CESSNA Aircraft...

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Formerly CESSNA -Roos Aircraft Company

Industry Aerospace

Founders Clyde CESSNA & Victor Roos

Products General Aviation Aircraft & Business Jets

Parent Textron Aviation

Subsidiaries McCauley Propeller Systems

Defunct March 2014

1911 Clyde CESSNA , a farmer in Rago, Kansas, built his own aircraft and flew it in June 1911. He was the first person to do so between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains. CESSNA started his wood-and-fabric aircraft ventures in Enid, Oklahoma, testing many of his early planes on the salt flats. When bankers in Enid refused to lend him more money to build his planes, he moved to Wichita.

1927 CESSNA Aircraft was formed when Clyde CESSNA and Victor Roos became partners in the CESSNA -Roos Aircraft Company in 1927. Roos resigned just one month into the partnership, selling back his interest to CESSNA . Shortly afterward, Roos's name was dropped from the company name.

1929 The CESSNA DC-6 earned certification on the same day as the stock market crash of 1929, October 29, 1929.

1932 In 1932, the CESSNA Aircraft Company closed its doors due to the Great Depression.

1933 However, the CESSNA CR-3 custom racer made its first flight. The plane won the 1933 American Air Race in Chicago and later set a new world speed record for engines smaller than 500 cubic inches by averaging 237 mph (381 km/h).

1934 CESSNA's nephews, brothers Dwane and Dwight Wallace, bought the company from CESSNA in 1934. They reopened it and began the process of building it into what would become a global success.

1937 The CESSNA C-37 was introduced in 1937 as CESSNA's first seaplane when equipped with Edo floats.

1940 In 1940, CESSNA received their largest order to date, when they signed a contract with the U.S. Army for 33 specially equipped CESSNA T-50s. Later in 1940, the Royal Canadian Air Force placed an order for 180 T-50s.

1946 While CESSNA closed their doors for a short period of time due to the Great Depression, they returned to commercial production shortly after, in 1946. The approach was to introduce a new line of all-metal aircraft that used production tools, dies and jigs, rather than the hand-built tube-and-fabric construction process used before the war.

1948 The Model 140 was named by the US Flight Instructors Association as the "Outstanding Plane of the Year", in 1948.

1950 CESSNA C-34 at Blackpool (Squires Gate) Airport in 1950.

1955 CESSNA's first helicopter, the CESSNA CH-1, received FAA type certification in 1955.

1956 In 1956, CESSNA introduced the CESSNA 172. This quickly became the most produced aircraft ever in history, and if any design could claim to be the world's favorite aircraft, it's the CESSNA 172. More than 44,000 CESSNA 172s have been made so far. During the post-World War II era, CESSNA was known as one of the "Big Three" in general aviation aircraft manufacturing, along with Piper and Beechcraft.

1959 In 1959, CESSNA acquired Aircraft Radio Corporation (ARC), of Boonton, New Jersey, a leading manufacturer of aircraft radios. During these years, CESSNA expanded the ARC product line, and rebranded ARC radios as "CESSNA" radios, making them the "factory option" for avionics in new CESSNA. However, during this time, ARC radios suffered a severe decline in quality and popularity. CESSNA kept ARC as a subsidiary until 1983, selling it to avionics-maker Sperry.

1960 In 1960, CESSNA acquired McCauley Industrial Corporation, of Ohio, a leading manufacturer of propellers for light aircraft. McCauley became the world's leading producer of general aviation aircraft propellers, largely through their installation on CESSNA airplanes.

CESSNA affiliated itself with Reims Aviation of Reims, France

1963 By 1963 they had produced their 50,000th airplane

1969 CESSNA's first business jet, the CESSNA Citation I, performed its maiden flight on September 15, 1969.

1975 in 1975 had made their 100,000th single-engine airplane.

1985 General Dynamics Corporation purchased CESSNA in 1985, beginning production of the CESSNA Caravan.

1992 In 1992, CESSNA was sold to Textron.

2007 In 2007, CESSNA purchased Columbia Aircraft, continuing to produce some of their more popular aircraft.

One major controversy that CESSNA faced was on November 27, 2007. They announced that their CESSNA162 would be built by a subsidiary of the China Aviation Industry Corporation I. They received a lot of negative feedback and pushback due to this decision because of complaints based on Chinese production quality, human rights, and less than friendly relationship with the US.

2008 On November 4, 2008, CESSNA's parent company, Textron, indicated that Citation production would be reduced from the original 2009 target of 535 "due to continued softening in the global economic environment" and that this would result in an undetermined number of lay-offs at CESSNA.

2009 In early 2009, the company attracted further criticism for continuing plans to build the 162 in China while laying off large numbers of workers in the United States. In the end, the CESSNA 162 was not a commercial success and only a small number were delivered before production was cancelled.

Beginning in January 2009, a total of 665 jobs were cut at CESSNA's Wichita and Bend, Oregon plants.

In January 2009, the company laid off an additional 2,000 employees, bringing the total to 4,600. The job cuts included 120 at the Bend, Oregon, facility reducing the plant that built the CESSNA350 and 400 to fewer than half the number of workers that it had when CESSNA bought it. Other cuts included 200 at the Independence, Kansas, plant that builds the single-engine CESSNA and the Mustang, reducing that facility to 1,300 workers.

On April 29, 2009, the company suspended the Citation Columbus program and closed the Bend, Oregon, facility.

The Columbus program was finally cancelled in early July 2009.

2014 CESSNA ceased operations as their own company in March 2014 and became one of Textron Aviation’s brands.

The CESSNA Citation Longitude can fit up to 12 people and it is the most expensive CESSNA Aircraft. On the other side CESSNA Skycatcher is the cheapest Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) on the market…

The CESSNA Skyhawk piston is the most popular single-engine aircraft ever built and has achieved a reputation for being the ultimate training aircraft..

List of CESSNA Aircraft Models and Very Brief Information: