Just curious…anyone know what the smallest general aviation jet (VLJ) is that has thrust reversers? Thanks in advance.
Citation 500s were modified with TR’s.
Lear 23’s had TRs.
That’s a conundrum!
None of the jets in the “VLJ” category have T/R’s. The only current production “Light” category jets with T/R’s are the Beech/Hawker 400XP, the Citation Encore+, and the Learjet 40XR.
Thank you very much for the replies. I asked only because I could have sworn I saw a Citation at KSDL that was small enough to be a CJ but with TR. Just curious. Thanks again.
If what you saw was a CJ, it may have been an earlier model equipped with thrust attenuators (they look like paddles) which are often confused as thrust reversers. The thrust attenuator equipped CJ’s provide no braking (thrust reverse) capability, and therefore no tangable benefit in reducing accelerate/stop, and landing field lengths. Their purpose is to eliminate residual thrust at engine idle which aids in controlling taxi speed.
They were not installed on the CJ1/2 “+” and 3/4 series airplanes as these airplanes were introduced with FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control) equipped Williams engines. The FADEC more finely controls the engine and allowed for a significant reduction in idle speeds and conversely idle thrust. The “+” and 3/4 airplanes benefited in their elimination with reduced maintenance complexity/cost and weight reduction.
You could have seen a Citation 500 / Citation I series. They did have the option of TRs