FAA Revokes Solo Flying Privileges in Legacy Cessna Citations, Stirring Up the General Aviation World
In a significant regulatory shift, the FAA has terminated a long-standing exemption program that permitted qualified pilots to operate specific legacy Cessna Citation jets solo. This policy, unveiled in the Federal Register on September 28, 2026, was implemented immediately, leaving many operators unprepared.
The impacted aircraft encompass the Citation I, Citation II, Citation S/II, Citation V, Citation Ultra, Citation Bravo, Citation Encore, and Encore+. All these models are certified under Part 25 and legally necessitate two pilots. Since 1984, the FAA had been granting exemptions for single-pilot operations for these models. However, this program has now been abolished following a compliance review that revealed severe training violations, such as examiners falsifying records and training providers taking shortcuts.
The FAA further substantiated its decision with 18 years of accident data. The findings revealed that Part 25 CE-500 aircraft flown by a single pilot were involved in nearly double the rate of accidents compared to similar Part 23 variants. It’s important to note that this action does not impact the Citation Mustang or the CJ family, which maintain their single-pilot certifications. The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has publicly challenged the suddenness of the rescission. Senior Vice President Heidi Williams expressed concerns about the absence of prior notice to the affected operators.
Source: GlobalAir.com – FAA Ends Single-Pilot Flying in Legacy Citations