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Cessna 140

The Cessna 140 meant a


revolution for light aircraft
when it arrived in 1946. An
all-metal, light sports plane
fully equipped with wheel
brakes, faps & sufcient power
& range. It seated two persons
side-by-side, had ample room
for luggage, and was comple-
mented by the low-cost120
version without faps and rear
side windows. Many 1946
Cessnas are still fying today, a
witness to the ruggedness of
the mainly aluminium
construction and comparative
ease of maintenance.
(See the YouTube video First fight in 5 years
for a Cessna 120 with a few surprises.)
The kit models the Cessna 140 N89605 seen above, afectionately called Eliza. In
addition, a white-model version is included for your own recoloring . Opening the kit
pdf-fle in a vector-capable program is highly recommended for that kind of work.
Click on all sections in the text indicating an external source. They are
linked to the original sources. Print the kit on sheets of 5 x 7 (13 x 18cm)
cards for a nice large picture postcard size kit. Or print on regular size A4
or Letter paper (two kit pages per printed sheet). Only four pages (two
sheets of A4 or Letter) need to be printed on photo paper, 170-200g/m.
All photos in the kit
Doug Robertson,
AirportData.com.
Published here with kind
permission.
See a YouTube video of a landing
with this very aircraft: 1946
Cessna 140 Two Point Landing.
1/87 scale
paper model.
Original design
by Leif Ohlsson
The Cessna 120 and the Cessna 140 are
single engine, two-seat, conventional
landing gear, light general aviation aircraft
that were frst produced in 1946,
immediately following the end of World
War II. Production ended in 1950, and was
succeeded by the Cessna 150, a similar
two-seat trainer which introduced tricycle
gear. Combined production of both
aircraft was 7,664 units in fve years.
The Cessna 140 was originally equipped
with an Continental C-85-12 or C-85-12F
horizontally-opposed, aircooled,
four-cylinder piston engine of 85 hp (63
kW). The Continental C-90-12F or
C-90-14F of 90 hp (67 kW) was optional, as
was the 108 hp (81 kW) Lycoming
O-235-C1 engine, an after-market
installation authorized in the type
certifcate. That model had a metal
fuselage and fabric wings with metal
control surfaces.
Wingspan: 10.16 m, which translates to
117 mm @ 1/87 scale.
Source:
Wikipedia
1/87 scale drawing.
Source: Richard Ferriere
Cessna 120/140
Pilots who have an eye for form and function will
probably agree that the Cessna 120 and its sibling, the
140, are airplanes that have eye appeal. The rounded
rudder, conventional landing gear, and overall
proportions create the classic lightplane look. When
Cessna fooded the lightplane market with these
beauties following the end of World War II, few people
realized how important this honest little airplane would
turn out to be in the history and development of the
Cessna Airplane Company.
The stark little 120 listed at $2,695. The 140 difered from
the 120 since it was equipped with an electrical system,
featuring a Delco Remy generator and a pull
cable-actuated starter, split-type wing faps, quarter
windows behind each door, and tube-and-fabric wings.
The list price for a 140 was $2,995. The airplanes were an
immediate success.
The 140A was introduced in 1949 with new all-metal
wings that were frst developed in 1948 for the
four-place 170 program. In three years of production,
525 140A airplanes were sold.
By all accounts the engineers at Cessna designed an
honest, well-mannered airplane. Leighton Collins, in an
April 1, 1946, article in Air Facts, said this about an early
140: "The stability situation, then, would seem to be that
it is about evenly apportioned around the three axes and
is just a little more than neutral. That makes for a ship
which doesn't overwork you in rough air, one which is
responsive, and one which is nice on instruments." In
other words, the 140 fies well and doesn't have any
designed-in bad habits, although changing to metal
wings removes some of the aileron response, according
to David Lowe (past president of the International
Cessna 120/140 Association and an experienced 120/140
mechanic).
Depending on the engine (STCs are available for up to
135 hp) and the propeller installed, cruising fuel
consumption ranges from around fve to seven gallons
per hour, with a clean, straight airplane achieving cruise
speeds of about 105 to 110 mph (91 to 95 kt). With 25
gallons of fuel, this translates to about four and a half
hours of duration and a 500-statute-mile range. The
operation manual, a book from a simpler time, lists 21.5
miles per gallon at 2,400 rpm in the performance charts.
140A models, and 140s with larger engines and cruise
props, reportedly clip along at up to 125 mph (108 kt).
The 120 had no faps, but in reality the split-type faps on
the 140 weren't much more than small speed brakes.
