Cessna T303 Crusader

Model T303 Crusader
Cessna T303 Crusader (N11FV)
Role six-seat twin engine cabin monoplane
Manufacturer Cessna Aircraft Company
Designer David R Ellis
First flight February 14, 1978
Introduction 1982
Number built 297[1]
Unit cost

$215,000 (1982)

$235,000 (1984)[1]

The Cessna T303 Crusader is an American six-place light twin-engined aircraft built by Cessna Aircraft Company. Production ceased in 1986.

Design and development

The original Cessna 303 Clipper was first flown on February 14, 1978;[2] it was a low-wing four-seat Lycoming-powered twin-engined aircraft that would have competed with the Piper Seminole, Gulfstream American GA-7 Cougar, and Beechcraft Duchess. After market demand for four-place light twins declined, only one 303 Clipper was built before Cessna redesigned the aircraft as a six-seat twin. They also renamed the aircraft out of legal concern, since Pan Am Airlines held the trademark on the name "Clipper" in reference to their fleet aircraft.

The new model, designated the T303 Crusader first flew on October 17, 1979 with the first deliveries being made in October, 1981. The T303 is an all-metal low-wing six-seat twin-engined aircraft with a retractable tricycle undercarriage. At the time, it was the first all-new production twin built by Cessna in over a decade. With a declining market, only 297[1] were built.

Examples were exported to Europe with several still operating in the United Kingdom in 2012 and 2 flying in Goondiwindi, Queensland, Australia. Many are still flying in Colombia in air taxi and private operations.

Operators

Military operators

 Haiti
Armed Forces of Haiti
 Guatemala
Armed Forces of Guatemala

Specifications (T303)

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1982–83 [3] and The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage[4]

General characteristics

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 249 mph (216 knots, 400 km/h) at 18,000 ft (5,485 m)
  • Cruise speed: 226 mph (196 knots, 363 km/h) at 20,000 ft (6,100 m) (Max cruise, 71% power)
  • Stall speed: 71.5 mph (62 knots, 115 km/h) (CAS), flaps down, power off
  • Range: 1,174 mi (1,020 nmi, 1,891 km) econ cruise at 10,000 ft (3,050 m), 45 min reserves
  • Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,620 m)
  • Rate of climb: 1,480 ft/min (7.5 m/s)

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 3 Aviation Consumer's Used Aircraft Guide
  2. ↑ Taylor 1982, p.346.
  3. ↑ Taylor 1982, pp. 346–347.
  4. ↑ Lednicer, David (2010). "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". Retrieved 11 September 2013.
Bibliography
  • Taylor, John W.R. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1982–83. London:Jane's Yearbooks, 1982. ISBN 0-7106-0748-2.

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