Textron Aviation Marks 50 Years of Citation Bizjets

It was 50 years ago this week that the first Cessna Citation business jet made its maiden flight, Textron Aviation publicly noted yesterday. Since that flight, the Wichita-based manufacturer of Citation business jets has delivered more than 7,500 of them, with the fleet amassing more than 35 million flight hours.

Unveiled as a mockup at the National Business Aviation Association Convention in October 1968 in Houston, it was a year later, on Sept. 15, 1969, that the first FanJet 500—later renamed Citation 500—took off on its first test flight, which lasted an hour and 45 minutes, reached a speed of 225 knots and an altitude of 10,000 feet (weather prevented a planned climb to 20,000 feet). The type received its first certification—for Part 25—on September 10, 1971.

Today, the Citation family comprises seven models—the M2, CJ3+, CJ4, XLS+, Sovereign+, Latitude, and Longitude—with seating from seven to 12 passengers and range between 1,550 and 3,500 nm. 

“The same vision that led to the creation of the original Citation 50 years ago still guides us today,” said Textron Aviation CEO Ron Draper. “We are building on our history as an industry leader and investing in the future to continue to exceed customer expectations.”