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Cessna Citation III

General Aviation · Cold War (1970–1991)

Cessna Citation III — General Aviation
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The Cessna Citation III is an American business jet produced by Cessna and part of the Citation family. Announced at the October 1976 NBAA convention, the Model 650 made its maiden flight on May 30, 1979, received its type certification on April 30, 1982, and was delivered between 1983 and 1992. The cheaper Citation VI was produced from 1991 to 1995 and the more powerful Citation VII was offered between 1992 and 2000; 360 of all variants were delivered, while a proposed transcontinental variant, the Citation IV, was canceled before reaching the prototype stage. An all new design, the Citation III had a 312 ft2 (29.0 m2) swept wing for a 22,000 lb (10.0 t) MTOW and a 2,350 nmi (4,350 km) range, a T-tail and two 3,650–4,080 lbf (16.2–18.1 kN) TFE731 turbofans. Its fuselage cross section and cockpit were carried over and used in the later Citation X, Citation Excel and Citation Sovereign.

Specifications

Category
Fixed Wing
Sub-Category
General Aviation
Domain
Civil
Era
Cold War (1970–1991)
Engine
2× Turbofans
Thrust / Power
3650 lbf each
Length (ft)
55
Wingspan (ft)
54
Empty Weight (lb)
11810
MTOW (lb)
22002
Service Ceiling (ft)
51000
Range (mi)
2702
Max Speed (mph)
543
Max Speed (Mach)
851