On This Day In 1969 The Cessna Fanjet 500 Prototype Made Its First Flight

The Cessna 500 Citation was a popular easy to fly business jet.

Exactly 53 years ago today, September 15, 1969, the Cessna Fanjet 500 prototype made its maiden flight from Wichita's Municipal Airport, now Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (ICT), located just outside Wichita, Kansas. The idea to build a twin-engine business jet came about in the early 1960s when American aircraft manufacturers Beechcraft, Cessna, and Piper faced competition from the Canadian startup Learjet and its six-seat to eight-seat Learjet 23 business jet.

Less expensive to operate than previous private jets like the North American Sabreliner and Hawker Siddeley HS.125, Cessna could see that the new plane was competition for its premium twin-engine turboprops. Seeing a gap in the market between the Beechcraft King Air 90 and light jet-powered aircraft like the Learjet, Cessna came up with the idea to build a plane that was faster than the King Air and less expensive and easier to maintain than the Learjet.

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The plane had to be easy to fly and inexpensive to maintain

The plan was to come up with an aircraft that was easy to fly that would appeal to amateur owner-pilots who planned to fly the plane themselves.

In October 1968, Cessna announced an eight-seat business jet capable of operating from airfields accessible to light twin turboprops. Called the Fanjet 500, the plane was to be powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-1 turbofan engines.

When the prototype took to the skies for the first time in 1969, the cost of the aircraft was USD 695,000. Following a few modifications and now being called the 500 Citation, the plane received its Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) certification on September 9, 1971.

The plane was modified for single pilot operations

In 1976 Cessna increased the aircraft's wingspan from 43.9 feet to 47 feet one inch and added reverse thrusters and higher gross weight. Now called the Cessna 500 Citation I, the plane was I/SP, certificated for single pilot operations, and ready for delivery in early 1977. Production of the aircraft ended in 1985, with over 690 Citation Is and I/SPs manufactured between 1971 and 1985.

Over the years, several Cessna Citations have been involved in fatal crashes, with the most prominent occurring on August 2, 1979. New York Yankee captain and catcher Thurman Munson died when his Cessna Citation crashed short of the runway at Akron–Canton Airport (CAK) in Ohio. At the time, Munson was practicing touch-and-go landings when the accident occurred.

Munson died in the crash, but his two passengers escaped with serious injuries. Following an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the cause of the crash was put down to Munson's failure to lower the flaps and maintain a sufficient airspeed. All four of the deadly Citation crashes were put down to pilot error.

Specifications and the general characteristics of the Cessna Citation I

• Crew: Two (One pilot on I/SP)
• Capacity: 5 passengers
• Length: 43 feet 6 inches
• Wingspan: 47 feet 1 inch
• Height: 14 feet 4 inches
• Wing area: 278.5 square feet
• Empty weight: 6,631 lbs
• Max takeoff weight: 11,850 lbs
• Fuel capacity: 564 US gallons
• Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-1B turbofans, 2,200 lbf (9.8 kN) thrust each
• Maximum speed: Mach 0.705
• Cruise speed: 411 mph at 35,000 feet
• Stall speed: 94 mph
• Range: 1,528 miles
• Service ceiling: 41,000 ft
• Rate of climb: 2,719 feet per minute