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.[1][2]

T-41 Mescalero

Cessna T-41D of the 557th Flying Training Squadron
Role	Primary pilot trainer
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Cessna
Introduction	1964
Status	In service
Primary users	United States Air Force United States Army Indonesian Air Force Turkish Air Force
Produced	1964–1996
Developed from	Cessna 172

Design and development

In 1964, the US Air Force (USAF) decided to use the 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 (67-A) of students began training on the T-41 from the civilian airport in Big Spring, Texas, in August 1965.[1][2]

The T-41B was the US Army version, with a 210 hp (160 kW) Continental IO-360 engine and constant-speed propeller in place of the 145 hp (108 kW) Continental O-300 and 7654 fixed-pitch propeller used in the 172 and the T-41A.[3][4][5]

In 1968, the USAF acquired 52 of the more powerful T-41Cs, which used 210 hp (160 kW) Continental IO-360 and a fixed-pitch climb propeller, for use at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.[1][2]

In 1996, the aircraft were further upgraded to the T-41D, which included an upgrade in avionics[1] 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. The T-3A fleet was indefinitely grounded in 1997 and scrapped in 2006 following a series of fatal accidents at the US Air Force Academy.[2][6]

The USAF now trains all its prospective pilots and combat systems officers through a civilian contract with DOSS Aviation known as initial military flight screening, which makes use of the Diamond DA20. This program is conducted for USAF line officer accession programs (e.g., USAFA, AFROTC, and OTS), with said training taking place after these officers have been commissioned as second lieutenants. It is also conducted for USAF officers at the first lieutenant and captain level selected for flight training after an assignment as a non-aeronautically rated officer.[7]

Four T-41s remain at the Air Force Academy for the USAFA Flying Team, as well as to support certain academic classes.[8]

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, these aircraft were not T-41s and were powered by the standard 172 powerplants available in the model year purchased. These included the 145 hp (108 kW) Continental O-300 in pre-1968 aircraft and the 150 and 160 hp (120 kW) Lycoming O-320 in later 172s.[3]

Variants

Argentine Army Cessna T-41D Mescalero

T-41A: United States Air Force version of the Cessna 172F for undergraduate pilot training, powered by 145 hp Continental O-300,[3] 211 built
T-41B: United States Army version of the Cessna R172E for training and liaison duties, powered by 210 hp Continental IO-360,[4] 255 built[5]
T-41C: A version of the T-41B for use by the USAF Academy, powered by 210 hp Continental IO-360,[4] 52 built
T-41D: A version of the T-41B for export under the Military Aid Program with 28 V electrical system and simplified equipment, powered by 210 hp Continental IO-360,[4] 238 built, first T-41D delivered to the Philippine Air Force in 1968[9]

Operators

USAF T-41A

Cessna T-41B of the Republic of Korea

Angola

Angolan Air Force (5× Cessna 172 in service)

Argentina

Argentine Army Aviation (10× T-41D in service)[4]

Bolivia

Bolivian Air Force[4]

Chile

Chilean Air Force (10× T-41D, already retired)

Colombia

Colombian Air Force (30× T-41D)[3][4] - retired

Dominican Republic

Dominican Air Force (10× T-41D / R172),[4]

Ecuador

Ecuadorian Air Force (8× T-41A,[3][4] 12× T-41D)

El Salvador

Salvadoran Air Force[10]

Greece

Hellenic Air Force (T-41A, 21× T-41D, retired[11][12] )[4]

Honduras

Honduran Air Force (3× T-41B and 6× T-41D, retired)[4]

Indonesia

Indonesian Air Force (55× T-41D)

Iran

Imperial Iranian Air Force (T-41D)[4]

Khmer Republic

Khmer Air Force (22× T-41D).[13]

Kingdom of Laos

Royal Lao Air Force (T-41B, T-41D)[4]

Liberia

Armed Forces of Liberia (T-41D)[4]

Pakistan

Pakistani Air Force (T-41D)[4]

Paraguay

Paraguayan Air Force (5× T-41B, retired)[14]

Peru

Peruvian Air Force (25× T-41A[3][4]

Philippines

Philippine Air Force (20× T-41D)[4][15]

