Bombardier Learjet 31 vs Cessna 500/Citation I

Side-by-side specs, range, and real operating costs for up to 5 aircraft.

Aircraft

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Mission Performance

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Values normalised across compared aircraft. Fuel Economy is inverted (lower burn = higher score). See table below for raw figures.

Mission Performance Details

Metric Bombardier Learjet 31 Learjet Cessna 500/Citation I Cessna
Stall Speed 119 kts 85 kts
Approach Speed 113 kts 91 kts
Cruise Speed 456 kts 357 kts
Range 1,250 nm 1,325 nm
Service Ceiling 51,000 ft 41,000 ft
Rate of Climb 5,480 fpm 2,719 fpm
Fuel Burn 177.0 gph 166.1 gph

Flight Profile

Service ceiling, range, and climb rate.

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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.

Fuel Burn & Range

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

Bombardier Learjet 31 Jet A
177.0 gph
baseline
1,250 nm range 615 gal usable 3h 28m endurance 2.6 nm/gal $1,062 fuel/hr
Bombardier Learjet 31: 177.0 gallons per hour at cruise, 1,250 nautical mile published range, 3 hour 28 minute endurance, 2.6 nautical miles per gallon.
Cessna 500/Citation I Jet A
166.1 gph
−10.9 gph
1,325 nm range 564 gal usable 3h 23m endurance 2.1 nm/gal $997 fuel/hr
Cessna 500/Citation I: 166.1 gallons per hour 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

Bars show published still-air range. Endurance is usable fuel divided by the published cruise burn. 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
Density Altitude

Takeoff over 50 ft obstacle

Landing ground roll

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

Scale:
Bombardier Learjet 31Jet A
$1,774 /hr
Bombardier Learjet 31: $1,774 per flight hour — fuel $1,062, maintenance and reserve $712.
Cessna 500/Citation IJet A
$1,625 /hr
Cessna 500/Citation I: $1,625 per flight hour — fuel $997, maintenance and reserve $628.
Bombardier Learjet 31 Jet
$15,501 /yr
Bombardier Learjet 31: $15,501 per year — insurance withheld, hangar $13,001, annual inspection $2,500.
Cessna 500/Citation I Turbofan
$14,962 /yr
Cessna 500/Citation I: $14,962 per year — insurance withheld, hangar $12,462, annual inspection $2,500.

Estimates only. Costs vary by location, pilot profile, and market conditions. See individual aircraft pages for source notes.

Capability & limits

Each bar stacks your selected occupants against full fuel and the aircraft's useful-load limit (the black line). The open gap between them is spare payload. Add an occupant and the gap closes; once it's gone, fuel has to give.

Occupants at 190 + 30 lb each
1
Bombardier Learjet 31
8 / 8 seats 615 / 615 gal fuel 1,866 lb wet payload 5,986 lb useful 17,000 lb MTOW
Cessna 500/Citation I
9 / 9 seats 564 / 564 gal fuel 818 lb wet payload 4,597 lb useful 11,850 lb MTOW

Occupants at 190 + 30 lb each. Fuel at 6.7 lb/gal jet-A, 6.0 lb/gal avgas.

Dimensions & configuration

Representative planforms, drawn to shared scale.

Bombardier Learjet 31
43.8 × 48.7 ft 12.3 ft tall
2× Jet Retractable Pressurized
Cessna 500/Citation I
47.1 × 43.5 ft 14.3 ft tall
2× Turbofan Retractable Pressurized

Payload-Range Map

Full fuel ← → Max payload

Origin: · two fingers to move map

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