What’s My Favorite Jet? Comparing the Citation Encore and CJ3

Recently, I was speaking to a client who is considering the acquisition of a jet, and the question was asked – what is my favorite light jet?

While normally I would evaluate the client’s mission parameters, operating and acquisition costs to recommend the right jet for them, this time, I was being asked to name MY favorite light jet.

I flew my first CJ in 2001, and over the years have flown every Citation model – some more, some less – as a professional pilot. Of my over 9000 hours of flight time, half of it is in Citations with a majority of the time split between the Encore and CJ3, and most of that time flown single pilot.

On long flights, I would play the game of trying to decide which of the two I liked best, based on the features and attributes of each. The game would inevitably lead to choosing my favorite attributes of each and combining them into a new clean sheet design aircraft, as I had too many features that I liked to choose just one as my favorite (yes, I am a geek).

I love the speed of the Encore (.755), the climb rate below 10,000 feet (high-bypass turbofan) and the feeling of being pushed back in my seat on takeoff. But the CJ3’s fuel burn is approximately 150 pounds per hour less than the Encore at its speed of .737. Is it worth the slightly additional cost in fuel for the nominal increase in speed? Maybe yes, maybe no.

The range of both aircraft are the same 1800 nm so they both win in the range game. But the Encore shines as we start adding passengers. It takes adding more passengers in the Encore to shorten the range than it does in the CJ3.

The CJ3 has a cavernous baggage compartment, where the Encore comes in second place because of the smaller, yet still significant, baggage space. The Encore offers two nifty features in the cockpit that the CJ3 doesn’t have – footwarmers (which I absolutely love!) and a storm window, sometimes jokingly called the “whiskey hatch”. This window comes in handy when needing to pass info from ground personnel to the crew after the cabin door has been closed. Both have belted lavatory seats as an option that were widely chosen at delivery, and both airframes feature a fully enclosed aft lavatory. The CJ3 comes with 6 seats in the cabin and an optional 7th, side facing divan-style seat by the door in place of the large galley cabinet. The Encore has a slight advantage in that the 7th seat is a full, aft facing seat, but the cabinetry is slight compared to the cabinetry offered in the 6-seat configuration of the CJ3.

Where the CJ3 shines in comparison to the Encore is in the avionics. The Encore comes standard with the Honeywell Primus avionics while the CJ3 has the more robust Collins ProLine 21 package. The CJ3 even has the option of the Collins Fusion package aftermarket upgrade, but it’s not my favorite, so I’ll leave it out of this comparison. To level the playing field, my comparison has to change from the Encore to the Encore+, which features the ProLine 21 panel and FADEC. Now, we have a true side-by-side comparison.

Now that both aircraft have the same avionics set-up and engine operation management, let’s look at ease of flying and training requirements. Both aircraft have FADEC, which makes engine operation a breeze. The CJ3 feels like a nimble, fun sportscar on takeoff, while the Encore feels like a sporty hotrod. Handling is similar once airborne, but the Encore has a slightly heavier and sturdier feel due to the weight of the aircraft (Encore+ max gross weight is 16,830 lbs while the CJ3 is 14,700 lbs).

For training, the training is identical unless you plan to fly single pilot. For single pilot CJ3 operation, assuming using simulator-based training, training consists of a two-week initial training program with the outcome being a CE525s type rating, allowing single pilot or crew operations. Recurrent training is accomplished annually. For single pilot operations in the Encore or Encore+, training consists of a two-week initial course with the outcome being a CE500 type rating, which permits crew operations only. An additional training and checking event results in a single pilot waiver. Recurrent training and checking for the single pilot waiver occur annually, just like in the CJ3.

Thrust reversers or not? It’s an added maintenance expense and all landing data on the Encore is calculated considering no reverser usage, so I consider them to be a bonus. Having TRs also translates to learning a few more memory items. Workload is no higher than flying the CJ3 as your right hand is going to either deploy the thrust reversers (Encore) or deploy the speedbrakes (CJ3).

In terms of engine programs, hands down my favorite engine program is Williams’ TAP Blue, which has the benefit of FOD (foreign object damage) and corrosion coverage. Pratt and Whitney does not offer a comparable engine program. If an engine program is important to you, go with a Williams engine (the CJ3) and TAP Blue. If you prefer to not have an engine program, I would steer away from the CJ3 and instead consider an Encore or Encore+ that has recently had engine overhauls or hot section inspections.

The last item to compare objectively is acquisition cost. At this time, an Encore+ and CJ3 with similar hours and age can be acquired for just about the same cost. With acquisition costs of between $4,500,000 and $5,000,000 for comparable Citation CJ3 and Encore+ airframes made in 2007-2009, there’s a lot of bang for the buck with these capable aircraft.

So, what’s my favorite light jet? I’ve determined I love the Encore+ and CJ3 equally, for what they each uniquely bring to the table. However, if I wanted to save approximately $2,000,000 on acquisition costs, I would choose the Encore to get the exact same performance and capability of the Encore+, without FADEC and ProLine 21.