Until Gulfstream achieves full certification and starts delivering its G650, Cessna’s Citation X can still claim its spot as the fastest civil airplane in the sky. With its Fadec-controlled Rolls-Royce AE3007C1 engines, which are about the size of some single-engine airplane fuselages and each produce 6,674 pounds of thrust at sea level, the airplane can cruise near the speed of sound at Mach 0.92. The Citation X earned Cessna the Collier Trophy when it was introduced in 1996. In 2010, Cessna felt the popular business jet needed a face-lift and announced a slightly larger version, simply called “The Ten,” which is expected to hit the market in 2013 with a Garmin G5000 touch screen panel in place of the X’s Primus 2000 Elite and lots of other upgrades. "To say that I am not somewhat biased regarding the Citation X would be an understatement. I recommended to my friends at Cessna a few requirements that I wanted to see in a corporate jet prior to the Citation X. My main points were that it should have these key attributes: speed, range and a large cabin size. I had the honor of taking delivery of the first production Citation X in August 1996, and am delighted to say that it has been everything I envisioned. Fifteen-plus years later, we are still flying a Citation X (I traded in for a new one in 2002) and I could not be more pleased. It is reliable and still the fastest bird out there, looks great, and deserves to be ranked among the greatest airplanes of all time." — Arnold PalmerGet exclusive online content like this delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for our free enewsletter