Cessna Citation III

The Cessna Citation III, Model 650, is an American business jet and an all-new design with a 312 square foot swept wing, a T-tail and two TFE731 turbofans. Announced at the October 1976 NBAA convention, it made its maiden flight on 30 May 1979, was type certified on 30 April 1982, the first aircraft with a supercritical wing certified in the United States, and was delivered between 1983 and 1992. Its fuselage cross section and cockpit were reused in the later Citation X, Excel and Sovereign. Delays followed new certification rules after the American Airlines Flight 191 crash, which forced fuel system changes that reduced the aircraft range. The cheaper Citation VI and the more powerful Citation VII followed, 360 of all variants were delivered, and a proposed Citation IV was canceled.