| Question |
Answer |
 |
| Is Cessna Warbirds a hardback or paperback book? |
Cessna Warbirds is what is called a trade paperback — soft cover, perfect binding, and 8.5" x 11" size. |
| How many pages are in the book? |
328 pages total, including a forward by Bill Sweetman, a bibliography, a glossary of military terms used, and an index of warbird associations and warbird museums with military Cessnas in their inventory. |
| Are there very many photographs in Cessna Warbirds? |
Yes. After all, what would a book about airplanes be without pictures? I have included over 400 photographs, including an eight-page color section. The photos come from a variety of museums and collections, as well as a large number from private collections that have never before been published. |
| Did Cessna actually produce very many military aircraft? |
Yes, they did. In fact, many are still flying today and Cessna continues to produce military aircraft. US and foreign military services have purchased and flown more than 12,000 Cessnas since the beginning of World War II. Some were developed specifically for military use, some were modified civilian aircraft, while others were off-the-shelf Cessnas bought and flown as-is. |
| Were any Cessnas used in actual combat? |
Oh, yes. The L-19 Bird Dog flew combat missions throughout the Korean War and later, as the O-1, served in both the US Air Force and Army during the Vietnam War for artillery spotting and forward air control. The O-2 (a beefed-up Cessna 337 Skymaster) also flew throughout the Vietnam War as a forward air control aircraft. Many forward air controllers died in Vietnam, many earned combat medals for their efforts, and many other came home thanks to the ruggedness of these small combat aircraft. In fact, one US Air Force O-1 pilot earned a posthumous Medal of Honor in Vietnam. A fully-armed and armored version of the Cessna T-37 Tweety Bird jet trainer served admirably as a close air support fighter in Vietnam — the A-37 Dragonfly. |
| What other missions were military Cessnas used for? |
The AT-8/17, T-37, and T-41 were used for pilot training. The T-47 was used to train US Navy radar systems operators. The US Army used the L-19 as a basic pilot training aircraft and the TL-19D for instrument flight training. The UC-78 and U-3 were primarily utility cargo and personnel transports, although the U-3 also served as a companion trainer for the Lockheed U-2. The US Air Force and Army used the LC-126 for aeromedical evacuation, liaison, and short-range personnel transport. |
| I've heard that Cessna designed and built a helicopter. Is this covered in Cessna Warbirds? |
Absolutely. The YH-41 Seneca, although a short-lived program with only 44 built, set altitude records for piston-engine helicopters that still stand. Only one example remains, on display at the US Army Aviation Museum, Fort Rucker, Alabama. |
| Is Cessna Warbirds a dry recitation of history, specifications, and such? |
No way. Although I have included the full history of 12 different military Cessna models and the design and performance specifications of each, I did not stop there. Each chapter includes personal stories from the military pilots who flew these airplanes in war and peace, many published in Cessna Warbirds for the first time anywhere. Having served as a US Air Force T-37 and T-41instructor pilot and an O-2 forward air controller, I included many of my own stories and recollections, of course. |
| Does Cessna Warbirds include any general history of Cessna Aircraft? |
You bet. The first chapter provides 12 pages tracing the history of the company from Clyde Cessna's first airplane up to Cessna's bid to win the potentially lucrative Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) program to replace the US Air Force's T-37s and the Navy's T-34s. Raytheon/Beech won the JPATS contest with a Swiss-designed single-engine turboprop, but Cessna's American-designed twin-jet entry was gorgeous! Check out the JPATS CitationJet chapter and see for yourself. |
| When was the first military Cessna built? |
