T-41

From USAFA Folklore

The T-41 Mescalero is a military version of the popular Cessna 172 used by the United States Air Force and the United States Army as a pilot training aircraft. In 1964, the Air Force decided to use the off-the-shelf Cessna 172 as a preliminary flight screener for pilot candidates and ordered 237 T-41As from Cessna. The T-41B was the US Army version. In 1968, the Air Force acquired 52 more powerful T-41Cs for use at the Academy. In 1996, the aircraft were further upgraded to the T-41D, which included an upgrade in avionics.

Beginning in 1993, the United States Air Force replaced much of the T-41 fleet with the Slingsby T-3A Firefly for the flight screening role and aerobatics training, which the T-41 was not capable of. The T-3A fleet was indefinitely grounded in 1997 and scrapped in 2006 following several fatal accidents at the Academy. The Air Force now trains non-fliers through civilian contracts and has no current replacement for this type. Three T-41's remain at the Air Force Academy in order to support certain academic classes and the Academy's Flying Team.

(Adapted from en.wikipedia.org)