South Korea

Republic of Korea Air Force (15× T-41D)[4][15]

South Vietnam

Republic of Vietnam Air Force (22× T-41D, no longer in service)

Thailand

Royal Thai Air Force (6× T-41D)
Royal Thai Army (6× T-41B)

Turkey

Turkish Air Force (30× T-41D)[16]
Turkish Land Forces (25× T-41D)[16][17]

United States

United States Army (255× T-41B)[3]
United States Air Force (211× T-41A and 52× T-41C)[3]
Jacksonville Navy Flying Club/NAS Jacksonville, Florida - 2 x T-41A, 1 x T-41B (two currently airworthy)[18]
Kirtland AFB Aeroclub/Kirtland AFB, New Mexico - 5 x T-41C (all 5 currently airworthy)[19]
Patuxent River Navy Flying Club/NAS Patuxent River, Maryland - 3 x T-41C (1 currently airworthy)[20]
Eglin AFB Aeroclub/Eglin AFB, FL - 2 x T-41A, 1 x T-41B (1 T-41A and 1 T-41B currently airworthy)[21]
Travis AFB Aero Club/Travis AFB, CA - 1 x T-41C (currently airworthy)[22]
Dover AFB Aero Club/Dover AFB, DE - 2 x T-41A, 1x T-41C (currently airworthy)[23]

Uruguay

Uruguayan Air Force (7× T-41D)

Aircraft on display

United States

65-5168 – T-41A on static display in the airpark at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma.[24][25]
65-5226 – T-41 on static display at Randolph Air Force Base, Universal City, Texas. It is on display in park area adjacent to Randolph Inn Visiting Officers Quarters (VOQ) / Distinguished Visiting Officers Quarters (DVOQ) along with other historical ATC and AETC aircraft.[26]
65-5251 – T-41A on static display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.[27] This aircraft was previously assigned to the United States Air Force Academy inventory.
67-14977 – T-41A on static display as part of the Officer Training School complex at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.[28][29]

Specifications (T-41C)

Data from Global Security[1]

General characteristics

Crew: one
Capacity: three passengers
Length: 26 ft 11 in (8.20 m)
Wingspan: 35 ft 10 in (10.92 m)
Height: 8 ft 10 in (2.69 m)
Wing area: 159 sq ft (14.8 m²)
Empty weight: 1,363 lb (618 kg)
Gross weight: 2,500 lb (1,134 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Continental IO-360-D 6-cylinder air-cooled horizontally-opposed piston engine, 210 hp (160 kW)
Propellers: 2-bladed variable-pitch propeller

Performance

Maximum speed: 125 kn (144 mph, 232 km/h)
Range: 626 nmi (720 mi, 1,159 km)
Service ceiling: 17,000 ft (5,200 m)
Rate of climb: 880 ft/min (4.5 m/s)

