Beechcraft King Air 90 vs Cessna 500/Citation I

Side-by-side specs, range, and operating costs.

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Dimensions & configuration

Representative planforms, drawn to shared scale.

Beechcraft King Air 90
50 ft × 36 ft ⭥ 14 ft
2× Turboprop Retractable Pressurized
Cessna 500/Citation I
47 ft × 44 ft ⭥ 14 ft
2× Turbofan Retractable Pressurized

Flight Profile

Service ceiling, range, and climb rate.

Tap legend to isolate

Arc represents the climb-cruise-descent profile based on published service ceiling and range. Climb rate annotated on ascent. FL180 (18,000 ft) shown for reference.

Mission Performance

Stall, approach, cruise, range, ceiling and climb: best values are at the top.

Mission performance specifications
Specification Beechcraft King Air 90Cessna 500/Citation I
Stall speed 88 kt85 kt
Approach speed 100 kt91 kt
Cruise speed 245 kt357 kt
Range 1468 nm1325 nm
Service ceiling 27620 ft41000 ft
Rate of climb 1870 fpm2719 fpm
Fuel burn 78.0 gph166.1 gph

Each axis is scaled independently across the compared aircraft and printed in its own units; every vertex sits at the published figure. Higher is better on all axes: Stall, Approach and Fuel Burn are inverted (lower = higher). A missing figure breaks the line at that axis.

Fuel Burn & Range

Range, endurance, and what the fuel costs by the hour.

Beechcraft King Air 90 Jet A
78.0 gph
Baseline
1,468 nm range 3.1 nm/gal 474 gal usable $468 fuel/hr 6h 04m endurance
Beechcraft King Air 90: 78.0 gph at cruise, 1,468 nautical mile published range, 6 hour 4 minute endurance, 3.1 nautical miles per gallon.
Cessna 500/Citation I Jet A
166.1 gph
Baseline
1,325 nm range 2.1 nm/gal 564 gal usable $997 fuel/hr 3h 23m endurance
Cessna 500/Citation I: 166.1 gph at cruise, 1,325 nautical mile published range, 3 hour 23 minute endurance, 2.1 nautical miles per gallon.
Jet A range each cell = 1 hr of cruise · width scales with speed tank-dry · at this cruise burn

Bars show published still-air range: select a cell to view cruise-hours and fuel usage. Endurance is full tank at the displayed cruise burn rate; the extra is reserve and economy margin. Estimates only. Always verify against the POH.

Runway Performance

Density altitude adjusted estimates

Outside Air Temp
0°F57°F115°F
Field Elevation
SL4,0008,000 ft

Takeoff over 50 ft obstacle

Landing over 50 ft obstacle

Density Altitude

Monte cristo

Base distance DA penalty
Scale: 6,000 ft

FAA 10%/1,000 ft DA rule of thumb (FAA-H-8083-25B). Turboprops and jets are less sensitive in practice. Always verify against the POH.

Estimated Operating Costs

Hourly direct and annual fixed costs

Scale:
Beechcraft King Air 90 Jet A
$1,329 /hr
Baseline
Beechcraft King Air 90: $1,329 per flight hour — fuel $468, maintenance and reserve $861.
Cessna 500/Citation I Jet A
$1,625 /hr
Baseline
Cessna 500/Citation I: $1,625 per flight hour — fuel $997, maintenance and reserve $628.
Beechcraft King Air 90 Turboprop
$23,249 /yr Baseline
Beechcraft King Air 90: $23,249 per year — insurance withheld, hangar $10,981, annual inspection $12,268.
Cessna 500/Citation I Turbofan
$14,962 /yr Baseline
Cessna 500/Citation I: $14,962 per year — insurance withheld, hangar $12,462, annual inspection $2,500.

Estimates only. Hourly direct operating cost, based on fuel price and reserves; Annual fixed costs (insurance, hangar, and inspection). Costs vary by location, pilot profile, and market conditions. See individual aircraft pages for source notes.

Capability & limits

Payload vs useful load limit

+ cargo
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Beechcraft King Air 90 Turboprop
10 / 10 seats cargo 474 gal / 474 gal fuel 384 lbs wet payload 3,560 lbs useful 10,100 lbs MTOW
Cessna 500/Citation I Turbofan
9 / 9 seats cargo 564 gal / 564 gal fuel 818 lbs wet payload 4,597 lbs useful 11,850 lbs MTOW

Shows selected occupants against full fuel, within the aircraft's useful-load limit. Fuel weight at 6.7 lb/gal jet-A, 6.0 lb/gal avgas; pax and luggage are 190 + 30 . Change payload weights in global settings.

Payload-Range Map

Origin: → · two fingers to move map

+ cargo
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