Page 22 - Volume 12 Number 6

Clyde knew the major challenge would be designing and building the full-cantilever wing structure to withstand the torsional and bending forces imposed during flight. Cessna tackled the problem two ways: he overbuilt the wing and hired Joseph Newell – the highly respected professor of aeronautical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to perform the complicated stress analysis of the wing.
Clyde knew that the new Aeronautics Branch of the U.S. government’s Department of Commerce (DOC),
which was responsible for issuance of Approved Type Certificates for new aircraft, would give the wing design a particularly stringent evaluation. Therefore, Newell’s expertise would be essential if Cessna was to gain Federal Government approval to build and sell production aircraft. Soon a raft of technical drawings were sent to Newell so he could begin his analysis.4
A prototype airplane, now renamed the Phantom, first flew in August 1927 with Romer Weyant at the controls. Upon landing he reported that the ship flew well, but that during maneuvers some torsional vibrations of the wing
The “Phantom” was powered by the ubiquitous (but obsolete) Anzani radial engine,
of which Cessna had acquired large numbers during recent years.
The monoplane was first flown in August 1927 with local pilot Romer G. Weyant at the controls. (ROBERT PICKETT COLLECTION/ TEXTRON AVIATION)
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occurred. The problem was traced to weak wire bracing within the structure. The installation of additional wires of greater diameter apparently resolved the issue.
Cessna was pleased with the airplane’s initial performance, and so was Victor Roos, a motorcycle dealer from Omaha, Nebraska. After learning about the Phantom’s successful flight, he approached Clyde about forming a partnership. Roos was a superb salesman and liked what he saw in the sleek monoplane. It was a fresh and unique design that he believed held promise in the emerging market for small commercial airplanes. By August the two men had reached an agreement and the Cessna-Roos Aircraft Company was born. The two men had equipment and materials that had to be incorporated into the new company. Among these were 67 Anzani 10-cylinder radial engines, aircraft-quality wood, sheet metal and tooling.
It had already become apparent that the workshop (50 feet 75 feet) was completely inadequate for the manufacture of production airplanes. A new factory complex, to be located on the city’s west side, was quickly approved by management and a local contractor was soon at work breaking ground for the facility.5
As autumn approached a second airplane was under construction in the downtown workshop, and there were sufficient materials to build another 12 Phantoms. In October a third prototype monoplane had been completed and made a successful first flight.
JUNE 2018