Cessna Model A

Model A
Cessna AW at Yanks Museum, Chino, California
General information
Type	Four-seat tourer
Manufacturer	Cessna Aircraft Company
Designer	Clyde Cessna
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)

Cessna AF 3-view drawing from Aero Digest March 1928

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

1. Serryer, J. (3 May 1928). "Le monoplane Cessna". Les Ailes (359): 5.
2. Simpson, Rod (2001). Airlife's World Aircraft. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing Ltd. p. 132. ISBN   1-84037-115-3.
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.