Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

Editor, AIN monthly magazine

Cessna Citation 525, CitationJet, CJ1, CJ2, CJ3, CJ4, and M2 Series

Kerry Lynch

Textron Aviation handed over the first Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen2, bringing to market what it calls the most extensive upgrade yet for the model. Delivery, to longtime Citation owners Dave Mecartney and Shannon Day, took place this week following <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2025-10-12/latest-cj-nods-textron-makes-generational-difference">FAA approval</a> in October. The handover marks the second market entry for an updated model in as many weeks—Textron Aviation <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2026-01-05/textron-aviation-hands-over-first-citation-ascend">delivered</a> the first Citation Ascend to a customer at the end of last month.
Mecartney, a member of Textron Aviation’s customer advisory board who has nearly two decades of experience flying Citations, helped provide key input into the upgrades for the CJ3 Gen2 experience.&nbsp;Lannie O’Bannion, Textron Aviation senior v-p of sales and marketing, called the aircraft “our most comprehensive Gen2 investment to date.” Upgrades include the addition of Garmin autothrottles, more pilot legroom, and a customizable cabin environment.
“The Citation CJ3 Gen2 delivers an unmatched experience from day one—thanks to its exceptional range, payload, and efficiency, combined with new productivity and comfort features,” O’Bannion said.
Designed based on customer feedback via a customer advisory board, the CJ3 Gen2 has 4.5 more inches of pilot legroom and the latest Garmin G3000 suite, including autothrottles, touchscreen interface, and GDL60 for aircraft connectivity. The customizable interior can seat up to 10 occupants, and the aircraft has an externally serviceable lavatory.
“As a Cessna Citation owner since 2007, the brand has consistently earned my trust with a proven heritage, superior reliability, and one of the strongest service and support networks in the industry,” Mecartney added. “Choosing the CJ3 Gen2 felt like a natural continuation of a relationship and an aircraft lineage that I’ve relied on for nearly two decades.”

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Textron Aviation handed over the first Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen2 to longtime customers Dave Mecartney and Shannon Day.

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Cessna Citation 525/CJ Series

Textron Aviation

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