II. Body

A. Cessna Fleets

1934-1936

Work on the model c-34 began. In 1935 and 1936, the c-34 won the Detroit News

Trophy Race for the “World’s Most Efficient Airplane.” Cessna also won

permanent possession of the trophy.

1985

The first Cessna caravan for cargo.

Cessna 152

The Cessna 152 is an American two-seat, fixed tricycle gear, general

aviation airplane, used primarily for flight training and personal use.

Development

First delivered in 1977 as the 1978 model year, the 152 was a modernization of

the proven Cessna 150 design. The 152 was intended to compete with the

new Beechcraft Skipper and Piper Tomahawk, both of which were introduced the

same year. Additional design goals were to improve useful load through a gross

weight increase to 1670 lbs (757 kg), decrease internal and external noise levels

and run better on the then newly introduced 100LL fuel.

As with the 150, the great majority of 152s were built at the Cessna factory

in Wichita, Kansas. A number of aircraft were also built by Reims

Aviation of France and given the designation F152/FA152.

Production of the 152 was ended in 1985 when Cessna ended production of all of

their light aircraft; by that time, a total of 7,584 examples of the 152,

including A152 and FA152 Aerobataerobatic variants, had been built worldwide.

In 2007 Cessna announced that it would build a light sport successor, designated

the Model 162 Skycatcher, although production ended in 2013.

Design

Powerplant

All Cessna 152s were manufactured with a Lycoming O-235 engine. The

Lycoming provided not only an increase in engine power over the Cessna 150, but

also was more compatible with the newer 100LL low lead fuel.

Cessna 152s produced between 1977 and 1982 were equipped with Lycoming O-

235-L2C engines producing 110 hp (82 kW) at 2550 rpm. This engine still

suffered some lead-fouling problems in service and was succeeded in 1983 by the

108 hp (81 kW) O-235-N2C which featured a different piston design and a

redesigned combustion chamber to reduce this problem. The N2C engine was

used until 152 production ended in 1985.

Airframe

The airframe is of mainly metal construction. being primarily of 2024-T3

aluminum alloy with riveted skin. Components such as wingtips and fairings are

made from glass-reinforced plastic. The fuselage is a semi-monocoque with

vertical bulkheads and frames joined by longerons running the length of

the fuselage. The wings are of a strut-braced design and have a

1 degree dihedralangle. The tapered (outboard) portion of each wing has one

degree of washout (the chord of the tip section has one degree lower angle of

attack than the chord at the end of the constant-width section). This allows

greater aileron effectiveness during a stall.

Flying Controls

Dual controls are available as optional equipment on the Cessna 152 and almost

all 152s have this option installed.

The Cessna 152 is equipped with differential ailerons that move through

20 degrees upwards and 15 degrees downwards. It has single-slotted flaps which

are electrically operated and deploy to a maximum of 30 degrees. The rudder can

move 23 degrees to either side and is fitted with a ground-adjustable trim tab.

The elevators move up through 25 degrees and down through 18 degrees. An

adjustable trim tab is installed on the right elevator and is controlled by a small

wheel in the center of the control console. The trim tab moves 10 degrees up and

20 degrees down relative to the elevator chordline.

Landing Gear

The Cessna 152 is equipped with fixed tricycle landing gear. The main gear has

tubular steel legs surrounded by a full-length fairing with a step for access to the

cabin. The main gear has a 7 ft 7 in (2.3 m) wheelbase.

The nosewheel is connected to the engine mount and has an oleo strut to dampen

and absorb normal operating loads. The nosewheel is steerable through

eight degrees either side of neutral and can castor under differential braking up to

30 degrees. It is connected to the rudder pedals through a spring linkage.

The braking system consists of single disc brake assemblies fitted to the main

gear and operated by a hydraulic system. Brakes are operated by pushing on the

top portion of the rudder pedals. It is possible to use differential braking when

taxiing and this allows very tight turns to be made.

The 152 is also fitted with a parking brake system. It is applied by depressing both

toe brakes and then pulling the "Park Brake" lever to the pilot’s left. The toe

brakes are then released but pressure is maintained in the system thereby leaving

both brakes engaged.

