Among the common pilot, Cessna is one of the most well-known brands of airplanes around. Cessna is an American aircraft company, founded in 1927 and stationed in America's heartland, Wichita, Kansas. The smaller brand is a subsidiary of Textron.

Recently, the solo-fliers' favorite has been trying to expand their line to include the high-class business world. The Cessna CitationJet (CJ) Model 525 is the result, and as one of the first models, the CJ1+ remains among the most popular.

The CitationJets come in CJ1, CJ2, CJ3 and CJ4 editions, but they're all just slightly different jets from the same family. Model 525 is the staple of Cessna's business jet world, and the first CJ was launched in 1989.

The CJ1+ uses a modified version of the Citation's (a popular aircraft previous to the CitationJet) forward fuselage. The difference being the CJ has a supercritical laminar flow wing and even a brand new T-tail configured tailplane.

This jet doesn't just float with the clouds. Instead, CJ is a legitimate jet with the speed to match. Its power comes from two Williams FJ44 turbofans, which produce ample thrust and carry the plane at impressive speeds.

When CJ1 was developed, it was basically an experiment to improve on the original CitationJet. An ultra-modern avionics suite was added and amendments were made giving the plane a higher maximum takeoff weight.

Today, the CJ1+ is the official production replacement for CJ1. Although the two aircrafts share the same frame, the avionics package was again updated, and a new FADEC feature allows for the engines to be controlled by the computer instead of manually.

CJ1+ isn't as big as some of the competitor business jets on the market. Although, you'll still find a lavish interior; comfortable reclining seats; plenty of headroom; a refreshments bar; fold-out tables; and enough entertainment options to make any flight exciting.

The jet is only capable of holding 5 passengers and 1 pilot, or 2 pilots and 4 passengers. It has a payload of 615 pounds, a length of 42-feet 7-inches, and can fly at speeds over 720 kilometers/hour.

It doesn't have nearly the range that other popular jets have. CJ1+ barely pushes 2,400 kilometers in one go, but for in-country flying, the Cessna CJ1+ has been an American favorite for years.

Some of the updated aircraft systems are top of the line. On board, the CJ1+ has two separate GPS navigational systems, detailed weather radar, storm scope, and an improved flight management system.

As you go up the line and examine the other planes in Cessna's catalog, most of the Model 525's are relatively the same. Various adjustments are made on the CJ2, and others in the line are larger, have more powerful engines, and other slight tweaks that increase performance.

Although the CJ1+ isn't an overly expensive aircraft, the luxury of owning one will still set you back $5 million at the minimum for a new jet. Others in the Model 525 family have similar price tags.