Young Americans buy a Cessna private jet in cash and attempt to fly it 1,800 miles home to Phoenix, one of them has never even flown private before
- A pair of young American YouTubers have bought a Cessna private jet
- The guys and their team attempted to fly the aircraft home nearly 2,000 miles
- The Cessna is a 501 Citation built in the mid-1970s
Published on Mar 05, 2025 at 3:34 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Mar 06, 2025 at 10:11 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
A pair of young American YouTubers, aged 23 and 27 at the time of recording in 2023, have achieved a dream by buying a classic Cessna Citation 501 private jet and flying it home.
YouTubers JR Aviation bought the jet for cash and then had to fly the aircraft 1,800 miles to get home.
One of the pair hadn’t flown private before, making it a first-time experience for them.
Following the flight home, the duo then had to work out how much to spend to upgrade the aircraft.
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The YouTubers tested the jet before they flew it home
After arriving at the airfield where the airplane was located, a couple of little niggles had to be ironed out before it was tested.
The jet had brakes and a new tire fitted before it went out for a speedy taxi run to ensure everything was okay.
One of the YouTubers, Ricky, had never been in a private jet.
But then his teammate, JR, revealed that he hadn’t flown in any jet at all, making this an actual first-time experience.
Despite having bought the jet sight unseen, the Cessna was in excellent condition.
Some parts inside, such as the seat leather, looked a little tired, but overall, it was impressive.
The pair and their team loaded onto the jet and began to take off, with the 501 presenting no issues.
The flight home in the private jet went perfectly
The plane did need to stop to refuel a couple of times during the journey, and that, too, passed by with no problems.
However, refueling the Citation wasn’t cheap.
The lowest they got the fuel at was $4.30 a gallon, and the Citation holds 564 gallons.
That meant that it cost $2,425.20 to fill the Citation up, and that was at the cheapest stop-over!
The Citation eventually arrived at its new home in Phoenix, Arizona.
JR and Ricky have since posted more videos on their channel about the jet, detailing what its like owning a Cessna, including how much it costs to maintain.
The duo certainly has a classic jet on their hands.
Cessna’s Citation family has been around since 1971, and the private jet remained in production until 1985.
The Citation 501 the YouTubers bought was first introduced in 1976 as an upgrade to the 500 Citation.
Can you imagine owning a private jet at such a young age?
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Henry is a content writer with nearly ten years experience, having written for various publications since 2017. Qualifying with a Sports Journalism degree from Staffordshire University, Henry loves all things automotive but has a particular soft spot for classic Japanese cars and anything Lancia. He also has a curious passion for steam locomotives.
