The Cessna Airmaster.

Cessna Airmaster photo courtesy of Garethhorne.co.uk

About the full size Cessna C-37 Airmaster.

If you think the economy is in poor shape today (Spring 2009) imagine what it must have been like in the 1930's! It was 1934, the Great Depression was showing signs of improvement and Cessna Aircraft Company had been forced out of business, a few years previously. It was into this environment, that Dwayne Wallace, a new aeronautical engineer and Clyde Cessna's nephew, introduced the first Airmaster, the C-34 ( the number came from the year-1934)

Wallace persuaded Clyde Cessna to resurrect the remains of the Cessna Aircraft Company and he also arranged financing to put the  Airmaster into production.

Sales were reasonable, considering the state of the economy and one of the selling features was "The World's Most Efficient Airplane"

The  Airmaster model evolved from the C-34 into the C-37 and C-38.The C-37 had a wing mounted flaps and the C-38 had a belly mounted drag flap.

Construction details- full cantilever wing structure - no struts!

Wing-all wood.

Fuselage-steel tubing, welded, with wooden formers and stringers.

Tail surfaces are wood with ply covering.
 

Technical Details.

• Wing span-34ft-2in.
• Length-24ft-8in.
• Height-7ft-9in.
• Weight empty-1380lbs
• Useful load-970lbs
• Baggage-64lbs
• Fuel-35-53 gals
• Oil-3.5gals
• Performance
• Power-145HP Warner Super Scarab.
• Max. speed-162 mph
• Cruising speed-151 mph
• Range-525-785 miles
• Rate of climb-1000ft/min
• Service ceiling-18,000ft.
• List Price, standard model-$5,490!

The 1/4 scale model details.

• Wing span-102.5in.
• Length-74in.
• Estimated weight-16-20lbs
• Power-160 4 stroke glow or 26cc gasoline.
• Wing section-NACA 2412 (semi-symmetrical)
• Construction-standard balsa and ply, fabric covered.
• Plans-2 sheets 36"x72", 1 sheet 36"x95"

This model of the Cessna Airmaster came about, after discussions with Jerry Bates and myself. Jerry offered to provide the basic wing drawing with all the ribs and I proceeded with the rest of the design.

The construction is pretty standard stuff, with the fuselage sides being built over the plans, as well as the wings. The tail features the 1/16" balsa core method.

If there is enough interest, fiberglass cowl and maybe wheel pants could be made available.

The wing is made in 2-pieces and plugs into the fuselage, using aluminum tubes.

This should be an easy build and a smooth flying Cessna Airmaster. At this time, the plans are complete but the model is waiting to be built and flown. Check back here often for the latest updates on this project.

If you would like to pre-order the plans and earn a 10% discount, please contact us via this form

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