Pilots transitioning from Cessnas equipped with the
powerful Fowler-type faps that are standard equipment
on all Cessna singles built from the mid-1950s on will
The 140 and its lean little brother, the 120, jump-started
Cessna's transition to a peacetime business after World
War II. Between 1946 and 1951, when production of the
140 ended, more than 7,500 of these airplanes had
rolled out the doors in Wichita. Not only did this airplane
provide a tremendous economic boost for postwar
Cessna, the design also helped establish the strut-braced
single-engine line of Cessnas as airframes that could, to
borrow a line from Timex, "take a licking and keep on
ticking."
have to develop some new speed-control discipline if
they want to consistently show of their spot-landing
skills. Accordingly, the rudder has enough power to
make speed control via the sideslip method a routine
matter.
The 120, 140, and 140A all exhibit good manners on the
ground and have enough rudder authority to handle
most crosswind situations with aplomb. Pilots who are
always conscious of the wind direction and counter
landing gear is a low-drag and low-maintenance system,
but this is ofset by the fact that these legs are stronger
than the gear boxes that support them. Inspection of the
front doorpost/gear box area is critical during all
prepurchase and annual inspections. The airframe is easy
to repair and if the repair is done well, it will be almost
undetectable and the airplane will fy fne.
Unlike some older lightplanes, the parts situation for
these small Cessnas isn't critical. Univair, a company in
Aurora, Colorado ( www.univair.com), and Wag-Aero, of
Lyons, Wisconsin ( www.wagaero.com), both supply
high-quality parts for repair and refurbishment. For
instance, both left and right gear box assemblies, new
cowling assemblies, and other often-needed and
hard-to-manufacture parts are almost always in stock.
The supply of serviceable crankshafts for the original
C-85 series of Continental engines is drying up, so a
couple of companies have STCs that permit the use of an
O-200 crankshaft in these engines. STCs are available for
the installation of the 100-hp Continental O-200, the
108-hp Lycoming O-235, and the 135-hp Lycoming
O-290. Engine cylinders are often repairable, or new
ones are available (except for the O-290), from Engine
Components Inc. ( www.eci2fy.com) or from Lycoming
or Continental at reasonable prices.
Make no mistake, the 120 and the 140 are some of the
lightest of lightplanes, grossing out at 1,450 pounds, or
1,500 pounds for the 140A. Even at this light weight, the
Cessna 140-series airplanes are sturdy, economical,
well-mannered little taildraggers that are fun to fy and
pleasing to the eye.
Sources:
(Text) AOPA
Aircraft owners and pilots association
(Photos) Doug Robertson
AirportData.com
published here with kind permisson.
these conditions with the correct control inputs fnd that
this airplane does not make them look bad, or swap
ends unexpectedly on the ground. In spite of the
airplane's capabilities, Lowe suggests that 100 percent of
the feet has probably been ground looped at least once
over the past 50 years.
If a pilot somehow ground loops his 140 at any more
than taxi speeds, it's probable that the landing gear
boxes in the fuselage will be damaged. The spring-steel
H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6
Horizontal
formers
upper
layers
Horizontal
formers
lower
layers
F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 F8 F9 F10
Formers
forward-
facing
layers
Formers
rearward-
facing
layers
S1R
S1L S2L
S2R
All framework parts on this page
are made by doubling up the two
S1, F2, H3, etc. layers provided for
each part. This allows for diferent
patterns on front & back of each
doubled framework part.
Grey areas mark cut-outs for stab
spar, exhaust stubs and prop
assembly (optional).
Black areas around outlines of F1,
F2 & F4 indicate need for sanding
after assembly of framework.
Cessna 140 N89605
E-parts, external skin, below:
E1 E6
E2
E3
E4
E5
E7R
E7L
E11, mount on E7
dashed lines
E11, mount on E7
dashed lines
E12
roof
If E12 is to be
mounted in
two stages,
cut appr. at
dashed line
(optional).
E8
E9
E10
I-parts, interior skin:
I1
bottom
I2R - side right
I2L - side L
I3
roof
spar
front
I4
roof
spar
rear
I5 roof
I6
transp.
