Produced between 1978 and 2006, the Cessna Citation II is not only one of the longest-produced business jets, but also the most popular ever built. Indeed, nearly 1,200 were built in its 28 year long production run.
A favorite of corporations, high net worth individuals, militaries and even a few airlines, the Cessna Citation II thrust the Citation family into the limelight and turned Cessna into a giant of business aviation!
Background
Founded in 1927, Cessna had a long history of producing business aircraft even before the advent of modern business jets. Aircraft such as the Cessna 120, 140 and 190 had long been used by corporations as VIP transports.
But the mid-to-late 1960’s saw a marked shift in consumer tastes.
Starting in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, the military had begun demanding sub-10-seat transport aircraft to transport VIPs, important cargo or as twin-engine trainers, resulting in the creation of aircraft like the North American Sabreliner and Hawker Siddeley HS.125 (later the BAe 125).
Liking the idea of this, large corporations began ordering civilian variants of these aircraft to transport their executives and rainmakers around. There was only one problem: they were incredibly expensive to both acquire and operate.
Soon enough, cheaper (though still expensive) aircraft like the Learjet 23 and Aero Commander 1121 Jet Commander came on the market, and proved incredibly successful.
For Cessna, the success of cheaper jet-powered corporate aircraft was unsettling. For much of their history, they’d been the go-to company for cheaper corporate transports, but now, this position was threatened.
Not wanting to lose this, Cessna began investigating the possible development of a turboprop-powered corporate transport to sit in-between turboprop transports and business jets.
Sadly, Cessna was unable to find a concept that fit this vision and soon gave up on it to pursue development of a jet-powered business jet to rival the Learjet 23 and Jet Commander.
Originally named the “FanJet 500” with the internal company designation of Model 500, Cessna revealed this new jet to the world in October 1968.
Following the FanJet 500’s first flight in September 1969, the jet was modified extensively and entered service as the Cessna Citation I in 1971. Interestingly, it was named “Citation” after a prizewinning racehorse.
Development
As with other early corporate jets, the Citation I was extremely popular and nearly 700 were built in its 14-year production run (1971-1985).
However, Cessna noticed that many prospective customers turned away from the Citation I due to its lack of speed and room. Where comparable aircraft carried six or seven passengers and flew at Mach 0.8, the Citation only carried five and flew at a mere Mach 0.705!
Many taunted Cessna by nicknaming the Citation I the “Slowtation”.
To that end, and wanting to stay ahead of the competition’s latest variants, Cessna announced development of a stretched Citation I – to be known as the Citation II – in September 1976.
Thanks to its 3Â ft 9 in (114 cm) longer fuselage, the Cessna Citation II was able to accommodate between six and eight passengers comfortably (and a maximum of ten), an increased baggage hold and fuel tank for additional range.
The extension of the fuselage altered the aircraft’s aerodynamics resulting in the need for a longer wingspan and the addition of more powerful Pratt & Whitney JT15D-4 engines, allowed cruising speed to increase to Mach 0.721.
Whilst this did little to get rid of the “Slowtation” taunt, it allowed the Citation II to have a speedier development and certification.
The first flight of the Cessna Citation II took place on January 31 1977 and FAA certification was granted in March 1978. Deliveries of the first orders commenced the following month.
Operational History
Business Jet
The majority of these first orders were by both private and corporate operators, many of whom acquired the Citation II as their first ever owner-operated business aircraft.
Despite their subtle differences, both types of operators acquired the Cessna Citation II for the same reason: to move more freely and efficiently.
For private operators there were two main sub-types. The first were minor celebrities who hoped to raise their profile through the use and acquisition of a luxurious private jet, which worked to varying degrees.
The second, however, were high net worth individuals (HNWIs) who simply wanted to travel in style without having to worry about airline delays, screaming babies or being harassed at the airport.
For corporate operators, they all acquired the Citation II for the purpose of transporting their executives around the country/region more efficiently and in style (and perhaps to gain a bit of publicity too!)
Today, many Citation IIs remain in both corporate and private hands, with some even remaining in the possession (and use) of their first – and thus only – owner.
However, many are beginning to be replaced by more modern alternatives due to the increased operational costs of owning such an old aircraft, whilst “smaller” companies are happy to acquire a “discounted” business jet with these high operational costs.
