Cessna is celebrating today (18/09) the 50th anniversary of the first flight of an executive jet from the Citation line, which is still sold by the American company in other versions.
The first flight was made by the prototype Citation 500, which took off from Wichita Municipal Airport, now Wichita Dwight D Eisenhower, on September 15, 1969.
The aircraft completed a flight of one hour and 45 minutes, checking the basic systems of an aircraft that only needed two pilots, at a time when many jets still required the presence of a flight engineer.
US certification was granted in September 1971, with the first deliveries taking place in January 1972.
At the time, you could buy a Citation 500 I for $695.000. The jet lost in performance to the famous Learjet, but promised a better cabin for six engers. The top speed was 650 km/h while the maximum range was 2430 km.
Since then, Cessna has manufactured more than 7500 Citation family business jets, in several different models, changing the fuselage, engines, avionics and performance. Currently, a Cessna Latitude bears no resemblance to the old Cessna Citation 500 I.
