany, killing all three people on board, including the air charter company’s CEO.
For the most part, these accidents were nothing to do with the aircraft itself. Instead, it was more to do with the aircraft being in the wrong place at the wrong time, suffering from weather-related issues that no one could’ve predicted.
What’s it Like to Fly on The Cessna Citation Mustang?
Over the course of writing this article, I was fortunate enough to fly on several different Cessna Citation Mustangs on various journeys. Prior to writing about this jet, I’d only ever seen it, not flown on it.
For the most part, I actually liked the jet, and understand why so many corporate and private operators love the jet so much!
For instance, whilst a small jet, the cabin had obviously been designed to seem much larger than it actually was. On top of this, the cabin was laid out to make it that you could work during the flight, or just relax, thus appealing to both corporate and private buyers.
Despite many of the jets having been made well over a decade ago, Cessna ensured that the cabin could be updated to suit future technology. This allows you to control certain aspects of the cabin from an app on your phone, similar to the system on the PC-24!
From a pilot’s point of view, whilst not necessarily as modern as the Citation M2’s cockpit, the Citation Mustang’s cockpit is all-glass, which allows it to be flown by both one and two pilots, thus allowing you to carrying an extra person in the copilot’s seat.
With that all being said, I hated the bathroom on the Cessna Citation Mustang. Primarily, because there wasn’t one. Although the jet did have a toilet, it is designed for those “emergency” situations, rather than to be used as and when you need it.
Due to it being an “emergency” toilet, it wasn’t located at the rear of the aircraft as with other private jets, but rather, just behind the cockpit. For privacy, there is only a removable curtain, which was the only thing I really hated about the jet.
What do you think of the Cessna Citation Mustang? Have you ever flown on it? Tell me in the comments!
Featured image courtesy of Markus Eigenheer via Flickr.