Page 14 - Volume 16 Number 2

CESSNA’S
Golden Ea
A Golden Age Executive Twin
Introduced in 1968, Cessna’s big twin-engine pressurized cabin- class model 421 remained a strong-selling light corporate transport for well into the 1980’s. Even though the last ones that rolled off the line are now over 25 years old, a well-kept 421 still offers unmatched performance for the investment it represents. To a person, the proud 421 owners we spoke with for this story said they’ve kept their airplane for one reason; nothing else in its price
12 • TWIN & TURBINE
by LeRoy Cook
category can match its comfort,
payload and performance.
The 421’s Heritage
Certificated on May 1, 1967 as a continuation of the 411’s type certificate, the 1968 421 was everything the 411 wasn’t; a wide- chord vertical tail, proven on the lower-cost Model 401/402 introduced a year earlier, added the stability and control the 411 lacked and, most importantly, the 421 tapped
the turbochargers to provide cabin pressurization. With 375-hp GTSIO- 520D engines turning the propellers at a 3:2 ratio, it offered the comfort of high-altitude flight without the inconvenience of oxygen masks. The door to a new world of owner-flown, high-performance piston twins had been opened. Some 200 421’s were sold in the first year of production.
The 421’s design philosophy built on 14 years of experience with the 310; it had wingtip-mounted main
FEBRUARY 2012
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