Cessna Citation M2: Buyer’s and Investor’s Guide

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Citation M2

The Citation M2 is Cessna’s latest light jet and is aimed at turboprop and Mustang owners looking to make a step-up.

The Citation M2 won’t be printed out on posters and hung adoringly on the walls of teenage boys who dream of flying the latest and greatest business jet and the more cynical could possibly claim that the M2 was designed to fill a gap that Cessna shouldn’t have created in the first place.

But in fact, Cessna might have taken a wise decision in dropping the CJ1+ when the light / very light jet sector was hitting the bottom of the curve. Now that the industry may be recovering, Cessna already have a new aircraft in place, with new technology, ready to sell, and more crucially, ready to deliver.

Cessna’s decision to position the aircraft away from the CitationJet name also seems quite unusual, especially as the M2 associates the aircraft with the Mustang, the smallest of the jet aircraft that Cessna produce. Never the less, Cessna will be hoping that Mustang owners will be looking towards the M2 as a way of upgrading through the product lines, although how potential light jet buyers will view the name association remains to be seen.

A twin-engine light business jet designed for short hops, the M2 sits between the Citation Mustang and CitationJet CJ2+ in the Cessna jet lineup, with the specific aim of enticing turboprop owners and giving Mustang owners a direct step-up through the Citation product range. The best news of all though is that it’s $800,000 cheaper than the aircraft it’s replacing.

Flying

The Citation M2 will get you the furthest in the light jet class and at the quickest speed as well. With a cruise speed of 740kmh, the M2 can carry six passengers 2,480km, enough to reach most of Europe from London, the central US states from New York and Central / Eastern China from Beijing.

Travelling

Comfort has always been an issue in a light jet, with the average fuselage diameter not lending itself well to those over a certain height. Cessna have had a stab at redressing this with the M2, and the seats are now capable of sliding sideways, creating a better cabin experience for taller travelers but – like its competitors – you would not want to spend more than a few hours in it.

The new cabin design also adds wireless entertainment features and LED lighting to help restless flyers pass away the flying minutes.

The surprisingly spacious Citation M2 cabin

The surprisingly spacious Citation M2 cabin

Owning

With the original CitationJet and CJ range range selling in excess of 600+ aircraft, buying an M2 would not seem like a big risk. That said, snce 2008 light jet values have fallen significantly and the market for this type of jet hasn’t been performing, with the lack of sales a major contributing factor to the general decline of business jet deliveries. In fact, in the final year of CJ1+ production Cessna only delivered five aircraft.
The Citation M2’s maximum range from Los Angeles.

Order numbers are unclear as Cessna have never publicly quoted a number, but they were keen to show off the launch customer, citing a “bestselling’ author” as the lucky recipient of aircraft number one.


Hard facts

Range: 1,496 mi / 2,408 km / 1,300 nm
Maximum speed: 460 mph/740 kmph/mach 0.60
Typical passengers: 6
Typical crew: 1-2
Competitor aircraft: Phenom 100, Citation Mustang, CJ2+
List price for a new Citation M2: $4.195 million
First delivery: Q4 2013
World fleet: 9 (as at 8 January 2014)


 

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