In 1964 the U.S. Air Force Air Training Command chose Cessna Aircraft to
build a pilot screening/training aircraft. The contract required limited
avionics, 2 seats (instructor/student pilot) and price not to exceed
$7,000 each. Our aircraft was included in the first order of 170 units
built under this program. These aircraft were given a military designation
of T41A (USAF).
Prior to the T41 program, the USAF used the expensive T37 jets for
entry level pilot training. In the T37 jet training program used by the
USAF, introductory pilot trainees that were not attaining the required
pilot training proficiency in the allotted time or those training pilots
that were unable to overcome airsickness, claustrophobia, and fear of
flying proved to be a large expense to the USAF. The expensive jet
operating cost proved to be a poor investment in the early stages of USAF
pilot training in the new jet age. A major shift in USAF leadership
attitude was required to shift back to propeller based introductory
trainer. The T37 jet training program was started in 1961and going back to
propeller driven training aircraft seemed outdated to the USAF and
Congress.
However, budget constraints in the USAF Training Command drove the T41
program for 34 years (1965 until 1999). During this service period the
primary flight instructors and maintenance personnel were civilians, under
a program modeled after WWII pilot training. Each T41 carried a military
serial number in addition to a civilian registration since each T41 was
required to be maintained to Federal Aviation Administration requirements
by civilian mechanics. The USAF provided a layer of military oversight and
each T41 was supervised by military personnel for flight training and
maintenance.
The T41 pilot training program was carried out in 8 different locations
in the United States.
Our specific T41 "Eagle Spirit" was originally put into
service on May 17, 1965 with the 3650th Pilot Training Wing at Columbus
AFB in Columbus Mississippi. It continued service at Hondo Texas and then
later with the Civil Air Patrol (USAF Auxiliary) before civilian purchase
in 1985.
