From a One-of-One Citation CJ2+ Alpine Edition to an M2
Jason Talley wasn’t looking to put his Citation CJ2+ on the market.
And this wasn’t an ordinary CJ2+.
His 2010 Citation CJ2+, serial number 525A-0464, is the Alpine Edition—the only Citation CJ2+ of its kind in the world.
Jason had repeatedly turned down inquiries from people asking whether he would sell it. But over time, his mission changed. The number of seats he needed, the range he was flying and other considerations surrounding ownership made it worth asking whether even this unique aircraft was still the right Citation for what he needed to accomplish.
Selling it, however, was not a decision he took lightly.
Jason did not want the aircraft publicly advertised, and he did not want to give up a one-of-one CJ2+ without knowing there was a compelling path into the right replacement aircraft.
The Jet Agent developed a private transition strategy around those objectives.
Rather than following the conventional path of publicly listing the Alpine Edition CJ2+, selling it and then separately searching for another airplane, Denise Wilson evaluated opportunities that could move Jason directly into a Citation M2.
The solution ultimately became a private transaction in which Jason accepted Citation M2 525-0870 as a partial trade for his one-of-one Citation CJ2+ Alpine Edition.
Transaction Snapshot
Aircraft Transitioned From: 2010 Cessna Citation CJ2+ Alpine Edition Serial Number: 525A-0464
Distinction: The only Citation CJ2+ Alpine Edition in the world
Aircraft Transitioned Into: 2015 Cessna Citation M2 Serial Number: 525-0870
Client: Jason Talley
Representation: Citation aircraft transition
Transaction Structure: Private transaction with Citation M2 accepted as partial trade
Public Marketing: None prior to identifying the transaction opportunity
A One-of-One Citation
Jason’s decision was more complicated than deciding whether to sell a typical CJ2+.
His aircraft was the Citation CJ2+ Alpine Edition, a unique aircraft with no directly equivalent example to replace it.
That made the decision to sell materially different.
If Jason sold the airplane and later reconsidered, he couldn’t simply go back into the market and buy another Alpine Edition.
There wasn’t another one.
That scarcity made it particularly important to understand what Jason wanted from his next aircraft before exposing the CJ2+ to the market.
The Jet Agent therefore began with his changing mission rather than with a listing agreement.
The Client Wasn’t Initially Trying to Sell
Jason had received inquiries for years asking whether he would sell his CJ2+.
His answer had always been no.
When Denise raised the question again, however, the conversation went beyond whether someone might want to buy a rare aircraft.
Jason’s mission had changed materially.
That led to a discussion about how he was actually using the airplane, including seating requirements, range and whether another Citation might now fit his needs better.
The question changed from:
Do you want to sell your airplane?
to:
Does even this very special airplane still make sense for the mission you have today?
That opened the door to considering a transition.
Why Privacy Mattered
Jason was willing to explore a transaction.
He was not willing to simply place a one-of-one Citation into the public market and see what happened.
He specifically did not want the aircraft broadly advertised as being for sale.
That requirement shaped the strategy from the beginning.
There would be no public posting or conventional advertising campaign. Potential opportunities would be carefully vetted before information about the aircraft was disclosed.
For an aircraft as distinctive as the Alpine Edition CJ2+, confidentiality also helped preserve Jason’s control over the process.
He could explore whether the right transition existed without first announcing to the entire market that this unique aircraft was available.
Evaluating a Trade Versus Two Separate Transactions
Jason wanted to transition into a Citation M2.
There were several ways that could happen.
One approach would be to sell the Alpine Edition CJ2+ and separately acquire an M2 in a back-to-back transaction.
But that would mean irrevocably giving up a one-of-one aircraft while managing the timing and uncertainty of a separate replacement-aircraft purchase.
The alternative was more appealing: find a transaction in which an M2 could become part of the consideration for the CJ2+.
The Jet Agent therefore searched for opportunities that could accomplish both objectives at once.
The Opportunity: Citation M2 525-0870
The process ultimately produced a transaction involving Citation M2 525-0870.
Jason accepted the M2 as a partial trade for Citation CJ2+ Alpine Edition 525A-0464.
That structure allowed him to move directly from his unique CJ2+ into the replacement aircraft rather than selling first and hoping the right M2 could subsequently be secured.
For Jason, this simplified many of the decisions that normally occur when an aircraft sale and acquisition are handled separately.
As he later described it, many issues became mutual:
What was good for one side was often good for the other.
What This Citation Aircraft Trade Demonstrates
A Rare Aircraft Requires a Different Sale Strategy
Citation CJ2+ 525A-0464 wasn’t interchangeable with other aircraft in the fleet.
As the only Alpine Edition CJ2+ in existence, selling it meant giving up an aircraft Jason could not simply replace later.
That made identifying the right next aircraft—and the right transaction structure—particularly important.
Start With the Owner’s Objective, Not the Marketing Plan
Jason did not begin by saying he wanted to list his CJ2+.
The process began by understanding how his mission had changed and whether another aircraft now served it better.
Only then was a transaction strategy developed.
Confidentiality Can Preserve Optionality
By avoiding public marketing while potential transactions were evaluated, Jason retained control over whether and how his unique CJ2+ became available.
He did not have to publicly commit to selling the aircraft before determining whether a compelling replacement opportunity existed.
An Aircraft Transition Doesn’t Have to Be Two Separate Deals
A conventional transition might involve selling the CJ2+ first and then buying an M2—or coordinating two separate transactions simultaneously.
A trade offered another solution.
In this case, Citation M2 525-0870 became part of the consideration for one-of-one Citation CJ2+ Alpine Edition 525A-0464.
