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Jet Journal
Pilot Tube
CitationMax: Flying Viewers into the Citation Jet Age
by Dale Smith
If you’ve ever wondered how a 25-year-old guy can go from earning his PPL at 18 to becoming an ATP-
rated, professional pilot in the left seat of a brand-new Cessna CJ3+ in only seven years, you need to tune into the CitationMax YouTube channel.
It’s a pretty easy assumption that when people first meet Max Weldon, they’re possibly pleasantly sur- prised by his maturity, politeness
and humble demeanor. Oh yeah, and there’s also the fact that he’s an ATP-rated, professional pilot flying a new Citation CJ3+ for his father’s business.
Before you jump to any conclu- sions, being his father’s son didn’t guarantee Max a “golden ticket” to the CJ’s left seat. Mr. and Mrs. Weldon didn’t raise their children to expect
Max Weldon, Citation CJ3+
things to be handed to them. No, like they said in the old Smith Barney commercials, “He earned it.”
That he did, and Max is justifiably proud of what he’s accomplished. And you would be too. It takes a huge amount of time, determination and dedication to go from zero flight time to an ATP with 2,000 total hours – over 700 of which are in Citations – in just seven years.
20 • TWIN & TURBINE / August 2020 Jet Journal