Sadly, many private and corporate operators conceal their ownership of their business jets – both for personal and logistical reasons – through the use shell companies or bank trusts.
Those operators we do know that operate(d) the Cessna Citation II include: White Industries (now stored), the University of North Dakota (written off), car dealer Karl Klement, the Mouritzen family and Bridgeway Enterprises.
Charter
Having noticed just how popular the Cessna Citation II was with private and corporate flyers alike, a numbers of executive air charter operators have acquired the jet to capitalize on this excess demand.
Acquired to fill short-range needs, operators initially positioned the Citation II as the low-cost (but also low-speed) alternative to its more expensive competitors and played on the well-known Cessna brand.
As time has moved on, and new Citation family jets have been introduced, operators have changed their marketing strategy, instead relying on the Citation II’s long track record of getting the job done.
On the other hand, some have gone a more vintage route, hoping to entice flyers based on its legacy and the fact it is a direct predecessor of popular, but more modern Cessna aircraft.
Presently, charter operators of the Citation II include LuxAviation UK, Boston Air Charter and Gama Aviation among countless others.
Unfortunately, due to the Cessna Citation II’s advancing age – even the “newest” Citation IIs are well over 15 years old – many charter operators are phasing them out for newer jets.
Fractional Ownership
Interestingly, though fractional ownership is more common with larger jets, the Citation II has long been a part of fractional ownership programs, usually as the entry/regional flight option where shares typically range from 1/4 to 1/2.
Just as with their charter counterparts, larger operators – such as NetJets Europe – have begun to retire the Citation II in favor of newer jets due to its advancing age. After all, even the “newest” Citation IIs are well over 15 years old and outdated at best.
Smaller fractional ownership companies, however, continue to operate the Cessna Citation II as a part of their fractional ownership schemes. Many are even still selling shares in them!
Civil
Taking notice of the Cessna Citation II’s popularity as both a business jet and executive charter aircraft, as well as its low operating costs, regional airline startup Enterprise Airlines acquired two Citation IIs in the late 1980’s to begin service with.
Flying to 14 destinations, Enterprise targeted local business flyers looking for convenient, same day, non-stop flights between the cities they did business in, thus birthing the short-lived “corporate commuter” craze of the 1980’s and 1990’s.
Originally having a fleet of just two Citation IIs, a lucrative contract with British Airlines in 1989 saw the company’s revenues grow considerably, and convinced the airline’s owners to acquire five more Citation IIs.
All was well for Enterprise Airlines until the start of the First Gulf War. The war led to an oil shortage, and thus rocketing fuel prices, leading to British Airways suspending their contract.
Placing huge financial strain on the airline as a result, Enterprise Airlines was forced to close its doors in 1990 and sell of its Cessna Citation IIs, marking one of the only times when business jets have been used on regularly scheduled passenger airline service.
Aside from airline use, the low operating costs and reliability of Citation II has seen it become favorite of air ambulance operators such as Air Ambulance Worldwide and Tyrol Air Ambulance.
In this capacity, the Citation II’s interior has been modified extensively, removing two of the seats in favor of a stretcher (some even have two!) whilst the baggage hold is full of all the medical equipment a flying ambulance would need.
Typically, MEDEVAC Citation IIs are used to transport people with potentially life-threatening illnesses out of area or countries that don’t have the right equipment and to areas/countries that do so they can get the treatment they need.
Some of these such Citation IIs are run by local authorities or charities for use by anyone who needs them, the vast majority are run for profit.
Military
As with many other business jets that came before and after it, the Cessna Citation II has proven popular with military operators too, where they have served in a variety of roles.
Primarily, this role has been as a VIP transport for that particular military branch’s highest ranking officers, such as how it’s used in the Spanish Navy, Royal Saudi Air Force, Venezuelan Air Force and the Swedish Air Force.
On occasion, these Citation IIs have even been employed to ferry high-ranking government officials when other government jets were unavailable, such as during international summits or times of crisis.
In other services, particularly in Africa and South America, the Citation II has been used an aerial patrol and reconnaissance aircraft.
Used in Africa by the likes of the Nigerian Air Force, the Citation II is used to keep tabs on Boko Haram, a militant Islamist terrorist organization from the country’s northeast that has waged war against the Nigeran government.
