The Cessna Airmaster, is a family of single-engined aircraft manufactured by the Cessna Aircraft Company. The Airmaster played an important role in the revitalization of Cessna in the 1930s after the crash of the aviation industry during the Great Depression.
The original Airmaster, the C-34, evolved into more advanced versions of the Airmaster. The C-37 had a wider cabin, improved landing gear and electric flaps. The C-38 had a taller vertical tail, curved main gear legs and a landing flap under the fuselage. Changes common to both the C-37 and C-38 included wider fuselages and landing gear along with rubber engine mounts to hold the Warner Super Scarab engine. The final revisions of the C-34 were the C-145 and the C-165, of which 80 were built. On these models, the belly flaps added on the C-38 were removed and the overall length of the fuselage was increased. The only difference between the C-145 and C-165 was the engine horsepower, with the latter having an upgraded Warner engine.
End of the line
It was with the beginning of World War II that the Airmaster line came to an end. The welded tubular fuselage, fabric-covered body, extensive woodwork, wooden wings and radial engines, all characteristic of 1930s-era aircraft technology, became too expensive and slow to produce. The old-style aircraft was quickly replaced with aircraft constructed from aluminium with strut braced wings first seen in the Cessna 120.
Design
The design of the C-34 incorporates characteristics that were borrowed from previous models of Cessna Aircraft. These similarities include the high mounted cantilever wing and the narrow design of the cabin windows. The wings and tail surfaces were composed entirely of wood while the fuselage was structured with steel tubing coupled with wooden stringers and formers. Both C-145 and C-165 models were offered with floats.
Variants
;C-34: Four-seat light cabin aircraft, powered by a 145-hp Warner Super Scarab radial piston engine; 42 built. ;C-37: the cabin was widened by 12.7 cm. It was fitted with improved landing gear and electrically operated flaps; 46 built. ;C-38: Fitted with wide landing gear with curved legs, plus a taller vertical tail and a landing flap under the fuselage; 16 built. ;C-39: Original designation of the Cessna C-145. ;C-145: Powered by a 145-hp Warner Super Scarab radial piston engine. ;C-165: Powered by a 165-hp Warner Super Scarab radial piston engine. ;C-165D: Powered by a 175-hp Warner Super Scarab radial piston engine. ;UC-77B: Two Cessna C-34s were impressed into service with the USAAF during world War II. ;UC-77C: One Cessna C-37 was impressed into service with the USAAF in 1942. ;UC-94: Three Cessna C-165s were impressed into service with the USAAF in 1942.
