My Date With a Citation CJ4

Although this date is a bit-ah, well, dated – I remember the pre-flight walk around like it was yesterday.  She had the clean, sleek lines of a speed demon. It was to be love at first flight.

_____________________________

When it comes to buying an airplane–any airplane–manufacturers and their salespeople can talk utility and value until the cows come home. But people buy airplanes–and learn to fly–because they want to move from one place to another fast…the faster, the better. Combining speed with comfort is often a challenge, though, especially in the light-jet arena.

Cessna demo pilot John Reimer wanted to wow me as I put the new CJ4 I was flying through its paces. “Line up on the centerline, hold the brakes and run the throttles of the two [Fadec-controlled] Williams engines right to the stops,” he suggested. “Then release the brakes.” A few seconds later as I released the brakes, it all made sense. I was immediately pressed back into my seat as the CJ4 shot down the runway, as if on a catapult. Of course, the airplane was light with four people and just under 3,500 pounds of fuel and an outside temperature of 24 degrees C. Rate of climb easily topped 3,000 fpm for the moment or two I caught a glimpse of the VSI. I had to yank back on the power quickly to not blow through Wichita’s 2,600-foot pattern altitude. Amazing what an extra 1,600 pounds of thrust on those upgraded Williams FJ44-4As can deliver.

Not Just a New CJ3

When I first learned Cessna was planning the CJ4, like many others I envisioned a slightly roomier, slightly faster, longer-legged CJ3. The CJ4 goes way beyond that. Without giving away too much of the ending up front, the Cessna book numbers are well researched and tested figures that allowed me to have quite a bit of confidence in the other numbers I saw.

Read More