WE FLY: CESSNA CITATION CJ4 GEN2

THE FLAGSHIP CJ JUST GOT A WHOLE LOT BETTER.

- PIA BERGQVIST

October 16, 2006, was my first day as manager of communications at Cessna Aircraft Co. It happened to be media day at the National Business Aircraft Association’s annual Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition, and it was my first time at this highly sophisticated show.

Cessna’s booth was extravagant, with massive TV screens showing video clips of Citation jets flying in front of beautiful backgrounds, highlighted by dramatic music. Then-president and CEO Jack Pelton announced three new airplanes that day, so it was a busy day for the communications team to say the least. One of the airplanes Cessna announced was the Citation CJ4.

With seats for up to 11 people, the Citation CJ4 Gen2 is the largest 525-series jet built to date. The all-metal twinjet shares many features with its siblings, including the external size of the metal tube and Williams FJ-44 turbofan engines. “The CJ4 offers the strongest performance and payload balance yet in the CJ series, with more standard features and passenger comforts than ever before,” Pelton said. While this was the official announcement of the CJ4, Cessna had already accepted 70 orders.