Fresh Turbine Inventory: Cessna 550 Citation II Enters Disassembly at BAS

Posted by Clinton McJenkin on Apr 27th 2026

There is a certain kind of airplane that does not need to be dramatic to matter. The Cessna Citation II is one of them. It was not built to be a ramp queen. It was built to go to work. Short runways, real schedules, business trips, owner-operators, corporate flight departments, regional hops, and the kind of everyday jet work that does not make headlines but keeps aviation moving. Our 1982 Cessna Citation II is now entering the BAS turbine hangar for disassembly. The flying chapter is closing, but the useful part is far from over. This is where the airplane gets one more job.

A Working Jet With One More Job to Do

Our 1982 Cessna Citation II is now entering the BAS turbine hangar for disassembly. The flying chapter is closing, but the useful part is far from over. This is where the airplane gets one more job.

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Cessna Citation II — The One That Made Light Jets Work

The Citation II did not try to reinvent the category. It fixed what needed fixing and scaled what already worked. Introduced in the late 1970s as a stretched development of the original Citation I, the Model 550 took a platform known for forgiving handling and short-field performance and gave it more of everything that mattered. More cabin, more fuel, more speed, and more range.

It is easy to overlook how important that was at the time.

Early light jets had a reputation problem. Useful, yes. Efficient, yes. But slow, limited, and often a compromise. The Citation II answered that directly. Cessna stretched the fuselage, increased wingspan and fuel capacity, and added more powerful JT15D engines. Cruise speeds pushed into the high 300-knot range, with range to match real business use instead of short hops.

The result was not flashy. It was practical. And it worked.

As work begins on this Citation II, recovery will focus where the fleet still depends on it:

JT15D engine components and accessories
Sperry SPZ 500 flight director and autopilot components
Collins avionics and radio equipment
Universal UNS-1K FMS components
Sperry Primus 300SL weather radar equipment
Honeywell Mark VII EGPWS components
Honeywell TCAS I components
Landing gear, wheels, brakes, actuators, and accessories
Flight control surfaces and related hardware
Thrust reverser components
Freon air conditioning system components
Oxygen system components
Cabin seating, interior components, cabinetry, and hardware
And Much More!!!

970-313-4823 • sales@baspartsales.com

CESSNA 550 CITATION II

The Jet That Figured Out the Assignment

The Citation II came from a simple idea: take what worked in the original Citation and give operators more of it.

More cabin. More fuel. More speed. More range. More capability without turning the airplane into a runway-hungry diva. Cessna announced the stretched Model 550 in 1976, flew it for the first time in January 1977, and earned certification in March 1978. It was developed from the Citation I, but it was not just a longer Citation with a bigger business card. Cessna stretched the fuselage, increased seating capacity, added wingspan, increased fuel capacity, and installed more powerful Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-4 engines. The result was a light jet that kept the forgiving handling and short-field usefulness of the early Citation line, while answering one of the Citation I’s biggest criticisms: speed.

That mattered.

The Citation II helped make light jets practical for a wider group of operators. It could get into useful airports, carry a sensible load, and handle the kind of missions that made ownership make sense. Not every airplane has to be glamorous. Some just need to show up, fly the trip, and do it again.

The Citation II did exactly that.

CESSNA 550 CITATION II

A Working-Class Business Jet, In the Best Way

There is a reason these airplanes stayed relevant for decades.

The Citation II was approachable, capable, and adaptable. It found homes with corporations, charter operators, government agencies, air ambulance operators, and private owners who needed real jet capability without stepping into a larger, more expensive category.

The platform kept evolving, too. The II/SP brought single-pilot capability. The S/II added a supercritical wing and performance improvements. The Bravo later brought new engines, updated avionics, and another long production run. Across the Citation II, II/SP, S/II, and Bravo family, Cessna delivered 1,184 aircraft before production ended in 2006.

That is not a footnote. That is a fleet. And when an aircraft becomes a fleet, the parts matter.

CESSNA 550 CITATION II

1982 Cessna 550 Citation II

This particular 1982 Citation II, serial number 418, has a history that reads like a well-used business jet rather than a museum piece.

The equipment list tells the same story. Sperry SPZ 500 flight director and autopilot with altitude preselect. Dual Collins VHF-20 comms. Dual Collins VIR-30 navs. Dual Collins DME-40. Dual Collins TDR-90 transponders. Sperry Primus 300SL color weather radar. Honeywell Mark VII EGPWS with windshear. Honeywell TCAS I. Universal UNS-1K FMS with GPS. That is the kind of panel mix you expect from an airplane that kept working.

Not brand-new. Not pretending to be. Just equipped, maintained, upgraded over time, and used for the job it was built to do. The cabin followed the same pattern. Seven-passenger executive configuration, four-place club seating, aft belted lav, bone leather, walnut woodwork, sheepskin pilot seats, and a forward refreshment center. A proper light jet cabin from an era when the goal was simple: get people where they needed to go without making the airplane bigger than the mission.

Interior ceiling of an aircraft, featuring lights and air vents.

CESSNA 550 CITATION II

Why This Airplane Still Matters

Disassembly is not the end of the airplane’s usefulness. Around here, that is usually where the next chapter starts. The Citation II fleet is still supported by shops, operators, mechanics, owners, and parts buyers who need real components from real aircraft. These airplanes were built in serious numbers, flown for serious hours, and kept in service across decades. That creates steady demand for the systems that keep them moving.

Avionics. Flight controls. Landing gear. Thrust reversers. Environmental components. Cabin pieces. Airframe parts. Engine accessories.

The aircraft may be done flying, but the inventory is not done working. That is the point.

CESSNA 550 CITATION II

Supporting the Citation Fleet, One Useful Part at a Time

The Citation II earned its place by being practical. That is still what makes it valuable. This Citation II may be leaving service as an aircraft, but the good parts still have work ahead of them. Some will go back into flying airplanes. Some will support shops, owners, and maintenance teams trying to keep another Citation moving. Some will sit on a shelf until the exact right problem shows up.

That is not scrap. That is inventory with a logbook, a job history, and another chance to be useful.

The mission has changed. The airplane is not finished.

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Clinton McJenkin

Sales & Marketing Director
BAS Part Sales

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