most popular brands in the small aircraft industry.
Cessna's runway to fame has a few twists and turns as Clyde went from manufacturing biplanes with Travel Air Inc. in Wichita, Kansas, to focusing on building monoplanes that used a wing without supporting struts or braces which became Cessna's signature design, in 1927. During the Great Depression, like many manufacturers in America, Cessna closed down production until Dwayne Wallace and his brother Dwight took control in 1934. It was their business acumen and ingenuity that took Cessna Aircraft to new heights.
The Wallace brothers brought Clyde Cessna back as president and helped him to regain control of his company and in 1935, the first production of the C-34 Cessna airplane was sold. The company continued with the C-37 which was a float plane and the first from Cessna to receive seaplane approval.
During the Second World War, Cessna manufactured a T-50 Bobcat, their first twin-engine plane, and the U.S. Army was quick to place an order for 33 special order T-50s which became known as "Cranes" in the war effort. It was the largest order Cessna had ever received and was a valuable connection that would prove fruitful for the company during the war. By the time production of the Bobcat was suspended in 1944, nearly 5,400 planes had been produced by Cessna. In 1944 the Army wanted bombers and Cessna was able to shift production to making components for the Douglas A-26 and Boeing B-29 bombers.
The contracts Cessna Aircraft was able to generate during the war allowed the company to expand from a company that started with monoplanes and quickly grew to produce a range of small aircraft. The production of the Cessna 170 in 1947 proved to be a gold mine for the company. What became known as the "family car for the skies," the early 170 had four seats and a 140 hp engine. This plane, along with later models like the 172 and 185, became the most popular small aircraft for pilots and Cessna's number one selling plane.
The connection with the U.S. military paid dividends during the Korean War as the United States Air Force began using a militarized version of the 170 called the Model 305 and called the 0-1 Bird Dog by the military. Featuring modified Fowler flaps and a revised fuselage, the Bird Dog was used by the Air Force for forward air control and reconnaissance missions. As is often the case with military technology, civilian use of these modification helped create the 170B model equipped with the modified-Fowler wing flaps and a wing design that is still in use on the light Cessna models today. New tail gear and larger rear windows were also modifications on the new design.
Much of the groundwork for the early Cessna planes created for military use greatly improved the planes that continued to be used in the civilian world long after the wars were finished. Cessna continues to be a leader in the aircraft industry and it can look back on it's 100 year history as one of the reasons why the company continues to be strong today.
Aaron Rowe is a writer, and creative consultant with 'Creation Sparks the Creative' Consulting firm. His passion in life is to help people see their own passions come to life through an internet business that adds value to humanity. He currently is head marketing consultant for Lindair Services Ltd. in Vancouver, BC, and has developed an interest in the aircraft industry.
By Aaron Rowe
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