Cessna T-41 Mescalero

what is it?

The Cessna T-41 Mescalero is a military version of the popular Cessna 172, operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) 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 R172 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.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 10.9 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 232 km/htop speed
• range 1,159 kmwithout refuelling
• size 1,134 kgmax take-off weight
• built 756made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🏎️Top speed is 1.8× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 10.9 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🌍Range of 1,159 km: 6× Amsterdam to Brussels.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

—

introduced

1964

status

still flying

number built

756

role

primary pilot trainer

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

Cessna

engines

1× Continental IO-360-D

length

8.2 m

wingspan

10.9 m

height

2.7 m

max take-off weight

1,134 kg

top speed

232 km/h

range

1,159 km

ceiling

5,182 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

family