To commemorate Cessna Aircraft Company’s 75th Anniversary, the Kansas Aviation Museum collected vintage photo’s and published them in their 2002 Collector Calendar. The calendar is devoted to the aircraft that helped shape the aviation industry.
When Clyde Cessna flew his beloved Silver Wings for the first time in 1911, just 8 short years after the Wright Brothers’ first flight, aviation was still a novelty. Since 1927, Cessna Aircraft Company has delivered nearly 190,000 aircraft, which includes 24,000 twin-engine airplanes, 2,000 military jets, 1,200 Caravans (a single engine turboprop utility aircraft), and more than 3,000 Citation business jets. More than half of the aircraft flying today are Cessna’s.
In 75 years, Cessna has gone from production of the first cantilever wing aircraft to the fastest aircraft in the world, the Citation X, which is capable of traveling at a cruising speed of Mach .92. Cessna Aircraft Company now employs over 13,500 people who are devoted to the design, manufacturing, sales, marketing and support of Cessna’s industry-leading aircraft.
The following photographs are from the Kansas Aviation Museum Collection. They were chosen by KAM Director Don Livengood and members Walt House and Andy Labosky who also provided the editing. Nelson Schmitt produced the graphic layout.
Those interested in purchasing the calendar, please send e-mail request to [email protected].
Click here to see the photo layout with descriptive captions.