The Cessna 340 is a twin

piston engine A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is typically a heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a rotating motion. This article describes the common featu ...

pressurized business

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...

that was manufactured by

Cessna Cessna () is an American brand of general aviation aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of the Cessna Aircraft Company, an American general aviation aircraft manufacturing c ...

.Montgomery, MR & Gerald Foster: ''A Field Guide to Airplanes, Second Edition'', page 106. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992. The Cessna 335 is an unpressurized version, which appears the same externally as the 340. It sold in smaller numbers than the 340.

Design and development

The 340 was conceived as a cabin-class development of the successful

Cessna 310 The Cessna 310 is an American four-to-six-seat, low-wing, twin-engine monoplane produced by Cessna between 1954 and 1980. It was the first twin-engine aircraft that Cessna put into production after World War II. Development The 310 first fle ...

. The 340 is a six-seat aircraft, with four passenger seats, an aisle and an

airstair An airstair is a set of steps built into an aircraft so that passengers may board and alight the aircraft. The stairs are often built into a clamshell-style door on the aircraft. Airstairs eliminate the need for passengers to use a mobile st ...

door. The tail and landing gear were based on the Cessna 310's units, while its wings were from the

Cessna 414 The Cessna 414 is an American light, pressurized, twin-engine transport aircraft built by Cessna. It first flew in 1968 and an improved variant was introduced from 1978 as the 414A Chancellor. Design and development The pressurized 414 was dev ...

. The 340's primary selling feature was its spacious, pressurized cabin, the first in a light twin. Work on the 340 began in 1969, and the first aircraft was delivered in 1971, behind schedule because one of the prototypes crashed during flight testing in 1970. The early models have two turbocharged Continental TSIO-520-K engines with 285 hp (214 kW) each. Starting in 1976, the engines were upgraded to the more powerful Continental TSIO-520-NB engines of 310 hp (233 kW). This variant is known as the 340A and it also features smaller diameter propellers to reduce noise and meet

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Annex 16 noise requirements. The Cessna 335 was marketed as a low-priced, non-pressurized, version powered by 300 hp (225 kW) Continental TSIO-520-EB engines. The prototype 335 made its maiden flight on December 5, 1978, with the first production aircraft flying in 1979.Taylor 1980, pp. 318–319. It was not a market success, with only 64 built by the time production ended in 1980. The 340 was more successful and remained in production until 1984 with 1287 built.

Variants

;340 :Pressurized six-seat twin powered by two Continental TSIO-520-K engines of 285 hp (214 kW) each.

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15 October 1971. 350 built.Simpson 1991, p.108 ;340A :Pressurized six-seat twin powered by two Continental TSIO-520-NB engines of 310hp (233 kW) each.

19 November 1975 948 built. ;335 :Unpressurized six-seat twin powered by Continental TSIO-520-EB engines of 300hp (225 kW) each.

2 October 1979 65 built.Simpson 1991, p. 107 ;Riley Rocket 340 :Conversion of Cessna 340 aircraft by fitting two 340 hp (254 kW) Lycoming TIO-540-R engines. Also designated R340L.Taylor 1982, p. 454. ;Riley Super 340 :Conversion of 1972–1975 Cessna 340 aircraft by fitting two 310hp Continental TSIO-520-J/-N engines. Also known as R340 Super.Taylor 1988, pp. 461–462.

Operators

Civil

The aircraft is popular with air charter companies and small feeder airlines, and is operated by private individuals and companies. ;

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NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

, for smog research, historical 1972-78 ;

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

*Aerodata Flight Inspection AG, for services for the calibration of airport navigation aids ;

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

*Pavilion Aviation Ltd

Military operators

Countries known to have operated the C340, C335 include.

Specifications (340A)

References

* R.W.Simpson, ''Airlife's General Aviation'', Airlife Publishing, England, 1991, * Taylor, John W. R. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1980–81''. London: Jane's Publishing Company, 1980. . * Taylor, John W. R. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1982–83''. London: Jane's Yearbooks, 1982. . * Taylor, John W. R. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988–89''. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Defence Data, 1988. .

External links

Official website Cessna history
{{Cessna

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