References

Pike, John (April 2005). "T-41A/C Mescalero". Archived from the original on 2008-05-14. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
United States Air Force (March 1998). "Broad Area Review of the Enhanced Flight Screening Program". Archived from the original on 2008-04-11. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
Taylor, John: Jane's Pocket Book of Military Transport and Training Aircraft, page 67. Macmillan Publishing Inc., 1974. Library of Congress 73-15288
Krivinyi, Nikolaus: World Military Aviation, page 148. Arco Publishing Co, 1977. ISBN 0-668-04348-2
WarbirdFlight.Net (2007). "T-41B". Archived from the original on 2009-08-21. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
Pike, John (September 2006). "T-3A Firefly". Archived from the original on 2008-05-14. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
DOSS Aviation (2007). "About Doss IFS". Archived from the original on 2008-07-06. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
USAFA. "United States Air Force Academy Aircraft". Archived from the original on 2008-04-05. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
Sheil/Forsgren/Little 1976, p. 76
Hagedorn 1993, pp. 87, 92–93.
"Tecnam Completes Delivery Of 12 Trainer Aircraft To The Hellenic Air Force | Tecnam". 18 June 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
Schymura, Jens (June 2019). "New Greek trainers". Air International. Vol. 96, no. 6. p. 9. ISSN 0306-5634.
"Khmer Air Force History". aeroflight.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
"Paraguayan Air Force". aeroflight.co.uk. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
Araneta, Macon Ramos (August 2008). "Air Force acquires 15 planes". Archived from the original on 2009-04-15. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
Sheil/Forsgren/Little 1976, pp. 91-92
"World Air Forces 2013". Archived from the original on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
"Aircraft". Jax Navy Flying Club. Archived from the original on 2012-10-07. Retrieved 2012-11-05.
"Cessna T-41C | Kirtland Flight Center". Archived from the original on 2017-12-28. Retrieved 2017-12-27.
Patuxent River Navy Flying Club. "Aircraft". Archived from the original on April 4, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
( Eglin Aero Club. "Aircraft". Archived from the original on 2010-09-25. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
( Travis Aero Club. "Aircraft/Rates". Archived from the original on 2011-04-25. Retrieved 2011-04-30.
( "Aero Club Brochure" (PDF).
Gross, Tyler (August 25, 2010). "Construction of Vance's air park nears completion". Vance Air Force Base. Oklahoma. Archived from the original on 14 September 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
"Airframe Dossier - Cessna T-41A Mescalero, s/n 65-5168 USAF". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Archived from the original on 14 October 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
"Airframe Dossier - Cessna172 / T-41 Mescalero, s/n 65-5226 USAF, c/r N5226F". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Archived from the original on 14 October 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
"Cessna T-41A Mescalero". National Museum of the US Air Force. Archived from the original on 22 November 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
Kimberly, Wright (October 29, 2010). "OTS salutes heritage with T-41 display". Maxwell Air Force Base. Alabama. Archived from the original on 14 September 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
"Maxwell AFB, AL T-41 OTS Display". Warbird Information Exchange. phpBB Group. Archived from the original on 22 September 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.

Hagedorn, Daniel P. (1993). Central American and Caribbean Air Forces. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-210-6.
Shiel, Walt; Forsgren, Jan; Little, Michael (2006). T-41 Mescalero: The Military Cessna 172. Lake Linden, Michigan, USA: Slipdown Mountain Publications. ISBN 978-0-9746553-3-8.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cessna T-41 Mescalero.

Global Security: T-41 Mescalero

Cessna 140 family and derivatives

Model numbers

Civilian
names

Military
designations

L-19

T-41
T-51

U-17
U-26

Modifications

Aviat	150 152
Wren/Peterson	230SE 260SE 460

Foreign
variants

Kayaba (Japan)	Heliplane
Reims (France)	F150 F152 F172 F177 F182
SIAI-Marchetti (Italy)	SM.1019
St-Just (Canada)	Cyclone Super-Cyclone

Notable
aircraft

Spirit of Columbus

United States trainer aircraft designations, Army/Air Force and Tri-Service systems

Advanced Trainer
(1925–1948)

Basic Combat
(1936–1940)

Basic Trainer
(1930–1948)

Primary Trainer
(1924–1948)

Main sequence
(1948–present)

1948 redesignations	T-6 T-7 T-11 T-13² T-13A T-13B/D T-17 T-19
New designations	T-28 T-29 T-30 T-31 T-32 T-33 NT-33A T-34 T-35 T-36 T-37 T-38 T-39 T-40 T-41² T-41 (I) T-41 (II) T-42² T-42 (I) T-42 (II) T-43 T-44 T-45 T-46 T-47 B T-48² YT-48 T-48TS T-49 T-50 T-51 T-52 T-53 T-54

Alternate sequences

1962 redesignations	T-1 T-2
1990– sequence	T-1 T-2¹ T-3 T-4¹ T-5¹ T-6 T-7

¹ Not assigned • ² Assigned to multiple types

Royal Thai Armed Forces trainer aircraft designations
B.F (Trainer)	B.F.1 B.F.2 B.F.3 B.F.4 B.F.5 B.F.6 B.F.7 B.F.8 B.F.9 B.F.10 B.F.11 B.F.12 B.F.13 B.F.14 B.F.15 B.F.16 B.F.17 B.F.18 B.F.19 B.F.20
B.KhF (Fighter-trainer)	B.KhF.1 B.KhF.2

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