- Made by American aircraft manufacturer Cessna, The Citation II, known also as Model 550, was first produced in 1978. It is a larger, stretched development of the Model 500 prototype. The fuselage was extended to increase maximum seating capacity to 10, while more powerful Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D4 engines and greater fuel tankage meant higher cruise speeds and longer ranges.
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The Citation II belongs to the Cessna Citation family that forms the largest business jet fleet in the world. The first Citation aircraft was put into service in 1972, and the 7,000th Citation was delivered in 2016. With a total of 688 aircraft manufactured, the Citation II is one of many successful models in the family.
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In countries all over the world, the Citation II has been configured to government and military use. The US Customs & Border Protection, for example, has configured Citation IIs with fire control radar. Military operators of the aircraft include Argentine Army Aviation, Nigerian Air Force, Pakistan Army, Spanish Air Force, Swedish Airforce and Turkish Airforce, to name a few.
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The Citation II can also be configured as an air ambulance with one or two stretchers and up to five medical attendants. Citation IIs are used as an air ambulance in countries such as Italy, Sweden and the United States.
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Cessna Citation has been the jet family of choice for celebrities such as Morgan Freeman and Harrison Ford, both of whom also have pilot’s licenses. At Helsinki Airport, Cessna Citation II has been operated by private jet companies. Ex prime minister of Finland, Juha Sipilä, has also flown a Cessna plane, the Cessna CitationJet CJ+ model. There are several Citation IIs on the market, with prices ranging between $250,000 and $1,295,000.
Sources: Airliners.net, Wikipedia, Controller.com, Businessairnews.com, Pilotweb.aero
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