Small · ICAO C500

Cessna 500 Citation

The Cessna Citation 500 was the aircraft that launched Cessna's entire Citation business jet family when it entered service in 1972, aimed at owner-pilots who wanted a jet that flew almost as simply as a piston twin. Its straight, unswept wing traded outright speed for docile, forgiving handling and shorter runway requirements than most business jets of the era. That approachable design philosophy became the template for the many Citation models that followed over the next five decades. It helped establish Cessna as a dominant force in the light business jet market.

Cessna 500 Citation, example photo from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Rob Hodgkins · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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Cessna marketed its first Citation simply as 'the Citation'; it only picked up the '500' suffix once later models needed distinguishing numbers.

Specifications

Length13.4 m (44 ft)
Wingspan14.3 m (47 ft)
Height4.6 m (15 ft)
Maximum passengers8
Persons on board8
Maximum take-off weight5.3 t
Range1,187 NM (2,198 km)
Maximum speed380 kt (704 km/h)
Stall speed82 kt (152 km/h)
Service ceiling41,000 ft (12,497 m)
Optimum ceiling38,000 ft (11,582 m)
Rate of climb2,719 ft/min (13.8 m/s)
Take-off distance998 m (3,274 ft)
Landing distance610 m (2,001 ft)
Fuel capacity2,370 l
Engines2x Pratt & Whitney JT15D-1
Units built689

Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.

In CatchFlights

In CatchFlights the Cessna 500 Citation starts as a Rare catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you.

A catch counts for the manufacturer Cessna, the 500 Citation family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.

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