Likewise, South American military branches like the Ecuadorian Air Force, use it to both monitor the movement of narcotics by drug cartels and transport drug enforcement officers to remote parts of the country.
In US Navy service, however, an upgraded variant of the civilian Cessna Citation II (known internally as the Model 552 and the T-47A in Navy service) were used as radar system trainers between 1984 and 1994.
Based at NAS Pensacola with Training Squadron 86 (VT-86), the Navy’s 15 T-47As operated with civilian registrations before being withdrawn from service and replaced with T-39s (Rockwell Sabreliners).
US federal agencies such as Customs & Border Protection as well as the Department of Energy and Homeland Security also use the jet for the transportation of its high-ranking officials.
Price
Prior to Cessna’s ceasing production of the Citation II, the flyaway cost of the aircraft was an estimated $3.7 million, firmly placing it as one of the cheapest business jets of its time.
Since it ceased production in 2006, however, the only way to acquire a Cessna Citation II would be on the secondary market. Thankfully, as the most popular private jet ever built, there are always Citation IIs for sale.
Presently, their market value varies from $300,000 at the “cheapest” to a little over $1.1 million at the most expensive. Prices are based on a myriad of factors including age, total cycles, number of hours and condition as well as the number of other (similar) jets on the market.
For a late 1970’s to early-to-mid 1980’s Citation II, prices range from $300,000 to around $450,000 averaging at $365,000. Comparatively, late 1980’s and early 1990’s Citation IIs range from $500,000 to $850,000 depending on the aforementioned factors.
Late 1990’s to 2006 Citation IIs are the most expensive, costing anywhere from $900,000 to $1.1 million. In previous markets, certain newer Citation IIs have fetched prices upwards of $1.5 million.
But acquisition costs are only half the equation. In terms of operational costs, the Citation II is still one of the cheapest jets to operate costing $2,052.97 per hour (assuming 450 flight hours per year).
By comparison, the replacement Phenom 300, released in 2009, costs only 1,774.77 per hour!
Variants
With the original Cessna Citation II proving popular (all told, 688 of the standard variant were produced), Cessna began to produce improved variants to keep up with the competition as well as satisfy orders for more specialized needs.
Cessna Citation II/SP
When designing the Citation II, Cessna knew that most of its operators were going to be “small” companies (at least by private jet operator standards) constantly looking to reduce their costs.
Knowing that many would be using their jet to fly short-haul distances between a few major cities they did business in, well under the Citation II’s maximum range, the company’s engineers developed a single pilot variant in tandem with the standard two pilot variant.
Certified at the same time, this variant was designated the Cessna Citation II/SP (with “SP” standing for “single pilot”), the Citation II/SP became popular with the aforementioned type of operator.
Cessna Citation S/II
Following the introduction of the Citation III in the early 1980’s, Cessna engineers began toying with the idea about developing a new variant of the Citation II with the developments pioneered on the Citation III – namely its all-new wing design.
Once they realized it was not only possible but feasible too, Cessna engineers added newer, more fuel efficient engines, and began the certification process for what they called the Model S550, later marketed as the Citation S/II.
Certified in July 1984, the Citation S/II initially replaced the standard Citation II variant in production, before production of the latter was resumed in 1985. A total of 160 were built between 1984 and 1995.
Cessna Citation Bravo
By the mid-1990’s, the introduction of newer light business jets such as the Learjet 31 and Hawker 400 had seen sales for the Cessna Citation II slump. To boost sales of the Citation II, Cessna embarked on an extensive redesign of the Citation II.
Featuring PW&C PW530AÂ engines, a revised interior based on that of the Citation V, all-new trailing link landing gear and Primus 1000 avionics, this massively upgraded variant was given a brand new name: Citation Bravo.
It first flew on April 25 1995 and was granted certification in August 1996. It replaced all other Citation II variants in production (until 2006 when it itself was replaced by the CJ3) and was first delivered in February 1997.
All in all, 336 Citation Bravos were built and delivered by Cessna between 1996 and 2006.
T-47A
In the early 1980’s, the US Navy began looking for a replacement for its T-39D radar system trainers and contracted Cessna to develop a variant of the Citation II for this purpose.
