The Cessna Model CG-2 was an American

primary glider Primary gliders are a category of aircraft that enjoyed worldwide popularity during the 1920s and 1930s as people strove for simple and inexpensive ways to learn to fly.Schweizer, Paul A: ''Wings Like Eagles, The Story of Soaring in the United Sta ...

built by the

Cessna Aircraft Company 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 ...

in the early 1930s.

Design and development

In 1930 the Cessna Aircraft Company was suffering in the depression and downturn in the economy following the Wall Street crash. During this period people did not have the money to purchase aircraft and as such to keep the company going Clyde Cessna (principal founder of the Cessna Aircraft Company) needed a solution. An interim solution came from Clyde's son, Eldon Cessna, who had the idea to design and build gliders. This would allow the company to produce something simple and cheap which might keep the company afloat until people could afford more advanced powered aircraft all the while keeping them interested in flying. The result was a simple primary glider known as the Model CG-2, known internally as the Cessna Glider, model 2, which was introduced in 1930 and which was inspired by some of the German primary gliders of the era. They were marketed by Cessna via catalog at a price of $398 US Dollars ($6,966 US Dollars in 2022) together with an advertising campaign which promised that ''"man might fly first, without power, in safety"''. Another advertisement made by Cessna stated that ''"glider pilots will be future transport pilots"''. The glider was sold crated and ready for shipment alongside an assembly manual and a bungee-based launch system. One of the reasons for the CG-2's low price was that it was sold and shipped as a kit. The production figures for the Model CG-2 are not completely known. This is because Cessna records show that only 54 CG-2 gliders were sold, however some sources state that Cessna manufactured at least 300 CG-2 gliders though this is unconfirmed. With the glider in production the Cessna Aircraft Company was able to stay in operation until 1932 when the company ceased operation for a period of two years.

Operational Usage

Once the CG-2 had been assembled the glider could be launched via the

bungee cord Bungee cords equipped with metal hooks A bungee cord (sometimes spelled bungle; also known as a shock cord) is an elastic cord composed of one or more elastic strands forming a core, usually covered in a woven cotton or polypropylene sheath. The ...

method, as supplied with the glider, or it could be towed by an automobile or airplane. Longer flights could also be achieved by launching the glider off a hill or ridge.

Surviving Examples

There are two known examples of a CG-2 on display in a museum. * One example is on display at the

EAA Airventure Museum The EAA Aviation Museum, formerly the EAA AirVenture Museum (or Air Adventure Museum), is a museum dedicated to the preservation and display of historic and experimental aircraft as well as antiques, classics, and warbirds. The museum is lo ...

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. * A single example resides on display at the

Museum of Flight The Museum of Flight is a private non-profit air and space museum in the Seattle metropolitan area. It is located at the southern end of King County International Airport (Boeing Field) in the city of Tukwila, immediately south of Seattle. ...

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

Variants

*Cessna CPG-1 - A motorized variant using a 10 hp (7.4 kW) Cleone engine. *Cessna CS-1 - A sailplane variant. *Cessna EC-2 - A small one-seat monoplane variant.

Gallery

Specifications

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links

AirVenture Museum website

Museum of Flight (Seattle) website
{{Cessna 1930s United States civil trainer aircraft CG-02 Glider aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1930 Parasol-wing aircraft