American breaks down the 'obscene' cost of owning a private jet after picking up Cessna from what was meant to be a routine first service
- Here’s exactly how much owning a Cessna Citation 501SP costs
- A maintenance bill took one content creator by surprise
- Expenses ranged from avionics to engine upgrades and more
Published on Mar 15, 2025 at 11:40 AM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Apr 18, 2025 at 5:25 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
We all know that owning a private jet would be expensive, but one content creator and Cessna Citation 501SP owner discovered just how enormous the cost really is.
The expenses ranged from avionics upgrades and engine overhauls to scheduled maintenance, inspections, taxes, and more.
The figure owed was sadly a lot higher than they’d bargained for.
Can they afford to keep the private jet?
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The Cessna Citation 501SP
A relatively small private jet, the Cessna Citation 501SP was in production from 1977 to 1985.
With an airplane cabin measuring 11.3ft long by 4.7ft wide by 4.3ft tall, it’s not the biggest private jet ever.
Its modest dimensions mean it’ll seat five people comfortably, with a baggage compartment that holds up to eight bags.
Despite being small, its first service bill was bigger than its owner, Jeff Alan of JR Aviation had ever anticipated.
Let’s break it down.
‘I don’t think I will ever complain about a car maintenance item ever again, none of our cars will ever come close to the magnitude and expense of maintenance that is this private jet,” Alan said.
“You think owning a Ferrari or Lamborghini is expensive? I’m telling you that is peanuts compared to what I’m about to outline,” he warned.
Private jet cost
The unexpected maintenance bill for their Cessna Citation 501 SP was significantly higher than they’d expected.
Jet maintenance is divided into phases, with Phase 5 being the most comprehensive and costly coming to $75,000 every two years due to regular inspections and checks that come with hefty price tags.
Routine inspections start with Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum checks to reduce the distance between aircraft at certain altitudes, allowing more aircraft to fly to reduce delays and improve air traffic flow.
They also include engine fire bottle replacements that can cost thousands of dollars – and these quickly add up.
What’s more, delays in scheduling maintenance led to additional required work, further increasing the total as the private jet sat idle for months.
One of the most expensive parts was a difficult-to-source nitrogen landing gear bottle that needed to be replaced at a cost of around $10,000.
The total bill for six inspections, as well as repairs, came to $27,080.67.
With engine overhauls totaling up to $400,000 per engine, it seems like this is only the beginning of the expenses.
“My bank account’s a whole lot lighter now but, hey, I learned a lot,” Alan said of the experience.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