D1
faps lever
(make from
wire & rolled
paper strip)
D2
steering
wheels
D3
steering wheel
shafts
(wire parts)
D4R
seat right
D4L
seat left
D5
carb.
intake
D6
exhaust stubs
(rolled paper)
(D1-D4 interior details above,
D5 & D6 exterior details below)
D-parts,
details:
N89605 N89605
T-parts,
tailwheel:
T4
wheels T3
fork
T2
wire
T1
legs
P-parts,
propeller:
P1
blades
P2
front
P3
rear
P4 hub
P5 casing
P6 stopper
P7 pin
L4, wheel
layers:
L4-0 center layers (3) L4-2 L4-2 L4-3 L4-3 L4-1 L4-1
L-parts,
landing gear:
L1-L
left
leg
inner
L2-R
right
leg
outer
L3
landing
gear
wire parts
L2-L
left
leg
outer
L1-R
right
leg
outer
W1R
wing
W1L
wing
W4L
wing strut
W4R
wing strut
W3 ribs
W2 spars
W5 stab spar
To reinforce W4 struts, you
could draw lines on the
backside along the strut
centerlines, and glue very
thin metal wires on these;
then fold & double up to
laminate. Alternatively,
soak struts in CA glue.
Black areas on W4 struts chamfered. Struts project through slots in wings and
fuselage (marked grey on these parts), and rest against spars and fuse inner skin.
W8
jury
struts
(wire)
W7
stab
W6
fn
W-parts:
wing,
fn &
stab
4L 3L 2L
1L C 1R
2R 3R 4R
4L 3L 2L
1L C 1R
2R 3R 4R
Pilot R parts above, Pilot L parts below
Suggested construction order:
1. Make cut-outs marked grey (prop cut-out optional). Build
framework. All formers have opposite faces, sometimes with
diferent pattern on front & back, to make it easy to check correct
alignment & position. Dashed lines in places mark position of
front/back layer. Sand assembly at places marked black.
2. Add inner details (fap lever, steering wheels & columns, seats,
and pilots (plastic HO-scale fgures optional).
3. Glue inner skin parts, including roof spars & inner roof.
4. Glue outer skin parts from nose to start of cabin (E1-E5).
5. Now glue down shaped transparency to inner skin side parts
and nose external cover (sparingly, or not at all). Leave the roof
fapping for now.
6. Lock down transparency by glueing on outer cabin sides E7, and
whindshield rim E6. Glue fller ribs E11 to cabin sides at position
marked by dashed lines. Now glue down roof transparency section.
Glue remaining tail outer skins E8-E10.
7. Now glue down unwieldy external roof section E12, including its
fllets for rear skin E8. Thin strips go around rib fller E11. Alternative
is to cut strips at marked position to make a join under the wing.
Add details D5 carb intake & D6 exhaust stubs under nose.
8. Join up fn W6 and stab W7 parts along rims, but do not close
center section. Glue stab spar W5 in cut-out slots in spine & outer
skin. Shove fn & stab sections onto spar stubs and glue to
fuselage.
9. Glue up wing rib & spar sections, with optional rectangular card
between spars for increased rigidity (not drawn). Glue spar & rib
assemblies to preshaped wing W1 bottom sections just a tad inside
the trailing edge. Fold up wing and close at the trailing edge. Close
wing-tip sections.
10. Glue up wing struts W4 with optional reinforcement wire inside
and mount in pre-cut slots in wings & fuse. Add jury struts W8.
11. Make landing gear legs with wire L3 between layers L1-L2 and
stick wheels to wire. Landing gear legs are inserted into cutout in
fuse, wire sticking into inner skins for stability. Tailwheel gear T1-T4
wire part is stuck into spine.
12. Propeller: P4-P6 are made of rolled thin paper; diameters as
drawn. Make propeller by sticking front P2 on a pin, followed by
hub P4 & rear P3. Make sure small marks line up correctly. Glue
blades P1 to hub at center. Glue leading edges to front P2, on each
side. Press to make trailing edge touch rear P3. Front and rear
section of blades should now be possible to align. Drill out
remaining sections of framework and shove prop unit into nose.
H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6
Horizontal
formers
upper
layers
Horizontal
formers
lower
layers
F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 F8 F9 F10
Formers
forward-
facing
layers
Formers
rearward-
facing
layers
S1R
S1L S2L
S2R
All framework parts on this page
are made by doubling up the two
S1, F2, H3, etc. layers provided for
each part. This allows for diferent
patterns on front & back of each
doubled framework part.
Grey areas mark cut-outs for stab
spar, exhaust stubs and prop
assembly (optional).
Black areas around outlines of F1,
F2 & F4 indicate need for sanding
after assembly of framework.
