I searched the forum and didn't find much in the way of discussion on the M2 so I figured it deserved it's own thread.

What does the Beechtalk braintrust think?

I'll go on the record as saying it is a great airplane, much like it's predecessor the CJ1+ it is limited in size and range... but efficient, winglets and a G3000... what else do you want!

I love the M2. I think it's a great plane if you don't have to bring many people and you just "want a jet" with G3000. It's a Big SF50.

The M2 is a very nice plane. It's the CJ1's big brother. The higher thrust rating serves it well. I've flown one a couple times and reached 400kts TAS both times in cruise. Compared to the Mustang, it has some pros and cons. Pros would be speed, range, another seat, G3000, cabin width (+3"), cabin height (+3"), and the hot wing. Cons would be tighter cockpit, bleed air windshield heat, 0 leading edge wing sweep, less external baggage capacity (46 vs 57), and operating costs. It's a really solid airplane and is the gold standard for its category (but I like my Mustang better).

Got a demo flight in one. The cockpit was very tight for me and not possible for my even taller friend.

However, it is a really nice plane. Easy to fly - the sight picture felt a lot like my Columbia 400. It would be a cinch coming from a TTx. Everything is in the same place. I could have flown the demo with only a little coaching.

My extra tall friend found the back comfortable, but was disappointed at being all but unable to enter the cockpit.

There are huge threads discussing the M2 vs. others.

I think of it as a three hour airplane. But all depends how much fuel you want in reserve. What would be decent 5-6 hundred pounds?
Fill it up, and it's a two person plane. I need it for 1000-1100 nm trips and so just doesn't seem to have enough useful load when I am ranging it out. Spend that much and have to make fuel stops, not for me.Hot wing, totally great to have. And willing to put up with bleed air on the windshield.
Williams engine. I would not fly it enough to make me want to be on a program. But as Mike C has pointed out, you really need to be otherwise you may be paying 30 percent more for service. (Was that correct Mike?)
Would really prefer Pratts as they can be worked on anywhere and there is competition for the business. (Drift....It kind of gives me worries about this GE engine on the Denali, will it be shop limited?)

1100nm is fairly easy for a M2. You won't need to fill the tanks. Probably a 3-hr leg on average. Should use around 2,000 lbs of fuel. An 800lb reserve is typical, which leaves 1200lbs for total payload including the pilot. How much do you need?

the M2, CJ1+, CJ1 and CJ are all the same basic airframe and configuration. The G3000 was a much lighter and more capable and integrated avionics platform. The lightness of it must have created some engineering challenges, as a result they (textron cessna) needed to take weight out of the back of the airplane to achieve a descent loading envelope. One thing they took away was a second fire bottle. The M2 has a single fire bottle. I believe, per a couple Textron maint techs, that the airplane was lightened up in the tail somewhere else too(this may be false).

1200 would swing it. I have been watching M2s on flight aware. It typically takes 3 hours to do 1000 nm (with winds) But they always land after 3 hours. Playing with the aircraft profile on fltplan.com doing sample trips. From full fuel it looked like I would have typically 400 pounds left, and that seemed too tight for my liking. 800 would be sweet.

I looked at one vs the phenom 100. Both too range limited for me. I do like being able to get up to FL40......but I stayed with the TBM.

That's a pro when it comes to replacement costs. The glass windshields are pricey.


That's really a pro. The Mustang had gratuitous leading edge sweep that just made the wing heavier and more expensive to build. At the speed of the Mustang, it has no material aerodynamic value, it seems to have been done just for looks.


Mustang is definitely cheaper.

Mike C.

You're so wrong on that one. Completely incorrect. When you have a moment, talk to one of the Textron engineers that did the work.

I test flew one last year after flying a CJ1. The G3000 is a great system and the setup in the M2 is intuitive to use. The cockpit is a bit cramped, if I remember correctly I was more comfortable in the Mustang. The cabin is ok but nothing to get wound up about. I was impressed, on the day we flew, with climb rate, and how much ground we covered down range compared to my TBM.

The sales guys were challenged to show me all in costs of 5 years ownership besting the CJ1+ (They said they could but could not). I think there is better value and utility for the money in a 2 or 3.

It looks like the economy is headed for some difficulty and it will be interesting to see what that does to jet pricing later in the year.

I did.

Mike C.

I will be the first to say that I do not watch the news... at all... so I'm probably not up on what the media says about the economy. Having said that, I do talk to business owners, executives, and people in the aircraft service industry all day... every day. Everyone is busy, everyone is positive... and maybe a little exhausted.

I talked to two different M2 owners this week that will not sell their M2's until the end of the first quarter because that is when they take delivery of their new CJ3+'s

I talked to one title company that closed 41 airplanes in one day. Each market I look at is showing more activity than I have ever seen, over 20 M2's have sold in the last 6 months and that is a "micro" market.

I am sure that at some point it is going to drop, but we aren't there yet... probably not close. Probably not this year.

I tell all of my clients that you cannot judge the market based on Controller, you'll see the same airplanes on there for months... when during that time period 20, 30 or 50 aircraft are actually selling.

We have been in the King Air B200 market consistently for the last couple of years, we were very involved in that market all of 2018 and the very last airplane we closed in 2018 was a 1997 B200... I watched the same 40 - 60 airplanes languish on Controller while almost 100 B200's traded hands in 2018 including the one we closed on December 28th, that never saw the pages of Controller.

I did.

Mike C.