The Cessna CitationJet/CJ/M2 (also known as the Model 525) are a series of light business jets built by Cessna, and are part of the Citation family. Launched in October 1989, the first flight of the Model 525 was on April 29, 1991. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification was awarded on October 16, 1992, and the first aircraft was delivered on March 30, 1993. The CJ series are powered by two Williams FJ44 engines; the design uses the Citation II's forward fuselage with a new carry-through section wing and a T-tail. The original CitationJet model has been updated into the CJ1/CJ1+/M2 variants; additionally, the CJ1 was stretched into the CJ2/CJ2+ which was built between 2000 and 2016. The design was then further developed into the CJ3/CJ3+, built from December 2004 to present, and finally into the CJ4 which has been built since 2010. By June 2017, 2,000 of all variants had been delivered.

Development

Development of the CitationJet was prompted by the 1985 discontinuation of the Citation I, a reaction to the increasing price of its Pratt & Whitney JT15D-1 engines, which rendered it uncompetitive with its larger straight wing Citation stablemates. Cessna believed that a substantial market still existed for a light 4-5 passenger jet with low operating costs, docile flying qualities, and the ability to operate from short runways usable by twin piston-engined light aircraft, a formula that had made the Citation I successful. However, that aircraft had been stigmatized for its slower cruise speed than its competitors, which had progressively been addressed in the Citation S/II and Bravo and the Citation V, Ultra and Encore, but at the cost of operating economy. To offer increased speed with reduced purchase and operating costs, Cessna engineers realized that a new, lighter airframe design would be needed, using less expensive and lower-thrust engines. To better compete with newer jets, Cessna also wanted to eliminate the step in the center aisle of the earlier Citations, created by the spar passing through the cabin. Cessna launched the $2.4 million (equivalent to $ million in ) model 525 CitationJet at the October 1989 NBAA convention in Atlanta, estimating a demand for 1,000 aircraft over ten years. Its first flight was on April 29, 1991, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) type certificate was awarded on October 16, 1992, and first delivery happened on March 30, 1993. The aircraft met its initial design goal: its normal cruise speed was 29 kn faster than that of the Citation I, and the newer CitationJet outperformed the older Citation I in all other significant metrics except maximum payload and approach noise, despite having 600 lbf less total engine thrust. Twenty years after its first flight, 1,450 CJs had been produced. As of June 2017, 2,000 of all variants had been delivered, with five million hours flown.

Design

The six-seat CitationJet is a monoplane with a cantilever wing, a retractable tricycle landing gear and a pressurized cabin. The jet uses the Citation II's forward fuselage, a new carry-through section, a new laminar flow, supercritical wing developed with NASA and Boeing, and a T-tail. Powered by two 1900 lbf Williams FJ44s, the 10,000 lb aircraft has a trailing link undercarriage for smooth landings, and can be flown by a single pilot. Range is 1500 nmi with four passengers and it can cruise at 437 kn. The CitationJet retains the 58 in inside diameter, circular fuselage cross-section of the Citation I and II, a semi-monocoque construction of conventional aluminum alloys assembled with rivets, fasteners and adhesive bonding. To reduce interference drag, a large fairing encases the low wing center section, and the engines are mounted high on the tail. Composite materials save weight in non-load-bearing components including fairings and the nose radome. The cockpit features EFIS avionics; fuselage length is reduced 11 inches (27 cm) compared to the Citation I, and cabin length is reduced by 1 ft, but with a lowered center aisle for increased cabin height. The cockpit side windows are slightly smaller than those on earlier Citations to lessen interior temperature differences between the cockpit and the main cabin. Wing structure is a conventional ladder with chord-wise ribs over front and rear spars, and an aft sub spar to support the landing gear. The NASA high-speed 0213 airfoil sustains natural laminar flow over 30% of the upper surface for 10-15% better lift-to-drag ratio than the larger NACA 23000-series wing of the Citation I. To maintain the wing's laminar-flow qualities and reduce weight, icing protection is provided by ducted bleed air rather than the deicing boots or fluid deicing systems used on earlier Citations. Its FJ44 engine has a 16:1 overall pressure ratio and a 2.58:1 bypass ratio. Early CitationJet models have a novel design feature to reduce weight: rather than conventional thrust reversers, the aircraft are equipped with thrust attenuator paddles that pivot from the rear fuselage, similar to those used on the Cessna T-37 Tweet military trainer.

Variants

Model 525

Model 525A

The ICAO aircraft type designator for the CJ2 models is C25A.

Model 525B

The ICAO aircraft type designator for the CJ3 models is C25B.

Model 525C

The ICAO aircraft type designator for the CJ4 models is C25C.

Accidents and incidents

Specifications