The standard tires used are 600 X 6 on the main gear and 500 X 5 on the

nosewheel. 1

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_152

Cessna 172

Design and Development

Measured by its longevity and popularity, the Cessna 172 is the most successful

aircraft in history. Cessna delivered the first production models in 1956. As of

2012, Cessna, and its partners, had built around 60,000. The Skyhawk's main

competitors have been the Beechcraft Musketeer and Grumman AA-5

series (neither in production), the Piper Cherokee, and, more recently,

the Diamond DA40

The Cessna 172 started life as a tricycle landing gear variant of

the taildragger Cessna 170, with a basic level of standard equipment. In January

1955, Cessna flew an improved variant of the Cessna 170, a Continental O-300-

A-powered Cessna 170C with larger elevators and a more angular

tailfin. Although the variant was tested and certified, Cessna decided to modify it

with a tricycle landing gear, and the modified Cessna 170C flew again on 12 June

1955.] To reduce the time and cost of certification, the type was added to the

Cessna 170 type certificate as the Model 172. Later, the 172 was given its own

type certificate, 3A12. The 172 became an overnight sales success, and over 1,400

were built in 1956, its first full year of production.[citation needed]

Early 172s were similar in appearance to the 170s, with the same straight aft

fuselage and tall landing gear legs, although the 172 had a straight tailfin while

the 170 had a rounded fin and rudder. Later 172 versions incorporated revised

landing gear and the swept-back tailfin, which is still in use today. The final

aesthetic development, in the mid-1960s, was a lowered rear deck allowing an aft

window. Cessna advertised this added rear visibility as "Omni-Vision." Cessna

has not changed the airframe configuration since then, except for updates

in avionics and engines, including the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit in 2005.

Production halted in the mid-1980s, but resumed in 1996 with the 160 hp

(120 kW) Cessna 172R Skyhawk. Cessna supplemented this in 1998 with the

180 hp (135 kW) Cessna 172S Skyhawk SP.

Operational History

A Cessna 172 was used in 1958 to set the world record for flight endurance; the

record still stands.

On December 4, 1958 Robert Timm and John Cook took off from McCarran

Airfield in Las Vegas, NV in a newly built Cessna 172, registration number

N9172B. Sixty-four days, 22 hours, 19 minutes and 5 seconds later, they landed

back at McCarran Airfield on February 4, 1959. The flight was part of a fund-

raising effort for the Damon Runyon Cancer Fund. Food and water were

transferred by matching speeds with a chase car on a straight stretch of road in the

desert, and hoisting the supplies aboard with a rope and bucket. Fuel was taken on

by hoisting a hose from a fuel truck up to the aircraft, filling an auxiliary belly

tank installed for the flight, pumping that fuel into the aircraft's regular tanks and

then filling the belly tank again. The drivers steered while a second person

matched speeds with the aircraft with his foot on the vehicle's accelerator pedal.

Engine oil was added by means of a tube from the cabin that was fitted to pass

through the firewall. Only the pilot's seat was installed. The remaining space was

used for a pad on which the relief pilot slept. The right cabin door was replaced

with an easy-opening, accordion-type door to allow supplies and fuel to be

hoisted aboard. Early in the flight, the engine-driven electric generator failed. A

Champion wind-driven generator (turned by a small propeller) was hoisted

aboard, taped to the wing support strut, and plugged into the cigarette lighter

socket; it served as the aircraft's source of electricity for the rest of the flight. The

pilots decided to end the marathon flight because with 1,558 hours of

continuously running the engine during the record-setting flight, plus several

hundred hours already on the engine beforehand (considerably in excess of its

normal overhaul interval), the engine's power output had deteriorated to the point

where they were barely able to climb away after refueling. The aircraft is on

display in the passenger terminal at McCarran International Airport. Photos and

details of the record flight can be seen in a small museum on the upper level of

the baggage claim area. After the flight, Cook said: “Next time I feel in the mood

to fly endurance, I'm going to lock myself in our garbage can with the vacuum

cleaner running. That is, until my psychiatrist opens up for business in the

morning.” 2

2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_172