| Model A | |
|---|---|
 Cessna AW at Yanks Museum, Chino, California | |
| General information | |
| Type | Four-seat tourer |
| Manufacturer | Cessna Aircraft Company |
| Designer | |
| Primary user | private owners |
| Number built | 83 |
| History | |
| First flight | 1927 |
The Cessna Model A is a 1920s American high-wing four-seat tourer built by the Cessna Aircraft Company, the first in a long line of high-wing single-engined monoplanes.
Design and development
The first Cessna design built in any numbers was the Cessna Model A, a four-seater with a mixed wood and steel-tube construction with fabric covering. The aircraft was built in a number of variants fitted with different engines.[1]
The prototype (Model AC) first flew in 1927 and the first production aircraft appeared in the following year.[2]
Variants
- Model AA
- Fitted with a 120 hp (89 kW) Anzani 10 engine, 14 built.
- Model AC
- Fitted with a 130 hp (97 kW) Comet 7-RA engine, one built.
- Model AF
- Fitted with a 150 hp (112 kW) Floco/Axelson engine, three built.
- Model AS
- Fitted with a 125 hp (93 kW) Siemens-Halske engine, four built.
- Model AW
- Fitted with a 125 hp (93 kW) Warner Scarab engine, 48 built.[3]
- Model BW
- A three-seat version with a 220 hp (164 kW) Wright J-5 engine, 13 built.
Specifications (Cessna AA)
Data from Les Ailes, May 1928[1]
General characteristics
- Crew: Two pilots
- Capacity: Two passengers
- Length: 23 ft 9 in (7.23 m)
- Wingspan: 40 ft 7 in (12.36 m)
- Height: 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m)
- Wing area: 222 sq ft (20.6 m2)
- Empty weight: 1,248 lb (566 kg)
- Gross weight: 2,273 lb (1,031 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 42 US gal; 35 imp gal (160 L)
- Powerplant: 1 × Anzani 10 10-cylinder radial, 120 hp (89 kW)
- Propellers: 2-bladed
Performance
- Maximum speed: 115 mph (185 km/h, 100 kn)
- Cruise speed: 100 mph (161 km/h, 87 kn)
- Stall speed: 45 mph (72 km/h, 39 kn) minimum speed
- Service ceiling: 7,005 ft (2,135 m)
References
- ^ a b Serryer, J. (3 May 1928). "Le monoplane Cessna". Les Ailes (359): 5.
- ^ Simpson, Rod (2001). Airlife's World Aircraft. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing Ltd. p. 132. ISBN 1-84037-115-3.
- ^ Kieran, Leo A. (October 5, 1930). "Fast Flying Marked Ford Tour. Full-Throttle Speeds for Most of 4,900-Mile Route in Canada and Northwest Gave New Practical Meaning to Reliability Test". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-09-08.
Further reading
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
