When you purchase your private airplane, style and comfort are important features, but so is speed. When you travel, you want to get where you need to go as fast as possible, and the Cessna Citation X will help you get there. As the fastest private plane available, it can take you from point A to point B in a flash.
The Cessna Citation X was originally announced in New Orleans in 1990, with a scheduled release date in April 1995. However, a number of setbacks delayed release until July 1996. This included meeting several FAA requirements and increasing the weight capacity of the plane so that it would be able to lift off with 1400 pounds, or about seven passengers. The first Citation X was delivered to long-time Cessna customer Arnold Palmer. He set numerous world speed records in the plane, making it the fastest private plane in the world. It made the other top-of-the-line Cessna products outdated and paved the way for a new generation for Cessna. It continues to fly as the fastest private plane.
If It weren't for the words Citation X written across its jet engines, it might be confused with other planes in the same family of Citation aircraft. The main body of the plane is a long and slender cylinder with twin jet engines mounted at the rear and small circular windows leading from the engines to the cabin at the front. Two wings jut out of the sides of the craft and slightly toward the rear. A vertical stabilizer stands up from the rear, with two horizontal stabilizers coming out of it at the top.
While the Cessna Citation X may look like its predecessors, it has entirely new and original features. In fact, everything except the cockpit controls was designed from scratch for this plane. It is the only Citation powered by two Rolls-Royce jet engines. These engines have a large intake valve, which reduces noise and improves the fuel efficiency of the craft. The wings are swept back farther than any other private plane, which increases its speed. The top speed that Cessna Citation X can reach is Mach 0.92, about 703 miles per hour.
Prior to the Citation X, the Citation series was about eight years old and was Cessna's classiest series of aircraft. Cessna needed a new product, one that would rock the private airplane community. The Cessna Citation X did this as the fastest private plane, earning it the Robert J. Collier Trophy, which recognizes the greatest achievements in the performance, safety, or efficiency of air and space vehicles.
The Cessna Citation X It is 72.3 feet long and 19 feet tall. The wingspan is slightly shorter than the length of the plane at 63.6 feet from tip to tip. The wings also take up a combined surface area of 527 square feet. It is able to hold a crew of two and eight to 12 passengers.
