Business jet dimensions compared
Business jets in the FAA file span 35.6 ft to 77.8 ft and run 30.7 ft to 88.3 ft long: the Learjet 23 has the smallest span and the Gulfstream IV the largest, while the Cirrus Vision Jet SF50 is the shortest and the Gulfstream IV the longest. Of the 60 types, 24 are in Design Group I and 36 in Group II.
Which types count
The file has no “business jet” field, so this explainer starts from every jet in Design Groups I and II with a published maximum takeoff weight under 110,000 lb. That gives 73 types. Seven are military (Super Hornet, A-10, F-16, F-22, F-15, Hornet and T-38) and six are regional airliners (CRJ100, CRJ200, CRJ700, ERJ 135/140, ERJ 145 and 328JET); both sets are left out. The remaining 60 are the business and personal jets compared below.
By maker
Cessna has the most types in the set with 19, from the Citation Mustang to the Citation Longitude, followed by Learjet with 10. The Learjets have spans from 35.6 ft to 50.9 ft, with 8 of the 10 under the 49 ft line of Group II.
| Maker | Types | Wingspan | Length | Tail height |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna | 19 | 43.2–72.3 ft | 40.6–73.2 ft | 13.4–20.9 ft |
| Learjet | 10 | 35.6–50.9 ft | 43.3–58.7 ft | 12.3–14.7 ft |
| Gulfstream | 6 | 55.6–77.8 ft | 56.8–88.3 ft | 19.1–24.5 ft |
| Dassault | 5 | 42.9–63.4 ft | 45.5–66.3 ft | 15.1–24.8 ft |
| Embraer | 4 | 40.3–66.5 ft | 42.1–68.0 ft | 14.3–21.1 ft |
| Hawker | 4 | 47.0–61.8 ft | 50.5–69.2 ft | 16.5–19.6 ft |
| Bombardier | 3 | 63.8–68.9 ft | 68.4–68.8 ft | 20.0–20.7 ft |
| Beech | 2 | 43.5–44.5 ft | 46.0–48.4 ft | 13.9–15.3 ft |
| IAI | 2 | 44.8–52.7 ft | 52.3–55.6 ft | 15.8–18.2 ft |
| Sabreliner | 2 | 44.7–44.7 ft | 46.9–46.9 ft | 16.0–16.0 ft |
| Cirrus | 1 | 38.7 ft | 30.7 ft | 10.9 ft |
| Eclipse | 1 | 37.3 ft | 33.1 ft | 11.0 ft |
| Pilatus | 1 | 55.8 ft | 55.3 ft | 17.7 ft |
Wingspan ranges of the makers with four or more types
Design Group I and II
The 49 ft line between Groups I and II cuts through the business-jet range: Cessna, Learjet, Dassault, Embraer, Hawker and IAI each have types on both sides of it, while every Gulfstream in the set is in Group II. The Learjet 40 and Learjet 45 stop 1.2 ft short of the line. At the upper end no type in the set reaches the 79 ft line of Group III; the Gulfstream III and IV come closest at 77.8 ft, 1.2 ft short.
Length and tail height
Length varies more than span. The longest type in the set, the Gulfstream IV, is 2.9 times as long as the shortest, the Cirrus Vision Jet SF50; the widest span is 2.2 times the narrowest. Tail heights run from 10.9 ft to 24.8 ft, all well under the 30 ft tail line of Group III.
Shape and gear
Business jets are mostly longer than they are wide: only 22 of the 60 have a wingspan greater than their length, among them the Cirrus Vision Jet SF50, Cessna Citation Latitude and Eclipse 500. Main gear width runs from 5.4 ft on the Dassault Falcon 10 to 17.6 ft on the Cessna Citation V / Ultra / Encore, and the wheelbase from 10.9 ft to 38.1 ft. Both are listed on each type’s page where the type has one, and in the overlay for every type.
In US flight plans
The FAA file’s FY2024 counts of US flight-plan operations put the Embraer Phenom 300 (349,746), Cessna Citation Excel/XLS (336,338) and Cessna Citation Latitude (272,492) at the top of this set. On the US register the Cessna Citation Excel/XLS leads with 636 aircraft. Both counts cover the United States only, and the operations only flights with a flight plan.
Weight and approach category
Published maximum takeoff weights in the set run from 5,950 lb on the Eclipse 500 to 73,200 lb on the Gulfstream IV, a factor of 12.3. Weight follows size only loosely: the Cessna Citation Latitude has a wider span than the Gulfstream II but weighs 31,200 lb less.
By Approach Category the 60 jets split into 1 in Category A, 27 in Category B, 31 in Category C and 1 in Category D. Their FAA reference approach speeds, the input for that category, run from 87 to 144 kt. The Gulfstream IV is the only type in the set that the FAA lists in two categories, C and D. Each maker’s types are drawn to one scale on the maker pages, and the Design Group pages place them among the turboprops and piston types of the same size.
What this does not cover
The figures are external dimensions and weights from the FAA file. Cabin sizes, range and other specifications are not in it, and this site does not give advice on hangars, charter or purchase. To see two of these jets at one scale, use the overlay; every type also appears on the Group I or Group II page.
Sources: FAA Aircraft Characteristics Database, October 2024 release; FAA Advisory Circular 150/5300-13B, Table 1-2. Selection and ranges computed by this site.