The Cessna 441 Conquest II is the first

turboprop A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. ...

powered aircraft designed 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 ...

, and was meant to fill the gap between their jets and piston-engined aircraft. It was developed in November 1974, with the first aircraft delivered in September 1977. It is a pressurized, 8–9 passenger turbine development of the

Cessna 404 Titan The Cessna Model 404 Titan is an American twin-engined, light aircraft built by Cessna Aircraft. It was that company's largest twin piston-engined aircraft at the time of its development in the 1970s. Its US military designation is C-28, and ...

Development

The original design from 1972 for this aircraft was known as the Model 435, and was to be powered by Continental GTSIO-520X engines with three-bladed propellers. By 1975, the designed evolved into the turboprop-powered Model 441. It was certified by the FAA on August 19, 1977. Cessna renamed the Model 441 the Conquest II in 1983. 1984 models starting with constructor number 195 used lighter weight four-bladed McCauley

propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...

s. Phillips, Edward H.: ''Wings of Cessna, Model 120 to the Citation III'', Flying Books, 1986. A 441 with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-112 turboprops was flown in 1986, but did not enter production. A smaller aircraft was marketed as the Cessna 425 Conquest I, itself a turbine development of the

Cessna 421 The Cessna 421 Golden Eagle is an American six or seven seat twin-engined light transport aircraft, developed in the 1960s by Cessna as a pressurized version of the earlier Cessna 411. Development The Cessna 421 was first produced in May 196 ...

. In September 2007, Cessna limited the Conquest II to 22,500 hours of air time for US for air carriers, an advise only for private operators. Cessna built 362 units from 1977 through 1986.

Design

The Cessna 441 cruises at TAS while burning of fuel per hour at FL290, while maximum range is at TAS and /h at FL350. With six to nine seats, its

basic operating weight Empty weight (EW) is the sum of the ‘as built’ manufacturer's empty weight (MEW), plus any standard items (SI) plus any operator items (OI), EW = MEW + SI + OI. The EW is calculated for each aircraft series and each unique configuration of an a ...

(BOW) allows a payload at full fuel, but MTOW can be increased by with aftermarket modifications. Most have been upgraded from twin

Garrett TPE331 The Honeywell TPE331 (military designation: T76) is a turboprop engine. It was originally designed in the 1950s by Garrett AiResearch, and produced since 1999 by Honeywell Aerospace. The engine's power output ranges from . Design and develo ...

-8s engines to -10s for better climb performance, a ceiling raised to FL350 from FL330, and TBO raised from 3,000 to 5,000h for $225,000 per engine. Converting from the standard three-blade propellers to smaller diameter Hartzell four-blade propellers results in a climb rate improved by 200 fpm (1.01 m/s) and a increase in cruise speed as well as reducing cabin noise and improving ground clearance. The aircraft has a retractable

tricycle landing gear Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle ...

and has a ground roll of 1,785 ft (544 m) on

takeoff Takeoff is the phase of flight in which an aerospace vehicle leaves the ground and becomes airborne. For aircraft traveling vertically, this is known as liftoff. For aircraft that take off horizontally, this usually involves starting with a ...

. The high aspect ratio wings use bonded construction techniques. The

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...

designator for the Cessna Conquest as used in

flight plan Flight plans are documents filed by a pilot or flight dispatcher with the local Air Navigation Service Provider (e.g. the FAA in the United States) prior to departure which indicate the plane's planned route or flight path. Flight plan forma ...

s is C441.

Operational history

By May 2019, 290 aircraft remained in service, at a $.75-.9M value down from $1-1.9M in 2011. The

King Air B200 The Beechcraft Super King Air family is part of a line of twin-turboprop aircraft produced by Beechcraft. The Model 200 and Model 300 series were originally marketed as the "Super King Air" family; the "Super" designation was dropped in 1996. ...

has a roomier cabin but less range, a slower cruise and higher fuel burn. The

Mitsubishi MU-2 The Mitsubishi MU-2 is a Japanese high-wing, twin-engine turboprop aircraft with a pressurized cabin manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. It made its maiden flight in September 1963 and was produced until 1986. It is one of postwar Japa ...

B-60 has a similar fuel burn and speed but flies lower. The Piper Cheyenne III is fast but has poorer

fuel efficiency Fuel efficiency is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the ratio of effort to result of a process that converts chemical potential energy contained in a carrier (fuel) into kinetic energy or work. Overall fuel efficiency may vary per device ...

and less range. The Piper Cheyenne 400 is faster but burns fuel like a light jet. The Conquest II is operated by corporate owners, air charter operators and previously by the

Royal Flying Doctor Service The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), commonly known as the Flying Doctor, is an air medical service in Australia. It is a non-profit organisation that provides emergency and primary health care services for those living in rural, remote an ...

in Australia. Examples of the type have been exported to many countries including Austria, Australia, Canada, Ecuador, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Mexico, Norway, Peru, South Africa, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Specifications (Conquest II)

References

External links