Encore vs. Ultra

In the year 2000, the Cessna Aircraft Corporation replaced one of the best-selling private jets in the aviation industry, the Citation Ultra.   This popular jet was retired to make way for the new Citation Encore.  

Cessna took away the venerable Pratt &Whitney JT15-5D in favor of the fuel-sipping PW535A.  The newer engine seemed like a great answer to the fuel economy question, and combined with a 42% increase in the overhaul period, you should have a clear winner between the two aircraft.  But do you?

The overhauls for the PW535A are proving to be quite expensive, and the 16% better fuel economy doesn’t effectively change the range because of the addition of trailing link gear and loss of fuel capacity.

So which private jet is the best?   Both!

The Ultra has the advantage in runway performance which translates into range capability, lower cost overhauls, and lower cost of acquisition.

The Encore has the advantage in the climb, acceleration, bleed air heated leading edge, fuel economy, and of course the trailing link gear, which smoothes out those landings and ground operation.

Though Cessna may not have “leaped” forward with the Encore, they have managed to make some improvements on an already exceptional private jet…the Ultra.