20/Twenty

Fred George

Citation CJ3 resale prices have fallen 30 to 50 percent during the current recession and that’s great news for business aircraft operators looking for one of the most versatile light jets yet to enter the market. This is an aircraft that can depart a 3,180-foot runway, climb directly to FL 450, cruise at 400-plus KTAS and fly three passengers 1,700 nm. Upon arrival, it needs less than 2,500 feet of runway for landing.

Quite apparently, the CJ3 is an evolutionary member of the CE 525 CitationJet family, but Cessna made significant improvements to the design, including upgrading to a damage-tolerant airframe, adding 2,820 pounds of thrust, FADEC-equipped FJ44-3A engines and upgrading the aircraft to FAR Part 23 commuter category safety and performance standards. The CJ3 was meant to make the Citation Bravo obsolete and it accomplished the goal. The Bravo ceased production at the end of 2006.

Up front, pilots will find a Collins Pro Line 21 avionics system featuring three, eight-by-10-inch flat-panel displays, dual radio tuning units and a single FMS-3000. XM weather, Jeppview e-charts and enhanced map graphics are popular options, along with a Doppler turbulence detection weather radar, TCAS II, airport performance computer for the FMS and second FMS box.

Systems are simple. The CJ3 has a 28-VDC parallel bus electrical system, an engine-driven hydraulic system that powers the landing gear, flaps and speed brakes, hydraulic power-pack for the anti-skid brakes, bleed air wing anti-ice, boots on the tail and vapor-cycle air-conditioning to cool the cabin.

The main cabin is 13.4 feet long with seven windows on each side that provide plenty of ambient light. A five-inch dropped aisle provides 4.8 feet of height in the center of the 4.8-foot-wide cabin. The standard layout has a forward right-side galley, a four-seat club section in the forward cabin and two forward-facing chairs in the aft cabin.

In flight, the cabin is exceptionally quiet, one of the best in the light jet class. Passengers have access to sturdy, foldout worktables and two AC power outlets for laptops and phone chargers. There is a fully enclosed aft lavatory with an internally serviced toilet.

Baggage capacity is another plus. The tail compartment capacity is 50 cubic feet, and there’s another 15 cubic feet of storage in the nose. The lav has room for four cubic feet of carry-on luggage.

The CJ3 is very much a pilot’s airplane. Several companies operate it with a single pilot. It has docile handling manners and once you’ve mastered the FMS and avionics system, it’s as though you’ve hired a second, albeit digital, crewmember. Hot and high takeoff performance is robust. The aircraft needs only 4,750 feet of runway to depart BCA’s 5,000-foot, ISA+20°C airport at MTOW.

Overall climb and cruise performance is impressive. So, too, is fuel efficiency. The aircraft can climb through FL 370 in 15 minutes and once level in the low to mid-40s, most pilots find they must reduce thrust below maximum cruise to avoid exceeding the aircraft’s 0.737 Mmo. Plan on burning 1,100 pounds the first hour and 800 pph to 900 pph for subsequent hours.

Operators say there are few, if any, maintenance “gotchas.” Virtually all aircraft are still within the five-year airframe warranty period. AD 2008-03-10 requires the lower wing structure to be inspected for corrosion caused by a crew relief tube; AD 2007-23-16 mandates installation of an electrical power relay circuit protection kit to prevent overheating; and AD 2005-17-11 ensures that fire bottle wiring is properly labeled.

Engine overhauls cost upward of $600,000 at the 4,000-hour TBO mark, so it’s advisable to look for an aircraft enrolled in Williams’ TAP Elite engine restoration program.

Two years ago, operators could expect to sell their aircraft for as much as or more than they originally paid for them. Not so now, according to Mike Mikolay, a broker at Guardian Jet LLC. Even though there are 345-plus aircraft in the active fleet and fewer than two dozen on the market, the average time to sell takes four months. So values have plummeted. Early 2006 models sell for $4.5 million to $5 million and 2008 models command around $6 million. If you buy a 2009 model for $8.1. million and have to sell it within a few months, expect no more than $7 million at resale time.

The CJ3 has earned a distinct niche in the light jet market. It has almost no competitors that offer its blend of runway performance, range, speed and fuel efficiency, along with cabin comfort, baggage capacity and versatility. If it weren’t for the current economic slump, resale values would be substantially higher. Thus, now’s the time to take advantage of unprecedented low prices for this aircraft.