That depends on exactly what you mean. The first purpose-built military Cessna was the Model T-50 Bobcat, built during World War II for the US Army Air Force (AT-8, AT-17, and UC-78), for the US Navy (JRC-1), and for the Royal Canadian Air Force (Crane 1 and 1A). Cessna produced 5,399 versions of the T-50 series by war's end. However, in 1942, the US Army Air Force purchased at least eight Cessna DC-6 aircraft and designated them UC-77. These aircraft were designed in 1929 and built soon thereafter. |
| When did the L-19 Bird Dog first fly? |
First flight of the prototype (Cessna Model 305) took place on 14 December 1949, only 96 days after construction began. |
| Were any turboprop Bird Dogs ever built? |
As a matter of fact, yes. Actually, at least four different varieties. The XL-19B, with a 210HP Boeing-designed turbine engine, set an altitude record for its weight class of 37,063 feet on 16 July 1953. Later in 1953, two Bird Dogs were modified with 260HP Turbomeca Arouste II turbine engines and designated XL-19C. Another Boeing turbine was tested in an L-19 in 1959. Finally, the Italian Army operated 100 Bird Dogs with 400HP Allison turbine engines and three-blade propellers. The Italians called these overweight, fuel-hungry L-19 cousins the SM-1019. |
| When did the US Air Force's current primary jet trainer, the Cessna T-37, first fly? |
The venerable T-37 Tweety Bird is getting a bit long in the tooth. Cessna test pilot Bob Hagan completed the first flight of the prototype XT-37 at one o'clock on 12 October 1954. Cessna delivered the first production aircraft to the US Air Force in June 1956. |
| Why is the T-37 nicknamed the Tweety Bird? |
If you ever hear one taxi by or fly low overhear, you'll know. The engine installation is infamous for its ear-piercing, high-pitched whine at moderate and low RPM. It's also been called the Squeak and the 6600-pound dog whistle. |
| Was the first A-37 Dragonfly actually a modified T-37? |
Indeed, it was. In 1963, the original prototype T-37C (an export version of the Tweety Bird) become the YAT-37D by replacing the little 1025-lb thrust jets with the 2050-lb thrust J85s from the Northrop T-38 (but without the afterburners). This reborn T-37C was retired to the US Air Force Museum but put back into service in 1966 as the YA-37A. Following flight testing, Cessna received a contract for 39 YA-37A Dragonfly aircraft. |
| Could the A-37B really carry its own empty weight in fuel, crew, and weapons? |
Yes. The empty weight of the A-37B was 6,254 lb, while its full-up combat takeoff weight was 14,000 lb. |
| Was the O-2A a true off-the-shelf purchase? |
No. The O-2A included two hardpoints on each wing for rocket pods (and, initially, a pair of 7.62mm minigun pods) plus a large rack in the cargo compartment for its extensive complement of radios covering all radio bands used by Air Force and Army aircraft, Army ground forces, and military and civilian controlling agencies. As a result, the O-2's maximum gross weight was about 10% more than its civilian counterpart. |
| Did the US Air Force ever consider any follow-on designs of the O-2? |
Several, in fact. Cessna proposed a Model 348 with a pair of 370HP Allison turboprop engines. USAF later entertained a proposal for the O-2TT (TT = Tandem Turboprop) with tandem seating, twin 550HP Pratt & Whitney turboprops, and three-bladed propellers. In 1982, Brico Ltd. completed and flew a prototype single-turboprop version called the O-2ST with a 700HP Pratt & Whitney PT-6A engine. Brico demonstrated the O-2ST capabilities in Saudi Arabia before turning it over to a US university. The Sandcrab, as the O-2ST was known, is not part of the collection in a US aviation museum. |
| When did the US Air Force acquire its first T-41s? |
On 31 July 1964, the Air Force and Cessna signed a contract for 170 T-41A aircraft (Cessna Model 172F and 172G) for basic training duty for a fly-away unit cost of $7000. Eventually, the US Air Force Academy (T-41C), the US Army (T-41B), and a host of foreign military services purchased and flew T-41s in a variety of models (most designated T-41D). |
| Has the US military ever flown the Cessna Citation? |
Yes. Between 1985 and 1992, the US Navy trained navigators and radar intercept officers in a 15-aircraft fleet of modified Cessna Model 552 Citation S/II aircraft under a lease contract with Cessna. In the past few years, the US Army has purchased a number of Citations as UC-35s. |