Cessna 140 white model
E-parts, external skin, below:
E1 E6
E2
E3
E4
E5
E7R
E7L
E11, mount on E7
dashed lines
E11, mount on E7
dashed lines
E12
roof
If E12 is to be
mounted in
two stages,
cut appr. at
dashed line
(optional).
E8
E9
E10
I-parts, interior skin:
I1
bottom
I2R - side right
I2L - side L
I3
roof
spar
front
I4
roof
spar
rear
I5 roof
I6
transp.
D1
faps lever
(make from
wire & rolled
paper strip)
D2
steering
wheels
D3
steering wheel
shafts
(wire parts)
D4R
seat right
D4L
seat left
D5
carb.
intake
D6
exhaust stubs
(rolled paper)
(D1-D4 interior details above,
D5 & D6 exterior details below)
D-parts,
details:
T-parts,
tailwheel:
T4
wheels T3
fork
T2
wire
T1
legs
P-parts,
propeller:
P1
blades
P2
front
P3
rear
P4 hub
P5 casing
P6 stopper
P7 pin
L4, wheel
layers:
L4-0 center layers (3) L4-2 L4-2 L4-3 L4-3 L4-1 L4-1
L-parts,
landing gear:
L1-L
left
leg
inner
L2-R
right
leg
outer
L3
landing
gear
wire parts
L2-L
left
leg
outer
L1-R
right
leg
outer
W1R
wing
W1L
wing
W4L
wing strut
W4R
wing strut
W3 ribs
W2 spars
W5 stab spar
To reinforce W4 struts, you
could draw lines on the
backside along the strut
centerlines, and glue very
thin metal wires on these;
then fold & double up to
laminate. Alternatively,
soak struts in CA glue.
Black areas on W4 struts indicate area to sand. Struts project through slots in wings
and fuselage (marked grey on these parts), and rest against spars and fuse inner skin.
W8
jury
struts
(wire)
W7
stab
W6
fn
W-parts:
wing,
fn &
stab
4L 3L 2L
1L C 1R
2R 3R 4R
4L 3L 2L
1L C 1R
2R 3R 4R
Pilot R parts above, Pilot L parts below
Suggested construction order:
1. Make cut-outs marked grey (prop cut-out optional). Build
framework. All formers have opposite faces, sometimes with
diferent pattern on front & back, to make it easy to check correct
alignment & position. Dashed lines in places mark position of
front/back layer. Sand assembly at places marked black.
2. Add inner details (fap lever, steering wheels & columns, seats,
and pilots (plastic HO-scale fgures optional).
3. Glue inner skin parts, including roof spars & inner roof.
4. Glue outer skin parts from nose to start of cabin (E1-E5).
5. Now glue down shaped transparency to inner skin side parts
and nose external cover (sparingly, or not at all). Leave the roof
fapping for now.
6. Lock down transparency by glueing on outer cabin sides E7, and
whindshield rim E6. Glue fller ribs E11 to cabin sides at position
marked by dashed lines. Now glue down roof transparency section.
Glue remaining tail outer skins E8-E10.
7. Now glue down unwieldy external roof section E12, including its
fllets for rear skin E8. Thin strips go around rib fller E11. Alternative
is to cut strips at marked position to make a join under the wing.
Add details D5 carb intake & D6 exhaust stubs under nose.
8. Join up fn W6 and stab W7 parts along rims, but do not close
center section. Glue stab spar W5 in cut-out slots in spine & outer
skin. Shove fn & stab sections onto spar stubs and glue to
fuselage.
9. Glue up wing rib & spar sections, with optional rectangular card
between spars for increased rigidity (not drawn). Glue spar & rib
assemblies to preshaped wing W1 bottom sections just a tad inside
the trailing edge. Fold up wing and close at the trailing edge. Close
wing-tip sections.
10. Glue up wing struts W4 with optional reinforcement wire inside
and mount in pre-cut slots in wings & fuse. Add jury struts W8.
11. Make landing gear legs with wire L3 between layers L1-L2 and
stick wheels to wire. Landing gear legs are inserted into cutout in
fuse, wire sticking into inner skins for stability. Tailwheel gear T1-T4
wire part is stuck into spine.
12. Propeller: P4-P6 are made of rolled thin paper; diameters as
drawn. Make propeller by sticking front P2 on a pin, followed by
hub P4 & rear P3. Make sure small marks line up correctly. Glue
blades P1 to hub at center. Glue leading edges to front P2, on each
side. Press to make trailing edge touch rear P3. Front and rear
section of blades should now be possible to align. Drill out
remaining sections of framework and shove prop unit into nose.

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