This variant differed from the standard variants through the addition of updated engines, a strengthened windshield, a 5Â ft (1.5Â m) shorter wingspan, hydraulically boosted ailerons, a cockpit roof window (for better pilot visibility during maneuvers) and a state-of-the-art AN/APQ-167 radar system.
Not to mention the replacement of traditional seats with several radar consoles for students to practice at.
13 of the 15 T-47As were destroyed in the aforementioned hangar fire, and the remaining two were stripped of their training hardware and sold to civil operators.
Specifications
| Specifications | Cessna Citation S/II |
|---|---|
| Height | 15Â ft (4.57Â m) |
| Wingspan | 52 ft 2 1/2 in (15.91 m) |
| Length | 47 ft 8 1/2 in (14.54 m) |
| Crew | 2 |
| Passengers | 6 – 8 (depending on configuration) |
| Cruise Speed | 746Â km/h (464Â mph; 403Â kn) |
| Range | 3,700Â km (2,299Â mi; 1,998Â nmi) |
| Service Ceiling | 43,000Â ft (13,000Â m) |
| MTOW | 15,100Â lb (6,849Â kg) |
How Safe Was The Cessna Citation II?
When it comes to commercial aircraft like the A320 and 747, their safety records are widely published and seemingly everybody knows that both these aircraft are among the safest in the world. As for private jets, however, their safety records aren’t as widely published…
And whilst this is done deliberately and for a number of reasons, for those looking to fly on the Cessna Citation II, it can be difficult to uncover how safe or dangerous it truly is.
Much like its competitors, Cessna is well known for producing some of the safest aircraft out there, though older aircraft are routinely more dangerous than their more modern counterparts as old parts malfunction and corners were cut as a result of lax safety regulations of the era.
However, the Citation II appears to actually be quite, with a safety record more akin to more recent Cessna business jets. Of the 1,184 Cessna Citation IIs ever produced, only 72 have ever been involved in an aviation-related incident.
In numerical terms, that’s a little over 6% of all Citation IIs, in line with many more modern aircraft. Of these 72 incidents, only 19 have resulted in a total of 69 fatalities. Whilst this is still 69 fatalities too many, for jet of its age, this makes it a remarkably safe aircraft.
Looking through the accident reports of the incidents with fatalities, all of them seemed to have been caused by pilot error (in some cases mixed with other common factors such as weather or ATC error), as a result of an inexperienced crew.
For most of the non-fatal flights, pilot error was similarly the leading cause of the incidents.
Thankfully, as even the oldest Cessna Citation IIs are over 15 years old, their crews today should be fairly experienced, and thus shouldn’t have this problem (assuming you pick a respectable operator anyway).
Interestingly, 13 Citation IIs were all destroyed (written off) on the same day: July 20 1993. And yes, they were in the exact same place…
That day, 13 Citation IIs owned by the Navy were being stored in a hangar rented by Cessna when the owner wanted to replace the roof of the hangar. As it was routine maintenance, none of the aircraft were removed from the hangar.
Safe to say, when the contractors removed the wooden roof (of the wooden hangar) with a propane torch, the entire hangar caught fire and burnt all 13 aircraft to a crisp.
What’s it Like to Fly The Cessna Citation II?
In the course of writing this article, I have had the good fortune to fly on several Citation IIs on a number of different routes, both single way and return journeys. And I must say, I can see why it is so popular.
Though many still lack WIFI as they were built in an era where it wasn’t common, the often 40 year old seats are still quite comfortable and can easily be used as a sort of flying conference room.
Plus, the addition of the 8th/belted potty seat makes for an interesting pre-flight conversation/argument!
From a pilot’s perspective, I know many pilots who learned to fly on the Cessna Citation II, so I knew from the get-go it would probably be easier to fly than many other private jets I’ve flown.
And for the most part, I was right. The 340 degree view from the cockpit was nothing short of breathtaking, the controls were easy and reliable and I loved its ability to land and take off from almost any runway, especially ones usually only used by props.
The only downside of the aircraft, however, was that avionics cooling fan tended to blow directly into the eye of the pilot.
As it was fixed in position, you either suffered from dry eyes the entire flight or had to sit in an uncomfortable – and sometimes dangerous – position to avoid it. Thankfully, later Citation models amended this due to pilots’ complaints.
What do you think about the Cessna Citation II? Have you ever flown it? Tell me in the comments!