Cessna T-41 Mescalero


The Cessna T-41 Mescalero is a military version of the popular Cessna 172, operated by the United States Air Force and Army, as well as the armed forces of various other countries as a pilot-training aircraft. The T-41A, used by the USAF for introductory training of pilot candidates with little or no flying experience, was a commercial off-the-shelf 172 with few modifications. Upgraded versions of the T-41 with more powerful engines and more specialized equipment were based on the Cessna 175 derivative of the 172, including the T-41B for the Army, T-41C for the USAF Academy, and the T-41D for the U.S. Military Aid Program. The single-engine piston T-41 entered service in the 1960s and was mostly withdrawn by the USAF by 1995, but some remain in limited military service today, and some military surplus examples are flown by civil owners.

Design and development

In 1964, the US Air Force decided to use the commercial off-the-shelf Cessna 172F as a lead-in aircraft for student pilots rather than starting them out in the T-37 jet aircraft. The USAF ordered 237 T-41As from Cessna. The first USAF class of students began training on the T-41 from the civilian airport in Big Spring, Texas, in August 1965.
The T-41B was the US Army version, with a Continental IO-360 engine and constant-speed propeller in place of the Continental O-300 and 7654 fixed-pitch propeller used in the 172 and the T-41A.
In 1968, the USAF acquired 52 of the more powerful T-41Cs, which used Continental IO-360 and a fixed-pitch climb propeller, for use at the United States [Air Force Academy].
In 1996, the aircraft were further upgraded to the T-41D, which included an upgrade in avionics and to a constant-speed propeller.
Beginning in 1993, the USAF replaced many of the T-41 fleet with the Slingsby T-3A Firefly for the flight-screening role, and for aerobatic training, which was outside the design capabilities of the T-41.
Four T-41s remained at the Air Force Academy for the USAFA Flying Team, as well as to support certain academic classes.
A number of air forces, including Saudi Arabia and Singapore, purchased various civilian models of the Cessna 172 for use in military training, transport, and liaison roles. While similar to the T-41 and named as such, these aircraft were not actually T-41s from a technical standpoint and were powered by the standard 172 powerplants available in the model year purchased, including the Continental O-300 in pre-1968 aircraft and the Lycoming O-320 in later 172s.

Variants

Variants of the T-41 other than the T-41A were built under the type certificate of the Cessna [175 Skylark]. The 175 was a close derivative of the 172 and most parts aft of the firewall are interchangeable. The controversial Continental GO-300 engine from the civil 175 was never used in the T-41; the T-41B through D instead used the Continental IO-360. Cessna never offered a civil model directly analogous to these aircraft, but Cessna licensee Reims Aviation in France sold similar IO-360-powered models as the R172 Rocket and Hawk XP.
;T-41A
;T-41B
;T-41C
;T-41D
;B.F.14

Operators

; Kingdom of Laos

Aircraft on display

;Philippines
;Singapore
;United States