Cessna Citation Bravo 550

The Citation Bravo is a light twin turbofan business jet manufactured by Cessna between 1995 and 2006. The model 550 Bravo seats up to 7 passengers and 1 pilot.

 

Specifications

 

Exterior Dimensions

Wing span: 52 ft 2 in
Length: 47 ft 2 in
Height: 15 ft 0 in

Interior Dimensions

Lenght: 15 ft 8 in
Width: 4 ft 8 in
Height: 4 ft 8 in
Cabin volume: 278 cu.ft.
Baggage volume: 73 cu.ft

 

Performance

Horsepower: 2887 lbf Gross Weight: 14,800 lbs
Top Speed: .70 Mach Empty Weight: 8,925 lbs
Cruise Speed: 401 Fuel Capacity: 4,860 lbs
Stall Speed (dirty): 86 Range: 1,900 nm
 
Rate of Climb:  3,195 fpm Rate of Climb (One Engine): 1,133 fpm
Service Ceiling: 45,000 ft Ceiling (One Engine):27,750 ft
 
Takeoff Landing
Ground Roll: Ground Roll
Takeoff Roll Over 50 ft: 3,600 ft Landing Roll Over 50 ft: 3,180 ft

 

Engine

Manufacturer: Pratt & Whitney
Model: PW530A
Horsepower: 2887 lbf
Overhaul (HT): 4000 TBO

 

 

 

History

 

The Cessna Citation II (Model 550) series of Citation jets are light corporate jets built by Cessna. Stretched from the Citation I, it was announced in September 1976, first flew on January 31, 1977 was certified in March 1978. The II/SP is a single pilot version, the improved S/II first flew on February 14, 1984 and the Citation Bravo upgraded with new avionics and P&WC PW530A turbofans on April 25, 1995, while the United States used it as the T-47. Production ceased in 2006 after 1184 were delivered.

 

Design

 

The Citation II (Model 550) stretches the Citation I fuselage by 3ft 9in, increasing seating capacity to 10 and baggage capacity. Wingspan was increased, its larger fuel capacity and more powerful, 2,500 lbf  Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D4 engines provided higher cruise speeds and longer range.

 

Development

 

The stretched Citation was announced in September 1976, it first flew on January 31 1977 and FAA certification was awarded in March 1978, the II/SP is the single pilot version. A total of 688 aircraft were delivered.

The improved Citation S/II (Model S550) was announced in October 1983 and first flew on February 14, 1984, before certification in July. It gained a supercritical airfoil developed for the Citation III and JT15D4B turbofans. It replaced the II from 1984, but the II resumed production from late 1985, and both were built until the Bravo introduction. Deliveries of the S/II amount to 160.

The improved 2,500 lbf JT15D-4B has higher temperatures components, allowing more thrust at higher altitudes. It could seat 11 people and fuel capacity was increased to 5820 lbs. TKS fluid de-icing was used on airfoils leading edges in addition to bleed air for the engines.

 

Variants

 

Citation II (Model 550)

A larger stretched development of the Model 500 first produced in 1978. Initially replaced by the S/II in production, but was brought back and produced side-by-side with the S/II until the Bravo was introduced.

T-47A (Model 552)

The model 552 is the military designation of the Citation II. The United States Navy purchased 15 T-47A aircraft as radar system trainers.

Citation II/SP (Model 551)

The model 551 is a Citation II certified for single-pilot operations.

Citation S/II (Model S550)

The model S550 incorporated a number of improvements, especially an improved wing. Replaced the II in production.

Citation Bravo (Model 550)

When Cessna decided to update its best-selling private jet, the Citation II, the result was the fuel-efficient Citation Bravo. It has a long range compared to other light-sized private jets and excellent short runway capabilities, allowing its owner to choose from a large selection of small airports.

The model 550 is an updated II and S/II with new PW530A engines, landing gear and Primus 1000 avionics. One of the features that sets the Citation Bravo apart from the competition is its comfort. The engineers designed the cabin to be very quiet, fitted with bagged insulation and an isolated interior shell to eliminate the low-frequency engine fan noise common in small private jets. Additionally, a secondary seal on the cabin door was added to cut wind noise.

The Bravo has several baggage compartments with a combined capacity of seventy-three cubic feet, or about seven suitcases, four golf bags, and a few sets of skis. There is a convenient compartment beside the cabin lavatory for coats and carry-on items, and all of the seats have storage drawers beneath them.

A frequent complaint that Cessna had received from its clients was the difficulty of boarding its jets. They fixed this problem by widening the airstair treads and adding an additional step to make boarding easier.

The Bravo strikes the perfect balance between performance and cost. It costs the same as its predecessor, the Citation II, but outperforms it by far in climb, cruise, and altitude performance. The Bravo lost 150 pounds of fuel carrying capacity, increased the maximum takeoff weight by 500 pounds, and still manages to burn fewer pounds of fuel per hour.

The increased performance of the Citation Bravo is largely due to the new Pratt & Whitney turbofan engines. At the time of its design, no other light-sized private jets were using the PW530A engines. They burn thirteen percent less fuel than the other engines in the series. Cessna’s engineers saw their potential and used them in the Citation Bravo.

Other updates on the Bravo were designed to aid the crew: easier preflight, servicing and maintenance tasks, and so on. The Bravo is a very easy jet to fly, and pilots can become certified to fly it solo. The majority of the improvements on the Bravo, however, will be hard for passengers to miss.

A landing gear new to the Citation series was added to the Bravo. The gear is the trailing link type, which connects the wheel axel on the landing gear to a gas strut that then links up to the wing. This allows the strut to absorb the loads of landing and taxiing over uneven pavement. In other words, the new main landing gear will make taxiing over uneven pavement and landings extremely smooth.

Cessna put an end to cabin pressurization problems in the Bravo by increasing the pressurization to 9.1 psi and installing a digital pressurization controller. It also equipped the cockpit with systems providing traffic avoidance information, weather radar and digital maps.

If the Citation Bravo’s technical capabilities and passenger offerings aren’t enough, consider its price. Its overall operating cost rivals that of even the best-selling turboprops. When compared to the average cost of other light business jets, it was second only to the Citation Jet.

The last Citation Bravo rolled off the production line in late 2006, ending a nearly 10-year production run of 337 aircraft.

 

 

Search for Cessna Citation Bravo 550 Aircraft for sale now!

This article uses material from this Wikipedia article, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
Get FREE Aircraft Market Alerts

Get FREE Aircraft Market Alerts

Join our mailing list to receive the latest Exclusive Aircraft Market Alerts from our team.

IMPORTANT: You must check your email and confirm after you subscribe to receive alerts from our system!

I want to receive...

Success! Now, please check your email to confirm!