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Meanwhile, Back at the Drawing Board...
Shortly after the 411’s introduction, it was obvious that the fuselage had utilitarian possibilities, and on September 20, 1966, Cessna gained certification for Models 401 and 402, using direct-drive TSIO-520 engines of 300-hp. The airplanes were basically identical, with the 401 supposedly a more-opulent executive configuration and the 402 slated for utility service, much like the two versions of the 206 single that had been offered a year earlier. Most importantly, the 401/402 had a bigger tail than the 411, dropping Vmc to 83 knots with the smaller engines.
The 402 proved to be the clear winner, and the 401 ver- sion was dropped after six years. Although both grossed at 6,300 pounds, the 402 had 1.6 inches more aft c.g. allow- ance and could carry an additional passenger, for a total of nine occupants.
For the 1969 model year, a 401A and 402A were offered; the 401A was certificated in October 1968 and the 402A in January 1969. With the 402A designation, up to 10 seats could be installed. The major change occurred with the 401B and 402B, approved November 12, 1969. The – B model had an extended nose with a second forward baggage door, allowing as much as 600 pounds to be carried in the snozzola. However, the maximum takeoff weight of 6,300 pounds remained.
Cessna continued development of the 400-series twins in the 1970s, introducing a less-expensive pressurized 414 for the 1970 model year, powered by direct-drive 310- hp engines, and in 1976 the 421 got its makeover with a bonded, wet-wing fuel system and hydraulic landing gear, abandoning the tip-tanks that required auxiliary cells larger
than the tips. No one missed the labyrinthine fuel lash-up. Accordingly, the clean-wing 414A came along in 1978 and in 1979 it was the 402’s turn for the new wing.
The restyled 402C was built until 1985, and it remains a popular load-hauler for charter and business use. More than just a removal of the tip tanks and change to hydro gear, the engines’ output was boosted to 325 hp each and max gross weight went to 6,850 pounds, creating a much more useful airplane. Even with the weight increase, single- engine performance went up and the stall speed went down a couple of knots. The 402C remained in production through the decline in general aviation manufacturing in the 1980s, finally succumbing to the triple threats of product liability costs, a bad economy and an oversupply of slow-selling aircraft. Cessna wisely abandoned propeller twins to concentrate on jets.
The Three Cessna 402s
There are three variations of the Cessna 402; the original short-nose 401/402, the long-nose 402B, and the wet-wing 402C. The latter is the most sought-after, with its greater payload and simpler fuel system, but the older tip-tanked airplanes offer a lot of capability and value.
The walkaround inspection reveals an imposing air- craft, with a huge vertical tail and an equally-significant proboscis. So extensive is the forward baggage area that it requires four swing-up doors to access it, and 600 pounds can be carried, less any installed avionics. A 45,000-BTU combustion heater is in the nose. Not that other baggage space is lacking; wing lockers, aft of the nacelles, can take 200 pounds each, although air conditioning normally installed behind the right engine cuts 80 pounds off that side’s allowance. And a swing-open cargo door behind the
May 2024 / TWIN & TURBINE • 23