Cessna Wings for the World chronicles in 198 pages and
85 photographs the development of all the Cessna single-engine
airplanes from 1946 through 1991. This remarkable collection
of stories are rare photographs reflect the memories of
the many aerodynamicists, engineers, and test pilots who
were involved in the initial conceptual planning detail
design, prototype construction (and refinement), and flight
testing of each model. Unlike other published books on this
subject, this book describes the airplane development directly
from those who were involved.
The personal experiences and occasional misadventures related
by project test pilots and their flight test engineers present
a vivid picture of the "golden age" of aviation
to both technically-minded and non-technical pilots.
This is the inspirational story of a small group of people
who started from a product line of zero in 1946 to an active
list of 47 models in 1977, including the world's most popular
executive jet airplane — the Cessna Citation. From
450 employees early in 1946, the company employment worldwide
in 1977 exceeded 16,000 dedicated people. The author, William
D. Thompson, served as both an engineering test pilot and
a manager of flight test and aerodynamics in his 28-year
career at the Pawnee Division that produced all of those
133,850 single-engine Cessna airplanes in Kansas.
This 8.5 x 11 softcover book contains 198 pages and 85 photographs.
About the Author