Speed, Efficiency and Comfort – The Citation X
It has been called “science in motion.” When parked alongside other private jets on the tarmac, it cuts an outstanding profile of sleek and sexy power. It is the Cessna Citation X, and it is easily one of the most popular private jets in the world.
Speaking to XOJET, one of the best-known operators of this world-class jet, Mike Pierce, a 34-year veteran of Cessna Aviation, said, “It’s long and lean with sleek swept wings and big powerful engines. It just looks mean sitting on the ramp.” Pierce was part of the integrated team that designed the Citation X.
However, it’s not just the look that makes this aircraft so special. The Cessna Citation X is the fastest sub-sonic cross-continental business jet in the world, reaching a top speed of Mach 0.92 (700 mph) while consuming an average of 336 gallons per hour. This is not much more than other jets in its class, which makes the Citation X more efficient since - considering its speed – it gets you to your destination much quicker.
The bottom line, according to Pierce, is that efficiency is optimized in every possible aspect of the Citation X. “When we started this process, we were looking to do something that had never been done before in business jets,” he says, referring to the jet’s inception in the late 1980s. “Business jets had already seen long cabins, short-field runway performance, super docile handling characteristics, and single-pilot capability. We wanted to go after that speed number, and not just speed for the sake of speed, but speed with efficiency.”
Speed as Well as Comfort
Of course, once you are able to achieve speeds of nearly Mach 1 on a private jet, you do not want to sacrifice luxury or comfort for all that power. At those kinds of speeds - comfort first and foremost, says Pierce, “depends on how much the plane can reduce noise fatigue. As opposed to stuffing the walls with insulation—which gets heavy and takes away room from the cabin—the Cessna team opted for a structural approach leveraging both interior and exterior design.
Externally, Pierce and his design team made sure that no part of the outside of the airframe left any big gaps that could create noise, particularly around the belly of the airplane where the landing gear is. What’s more, they ensured seamless construction all the way down to the nuts and bolts. “If you have a bolt extending through a nut plate and it touches another part of the airplane,” Pierce explains, “you actually have a noise transfer point from one part to another. So, we were very careful to ensure that no bolts are touching each other.”
As for the interior, Cessna’s proprietary soundproofing system applies several layers of very flexible materials to minimize any noise coming from the outside. Combined with the plane’s ability to fly as high as 48,000 feet—which reduces fuel flow and allows pilots to find smoother air and better weather—it gives the world’s most powerful business jet an unfathomably quiet passenger experience. “It’s as quiet as any other jet I’ve flown,” Pierce says.
That being said, a quiet flight experience means very little if the cabin itself isn’t equally refined. “A lot of people who are on the fringe of the industry, or are not in the industry,” explains Pierce, “don’t think of Cessna Aviation, [now Textron Aviation], as a real leader in aircraft interiors, when in fact we are.”
When you add it all together, concludes Pierce, “the Citation X offers one of the most complete jet solutions ever known to general aviation. And while it’s admittedly easy on the eyes, it’s even better to fly.”
The Best Jets and The Best Way to Fly Private
We are proud to make the Citation X available to our users, but superior-designed aircraft like the Citation X are not the only things that are making private air travel faster and more efficient.
XO and the XO mobile app are streamlining everything about booking and flying on a private jet. We are creating a better way to fly private, one that provides the private flyer with guaranteed availability of flights at market-friendly prices that are often less expensive than any other way to book or fly privately, such as private charter or fractional jet ownership.
By completely digitizing the private aviation experience, XO is taking all of the hassles out of air travel.
It is truly a revolution in private aviation.
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XO may offer a number of programs, including whole aircraft charter, for which XO will act solely as your agent in arranging the flight, and Public Charters, for which XO will act as principal in buying and reselling the air transportation. XO does not own or operate any aircraft. All flights are performed by FAA-licensed and DOT-registered air carriers.