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T-41 Mescalero
The T-41 Mescalero
Type	Primary pilot trainer
Manufacturer	Cessna
Introduced	1964
Retired	1997
Primary users	United States Air Force United States Army Royal Thai Air Force Royal Thai Army
Developed from	Cessna 172

The T-41 Mescalero is a military version of the popular Cessna 172 used by the United States Air Force and the United States Army as a pilot training aircraft.

Contents 1 History 2 Variants 3 Operators 3.1 Military operators 4 Specifications (T-41C) 5 References 6 External links 7 Related content

In 1964, the Air Force decided to use the off-the-shelf Cessna 172 as a preliminary flight screener for pilot candidates and ordered 237 T-41As from Cessna. The T-41B was the US Army version. In 1968, the Air Force acquired 52 more powerful T-41Cs for use at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

In 1996, the aircraft were further upgraded to the T-41D, which included an upgrade in avionics.

Beginning in 1993, the United States Air Force replaced much of the T-41 fleet with the Slingsby T-3A Firefly for the flight screening role, and for aerobatics 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 United States Air Force Academy. The Air Force now trains through a civilian contract with DOSS Aviation known as Initial Military Flight Screening which makes uses of the Diamond DA-20.^{[citation needed]} Three T-41s remain at the Air Force Academy in order to support certain academic classes as well as the USAFA Flying Team.

T-41A

United States Air Force version of the Cessna 172F for undergraduate pilot training, 211 built.

T-41B

United States Army version of the Cessna R172E for training and liaison duties, 255 built.

T-41C

A version of the T-41B for use by the USAF Academy, 52 built.

T-41D

A version of the T-41B for export under the Military Aid Program with 28V electrical system and simplified equipment, 238 built.

 Colombia

• Colombian Air Force (30 x T-41D)

 Ecuador

• Ecuadorian Air Force (12 x T-41D)

 Greece

• Hellenic Air Force (21 x T-41D)

 Honduras

• Honduran Air Force (9 x T-41A)

 Peru

• Peruvian Air Force (T-41A)

 Philippines

• Philippine Air Force (20 x T-41D)

 Thailand

• Royal Thai Air Force (6 x T-41D)

 Turkey

• Turkish Air Force (25 x T-41D)

 United States

• United States Army (255 x T-41B)
• United States Air Force (211 x T-41A and 52 x T-41C)

 Uruguay

• Uruguayan Air Force (7 x T-41D)

Data from Global Security^[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1-2
• Length: 26 ft 11 in (8.21 m)
• Wingspan: 35 ft 10 in (10.92 m)
• Height: 8 ft 10 in (2.69 m)
• Wing area: 159 ft² (14.8 m²)
• Empty weight: 1,363 lb (618 kg)
• Loaded weight: 2,300 lb (1,043 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Continental IO-360-D , 210 hp (160 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 125 knots (144 mph, 232 km/h)
• Range: 626 nm (720 mi, 1,159 km)
• Service ceiling: 17,000 ft (5,180 m)
• Rate of climb: 880 ft/min (4.47 m/s)

• Global Security: T-41 Mescalero

Related development

• Cessna 170
• Cessna 172
• O-1 Bird Dog

Comparable aircraft

• Slingsby T-3 Firefly
• PAC CT/4

Designation sequence

• T-38 - T-39 - T-40 - T-41 - T-42 - T-43 - T-44

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