Aircraft model
CESSNA 501
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Citation I/SP is the single-pilot version of Cessna's original business jet, and it is the aeroplane that made private jets ordinary. It is slow by jet standards at 350 knots, but it lands slowly, gets into short runways that faster jets cannot use, and one pilot can legally fly it.
It is now the cheapest jet on the market and that is exactly the trap. The purchase price is a small fraction of the cost of ownership: the JT15D-1 engines are old technology and thirsty, engine programmes for them are limited, and unscheduled maintenance on a forty-year-old jet can exceed the aircraft's value in a year. Avionics must be brought up to current airspace requirements, which is a six-figure exercise by itself. A CE-500 type rating is required. Build a full annual budget with an experienced Citation operator before signing.
What it is
| Seats | 8 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 2 |
| Engine | Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-1A |
| Horsepower | — |
| Fuel | JetA |
| Certification basis | FAR25 |
| Production start | 1977 |
| Production end | 1985 |
| Endorsements required | multi-engine |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 350 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 1,300 nm |
| Service ceiling | 41,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 2,680 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 82 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 3,000 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 2,500 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 8 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 4,850 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,051 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 11,850 lb |
| Empty weight | 7,000 lb |
| Usable fuel | 567 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 120 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $295,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $1,000,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 3,500 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $400,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $700,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 308 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 189 |
| Median year built | 1979.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 4 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 21.16 per 1,000 active · base 189 active |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 15.87 per 1,000 active · base 189 active |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 88 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 46.56 per 100 active · base 189 active |
| Airworthiness directives | 9 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
Peer scores
A score runs from 0 to 10 within the model's peer class: a position, not a grade, and the six are never added together.
| Peer class | Fixed wing multi-engine, turbo-fan, 2 engines, 7+ seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | — · class median 0 · 43 models in class |
| Severity | — · class median 0 |
| Access | 8.6 of 10 · class median 9,850 |
| Support | 4.8 of 10 · class median 197 |
| Liquidity | 8.6 of 10 · class median 29.17 |