Silhouette traced from a photo by Acroterion · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cessna · Light Jet
Photo: Photo: Alan Wilson, "Cessna Citation I ‘N145TA’" (Flickr), CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/); share-alike applies to edited versions
The numbers that matter
Price
$473k
typical asking
Cost per year
$841k
at 300 hrs · 2 pilots
Price
Based on 10 listings observed 2026-09-28
Typical ask
$472,500
Observed on other sites
10 observed on other sites
For sale now
Cost to own
Estimate · Two professional pilots · Your operator will quote actual numbers
How many hours a year will you fly?
300hours / year
Per year
$841,467
Per flight hour
$2,805
Scales with hours: fuel.
Fixed: pilots, other, hangar, insurance, training.
Fuel is the biggest line at 300 hours a year; pilots is the biggest fixed cost.
300 hr/yr, two professional pilots, managed, United States, price basis 09/28/2026: total $877k-$1358k/yr (midpoint ~$1118k). Fuel 150-175 gph around a 166 gph block average @ $7.52/gal (AirNav 09/27/2026). Maintenance shown as a combined total (airframe $400-899/hr + engine reserve $100-442/hr; no program) because no source splits scheduled/unscheduled. Split fields are MIDPOINTS of researched ranges for display only; full ranges, 100/200/400-hr and owner-PIC + contract-SIC scenarios in. Excludes acquisition, financing, depreciation, upgrades, catch-up and HSI/impeller events beyond reserve.
The JetGrade
70 = typicalI
Range & payload 60, Cabin & passenger experience 60, Operating economics 65, Reliability & support 60, Airport access & versatility 75, Purchase value & resale 55, Speed & trip efficiency 55
Why 55 on purchase value & resale: Below 70 despite the low price: low price is not value when liquidity is poor and a regulatory change narrows demand; clearly below the 501 (70). Advantage: Lowest entry price in the cohort: observed asks $389k-$850k (median $472.5k, n=4) vs 501 median ~$575k (n=6) and Citation II median ~$895k (n=12).
Grades are editorial opinions about the model, not any specific aircraft. Sponsors and affiliates have no input. Reviewed 2026-09-28.
Where it can fly
720 nm from Carlsbad — seats full
900 nm — published max range
NonstopConditionalNeeds a fuel stop
Sample flight times
Carlsbad → Las Vegas
easy hop · 217 nm
Carlsbad → Aspen
conditional — hot/high airport · 654 nm
Santa Ana → San José del Cabo
conditional — weight and weather · 802 nm
Teterboro → West Palm Beach
fuel stop likely · 947 nm
Dallas → Teterboro
fuel stop likely · 1,251 nm
Flight times are planning estimates in still air with standard reserves. Conditional trips depend on weight, temperature and the day's weather.
Lineage
2 models in this family. Tap any model to jump to its page.
Size & cabin
Size in perspective
Schematic · same scale
Length
43′ 8″
Wingspan
43′ 9″
Height
14′ 4″
Inside the cabin
Typical 5-seat layout · To scale
Cabin length
12′ 8″
Width
4′ 11″
Height
4′ 4″
you stoop, you don't stand
Compare
Falcon 10 instead: 700 nm more range.
Learjet 31 instead: about $71k more to buy; 731 nm more range.
Gold marks the best figure in each row. Tap any aircraft name to open its page.
Owning one
Engines & programs
2x P&WC JT15D-1 / -1A (any -1/-1A/-1B mix approved), 2,200 lbf each
The TBO basis is P&WC SB 7003 (commonly 3,500 hr). SkyWay FLEX extends it to up to 5,250 hr ($21,495 two-engine -1 enrollment; $7,500 transfer; HSI excluded).
APU: None (no APU in the type design; battery/GPU start)
Known issues
Recurring AD 2015-17-12 A/C motor brushes every 500 hr; JT15D impeller ADs (2004-04-09, 2023-03-12); brake stator AD 2004-09-05; fuel boost pump wiring AD 2006-06-03. Reported pre-buy themes: corrosion, wing-repair provenance, pressurization, gear wear, windshield cracking.
Before you buy
Support & programs
No airframe hourly program covering Model 500 found; Cessna program lists compiled by Aviation Week omit Citation 500/I.
Phases 1-4 every 300 hr/24 mo (~$16.0k combined flat-rate), Phase 5 at 1,200 hr (~$29.0k), Phase B every 150 hr (~$1.4k), per SkyWay's Jan 2026 catalog.
The full review
“The Model 500 was Cessna's first business jet, certified in September 1971.”
The Model 500 was Cessna's first business jet, certified in September 1971. It was a straight-wing twin turbofan meant to use the same runways as a cabin-class piston twin. That design is why it still costs so little to buy, and it explains most of what makes it harder to own today.
Pilot's take
With reference speeds of about 102-115 KIAS and a balanced field near 3,900 ft, it opens runways most jets its age can't. Everything around the airplane is the hard part. It needs two pilots, an engine overhaul can cost as much as the airframe, and you should run the hot-and-high numbers in the AFM before you plan Aspen in July.
Who this is for · A cost-focused owner or small flight department flying short regional trips with two pilots, such as a pilot-owner who already flies with a qualified SIC, and who values runway flexibility over cabin size and speed.
Own a Cessna Citation I (500)? Verify with its FAA registration to join the owners' thread and the real-cost poll.
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