Country of origin:

United States of America

Description:

Long-range business and executive jet

Power Plant:

Two 6,400 lbst Allison AE 3007C turbofans

Specifications:

History:

The Cessna 750 Citation X series was announced in October 1990, at the United States National Business Aircraft Association (NBAA) annual connvention, testing of the engine taking place initially on a Citation VII testbed (N650) in August 1992.

The prototype (N751CX) flew for the first time on 27 September 1994, a second prototype (N752CX) following on 11 January of the following year, certification by the American FAA being received in June 1996.

Deliveries of production aircraft to customers began in July 1996, the first aircraft being to US golfer Arnold Palmer (N1AP), the Company’s aim being to produce 24 aircraft a year. In February 1997 the Cessna design team was awarded the National Aeronautic Association’s Robert J Collier Trophy for the design of the new model. Other early orders were to large American companies, including General Motors, Honeywell, and Williams.

The Citation X was the largest of the Citation series, the design objective being to provide trans-continental US and trans-Atlantic ability in a business jet that cruised faster than any other available type. Cessna advertised that with its high-speed capability, which was said to be between 105 km/h and 210 km/h (65 mph and 130 mph) faster than any other mid-size corporate jet, the type could save in flight time on flights across the US from Los Angeles to New York.

Engines were Allison AE 3700 FADEC-controlled turbofans, being de-rated variants of the 8,600 lbst Allison / Rolls Royce AE 3007 turbofans installed in the Embraer ERJ-145. The cockpit had a Honeywell primus 2000 EFIS avionics suite with five colour CRT displays. The Citation X was similar in width to the Citation VII and Excel but was longer and could accommodate up to eight passengers.

In the design of the Citation X Cessna used NASA’s Transair transonic drag program to develop a thinner high-aspect ratio wing with a second generation super-critical aerofoil and a 37 degrees sweepback, the one piece, all moving tailplane having a 40 degrees sweepback, and fin a sweep of 52 degrees.

The design was developed using Boeing’s Computational Fluid Dynamics Facility and the Rockwell high-speed wind tunnel to develop the best cruising speed, including the wasting of the rear fuselage, modifying of the engine pylons, and enlarging and reshaping the under-fuselage fairing. The multiple-spar wing was of conventional construction with flush riveting and some metal-to-metal bonding. The fuel system comprised two wing tanks holding 1,590 kg (3,505 lb).

In 1995 a Citation X established two speed records within its class in a coast-to-coast publicity flight, when the second production aircraft (N752CS) departed Teterboro in New Jersey at maximum gross weight and took 4 hrs 49 mins to reach California’s Van Nuys airport at an average ground speed of 829.83 km/h (515.64 mph). It remained on the ground at Van Nuys for two hours to refuel and departed eastbound for White Plains, New York State, arriving after 4 hrs 10 mins at an average ground speed of 972.45 km/h (604.27 mph).

First of the type registered in this region was VH-TEN (c/n750-0215 – ex VH-HVM [ntu]) registered on 15 June 2004 to Balmoral Air Pty Ltd of Artarmon, NSW; followed by VH-XCJ (c/n 750-015) registered on 24 September 2008 to Mt Craigie Holdings of Rosebud West, VIC, which was operated by Jet City at Tullamarine, VIC.