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Cessna Citation II

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United States Cessna Citation II
Cessna Citation II. Photo: Adrian Pingstone, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Cessna Citation II. Photo: Adrian Pingstone, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Make Cessna
Model Cessna Citation II
Type Corporate jet
Country United States United States
First flight January 31, 1977
Built 1978–2006
Number built : 688 II and II/SP, 160 S/II, 336 Bravo
Registered in the US 588 (FAA register, October 30, 2026)
Seats Two pilots (One pilot on II/SP), Six to eight passengers
Engine 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-4B, 2,500 lbf thrust
Cruise speed 403 kn (Cessna S550 Citation S/II)
Range 1,998 nmi (Cessna S550 Citation S/II)
Service ceiling 43,000 ft (Cessna S550 Citation S/II)
Max weight 15,100 lb (Cessna S550 Citation S/II)
Developed from Cessna Citation I
More aircraft · For sale

The Cessna Citation II, Model 550, is a light business jet in the Cessna Citation family. Stretched from the Citation I, it was announced in September 1976, first flew on January 31, 1977, and was certified in March 1978. Production ended in 2006 after 1,184 of all versions had been delivered.[1] In the U.S. there are 588 with a valid registration: 494 Model 550s and 94 S550s.[2]

History

Cessna designed the Citation II to keep the Citation I's gentle low-speed handling and short-field ability while answering the main complaint about it, a slow cruise of about 350 knots. The II stretched the fuselage by 3 ft 9 in to seat ten (two pilots and eight passengers), raised the gross weight to 13,300 lb, and lengthened the wing by 5.1 ft with more fuel.[1]

Versions

  • Citation II (Model 550): first built in 1978.[1]
  • Citation II/SP (Model 551): a single-pilot version at a lower weight.[1]
  • Citation S/II (Model S550): first flown on February 14, 1984, with a supercritical wing with swept roots and more fuel. The U.S. Navy adopted it as the T-47A.[1]
  • Citation Bravo: a stretched S/II with new avionics and more powerful Pratt & Whitney Canada PW530A engines, first flown on April 25, 1995.[1]

Registered in the United States

The FAA register lists 588 of these airplanes with a valid U.S. registration. Here they are by the model name the FAA uses.[2]

FAA model name Registered
550 494
S550 94

Specifications (Cessna S550 Citation S/II)

Item Cessna S550 Citation S/II
Crew Two pilots (One pilot on II/SP)
Passengers / capacity Six to eight passengers
Length 47 ft 8+1/2 in
Wingspan 52 ft 2+1/2 in
Height 15 ft
Wing area 342.6 sq ft
Empty weight 8,059 lb
Maximum takeoff weight 15,100 lb
Fuel 862 USgal usable fuel
Engine 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-4B, 2,500 lbf thrust (turbofans)
Cruise speed 403 kn
Stall speed 82 kn
Range 1,998 nmi
Service ceiling 43,000 ft
Rate of climb 3,040 ft/min

Figures as given in the Wikipedia article and its sources.[1]

Owner and mechanic notes: coming soon. What to check before you buy, common problems and what they cost to fix. Airplane Wiki is gathering this from owners and mechanics.

Photos

All photos are from Wikimedia Commons; click a photo for its full credit and license.

Buying a Cessna Citation II

For sale listings: coming soon. Airplane Wiki will list Cessna Citation IIs for sale here, with the facts on this page beside every listing.

Sources

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Wikipedia, "Cessna Citation II", read November 1, 2026. Airplane Wiki's text is written in its own words; facts are checked against this article and its sources.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Federal Aviation Administration, Releasable Aircraft Database, file dated October 30, 2026. Valid registrations of fixed-wing airplanes whose FAA maker and model names belong to this family. Airplane Wiki uses only counts from this file, never owner names or addresses.