The History of Cessna & The Cessna 152

The History of Cessna

The Cessna brand of aircraft takes its name from Clyde Cessna, a Kansas farmer and mechanic who built and flew his own aircraft in 1911. From 1912 to 1915, Cessna created multiple monoplane designs.

In 1925, Cessna partnered with Lloyd Stearman and Walter Beech to create the Travel Air Manufacturing Company in Wichita, Kansas. The Company soon became a top U.S. aircraft manufacturer.

As the aviation industry grew, in 1927, Clyde left the Travel Air Manufacturing Company, creating his own monoplane-oriented Cessna Aircraft Company, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, as well.

Unfortunately, the effects of the Great Depression caused the Cessna Aircraft Company to close from 1932 to 1934. Once reopened, the Company became an influential organization in the aviation history.

Following WWII, Cessna started creating light two-seater aircraft, releasing aircraft such as the Cessna 120, Cessna 140 and Cessna 150.

Finally, the durable Cessna 152, an updated version of the 150, was introduced in 1977.

Cessna 152

After this aircraft rolled off the factory lines, it has seen constant use – forty-two years of flight-testing experience and endurance of rigorous pilot training conditions. In 1985, the Wichita, Kansas Cessna factory ceased production of the 152, but in that time had produced almost 8,000 individual planes. The Cessna 152 remains a popular trainer around the globe for its stability and maneuverability.

Though the aircraft has been around for many years, AeroGuard’s staff maintains and updates its Cessna as needed for the safety of students as they enter into flight instructor training.

Using the Cessna 152 for Spin and Recovery Training

At AeroGuard, we only use the 152 in our fleet for Spin and Recovery training – a small portion of the CFI training.

While the Cessna 152 is an excellent aircraft for the CFI portion of training, we primarily use Piper planes for the vast majority of our training, with Piper Archer for Single Engine and Piper Seminole for Multi-Engine Training.

At AeroGuard, we prefer Piper planes, as they are low-wing aircraft and are similar to their commercial plane counterparts. They provide superior up time and availability, as well as size and capacity, rounding out and strengthening our large fleet.

Who Else Flies the 152?

The Cessna 152 isn’t just used by pilot training programs like AeroGuard. In fact, some militaries, such as Argentina, Mexico and more, use the 152 as a part of their fleet.

For those who are becoming hobbyist pilots, the 152 is a popular choice for  purchase. With proper care and maintenance, aviators can take the plane out without hesitation, knowing it is ready and capable of flight.

Want to get in the cockpit of a Cessna 152, or our Piper Archers and Seminoles? Come check out what AeroGuard has to offer. Contact us, and begin your journey to becoming a commercial pilot today!