Cessna Aircraft Company
Cessna Aircraft Company is widely known by its airplanes for general-purpose aviation and business-aircrafts. The history of the company began more than seven decades ago, closely connecting with the general aviation history. The company was created in the town of Wichita (Kansas) by Clyde Cessna in 1911 when he constructed the first airplane named Cessna.
From the very beginning Clyde was concentrating at the idea of creation of a monoplane while biplanes completely dominated. As a result in 1925 he has quarreled with his business partners Walter Beech and Lloyd Stearman and left Wichita Travel-Air Company which he directed for two years. He established an own company and gave it his name. The purpose of the company was construction of a light airplane with one wing, surpassing any biplane under the characteristics.
This problem was resolved in 1927 by construction of "AW" airplane which could achieve the speed of 145 miles per hour and remain in air for more than seven hours. For the 20s it was a significant achievement, but Clyde was knocked down by the commercial part. The Great Depression broke out; the Company went bankrupt and completely terminated its activity in 1931.
Three years later Cessna opens again the factory in Wichita. Until selling the company to his nephew in 1936, Clyde managed to position it firmly. Clyde Cessna died in 1954 in the age of 74. Cessna Company became one of the largest manufacturers of small airplanes in the world.