Cessna Airmaster

File:Cessna C-34 G-AEAI Squires Gate 08.01.50 edited-4.jpg in 1950]]

In the mid-1930s, nearing the end of the Great Depression, the American economy began to slowly strengthen. Dwane Wallace (founder Clyde Cessna's nephew who was a recent college graduate in aeronautical engineering) decided to assist his uncle and cousin, Eldon Cessna (Clyde's son), in building more modern airplanes for Cessna Aircraft. The design of the first Airmaster is credited to Wallace, and the first flight of the C-34 model was in June 1935.Simpson, 2001, p. 132 Not long after introduction of the C-34, Clyde Cessna retired from the aircraft industry, leaving the company to his nephew.

File:Cessna C-37 NC 18592.jpg]]

File:Cessna C-37 NC 18592 cockpit.jpg

The original Airmaster, the C-34, evolved into more advanced versions of the Airmaster. The C-37 had a wider cabin, improved landing gear and electric flaps. The C-38 had a taller vertical tail, curved main gear legs and a landing flap under the fuselage. Changes common to both the C-37 and C-38 included wider fuselages and landing gear along with rubber engine mounts to hold the {{convert|145|hp|abbr=on}} Warner Super Scarab engine. The final revisions of the C-34 were the C-145 and the C-165, of which 80 were built. On these models, the belly flaps added on the C-38 were removed and the overall length of the fuselage was increased. The only difference between the C-145 and C-165 was the engine horsepower, with the latter having an upgraded {{convert|165|hp|abbr=on}} Warner engine.

It was with the beginning of World War II that the Airmaster line came to an end. The welded tubular fuselage, fabric-covered body, extensive woodwork, wooden wings and radial engines, all characteristic of 1930s-era aircraft technology, became too expensive and slow to produce. The old-style aircraft was quickly replaced with aircraft constructed from aluminium with strut braced wings first seen in the Cessna 120.

The design of the C-34 incorporates characteristics that were borrowed from previous models of Cessna Aircraft. These similarities include the high mounted cantilever wing and the narrow design of the cabin windows. The wings and tail surfaces were composed entirely of wood while the fuselage was structured with steel tubing coupled with wooden stringers and formers. Both C-145 and C-165 models were offered with floats.Phillips, Edward H: Cessna, A Master's Expression, Flying Books, 1985. {{ISBN|978-0-911139-04-4}}

;C-34: Four-seat light cabin aircraft, powered by a 145-hp (108-kW) Warner Super Scarab radial piston engine; 42 built.

;C-37: Cabin widened by 12.7 cm (5 in), fitted with improved landing gear and electrically operated flaps; 46 built. File:Vintage aircraft 32-020B.jpg

;C-38: Fitted with wide landing gear with curved legs, plus a taller vertical tail and a landing flap under the fuselage; 16 built.

;C-39: Original designation of the Cessna C-145.

;C-145: Powered by a 145-hp (108-kW) Warner Super Scarab radial piston engine.

;C-165: Powered by a 165-hp (123-kW) Warner Super Scarab radial piston engine.

;C-165D: Powered by a 175-hp (130-kW) Warner Super Scarab radial piston engine.

;UC-77B: Two Cessna C-34s impressed into service with the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II.

;UC-77C: One Cessna C-37 impressed into service with the USAAF in 1942.

;UC-77D: Four Cessna C-37s impressed into service with the USAAF in 1942.

;UC-94: Three Cessna C-165s impressed into service with the USAAF in 1942.

;{{AUS}}

• Royal Australian Air Force{{cite book|last1=Wilson|first1=Stewart|title=Military Aircraft of Australia|date=1994|publisher=Aerospace Publications|location=Weston Creek, Australia|isbn=1875671080|pages=216}}

;{{FIN}}

• Finnish Air Force

;{{USA}}

• United States Army Air Forces

As of December 31, 2006, there are 69 aircraft in the FAA database with the listed Models (totals) being C-165 (30), C-145 (10), C-34 (8), C-37 (14), and C-38 (7).

File:Cessna C-37 Airmaster 3-view line drawing.svg

{{Aircraft specs

|ref=American Aircraft SpecificationsAviation March 1936, pp. 84–85.

|prime units?=imp

|genhide=

|crew=1

|capacity=3 passengers

|length m=

|length ft=24

|length in=10

|span m=

|span ft=33

|span in=10

|height m=

|height ft=7

|height in=3

|wing area sqm=

|wing area sqft=180

|empty weight kg=

|empty weight lb=1300

|gross weight kg=

|gross weight lb=2220

|fuel capacity={{convert|35|USgal|impgal L|abbr=on}}

|eng1 number=1

|eng1 name=Warner Super Scarab

|eng1 type=7-cylinder radial engine

|eng1 kw=

|eng1 hp=145

|prop blade number=

|prop name=

|prop dia m=

|prop dia ft=

|prop dia in=

|perfhide=

|max speed kmh=

|max speed mph=162

|max speed kts=

|max speed note=at sea level

|cruise speed kmh=

|cruise speed mph=143

|cruise speed kts=

|stall speed mph=47

|range km=

|range miles=550

|range nmi=

|ceiling m=

|ceiling ft=18900

|climb rate ms=

|climb rate ftmin=1000

|more performance=

|avionics=

}}

{{Aircontent

|related=

|similar aircraft=

• de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver
• Fairchild 24
• Howard DGA-15
• Monocoupe 90
• Noorduyn Norseman
• Stinson Reliant
• Waco Standard Cabin series

|lists=

• List of aircraft of World War II

}}

;Notes

{{Reflist}}

;Bibliography

{{Refbegin}}

• {{cite magazine|title=American Airplane Specifications|magazine=Aviation|date=March 1936|volume=35|issue=3|pages=82–85|url=http://archive.aviationweek.com/issue/19360301/#!&pid=82|url-access=subscription }}
• {{cite book|last=Simpson|first=Rod|title=Airlife's World Aircraft|year=2001|publisher=Airlife Publishing Ltd.|isbn=1-84037-115-3}}
• {{cite book|last=Phillips|first=Edward|title=Cessna - A Master's Expression|year=1985|publisher=Flying Books International|isbn=978-0-911139-04-4|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/cessna00edwa}}

{{Refend}}

{{commons category|Cessna 165}}

• [http://www.russellw.com/planes/airmaster/ Article on the Airmaster]
• [http://www.airplanesandrockets.com/airplanes/cessna-airmaster-may-1974-aam.htm "Cessna's Past 'Masters"], May 1974 American Aircraft Modeler

{{Cessna}}

{{USAF transports}}

{{ADF aircraft designations}}

165

Category:1930s United States civil utility aircraft

Category:High-wing aircraft

Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft

Category:Aircraft first flown in 1935

Category:Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear

Category:Single-engined piston aircraft