The International Cessna 170 Association

Recently saw a 1948 rag wing up close. Impressed. Owner loves his airplane.

Anecdotal memories. Why rag wing? Cessna had left over fabric from prior production. Bamboo bomber?

Parts bins with left over fuel tanks (C140) So 1948 is blessed w three (3) fuel tanks. Really?

Whatever - it was very good.

I want to learn more about the 1948 Classic Rag wing.

What was the cloth covering on original wings? Is the exact cloth available today?

My biggest question is about how many months in 1948 was it offered for sale? When did it start and when did it end?

finis

MoonlightVFR wrote:Recently saw a 1948 rag wing up close. Impressed. Owner loves his airplane.

Anecdotal memories. Why rag wing? Cessna had left over fabric from prior production. Bamboo bomber?

Parts bins with left over fuel tanks (C140) So 1948 is blessed w three (3) fuel tanks. Really?

Whatever - it was very good.

I want to learn more about the 1948 Classic Rag wing.

What was the cloth covering on original wings? Is the exact cloth available today?

My biggest question is about how many months in 1948 was it offered for sale? When did it start and when did it end?

finis

The so-called "ragwing" Cessna 170 was derived from the C-140 ragwing by increasing span of the existing wing. (It's why the ailerons are perceived as a bit "under-powered" for the span and the airplane is considered by some to suffer a slow "roll-rate", especially in crosswinds.) Certification rules required an increase in fuel capacity to serve the increased horsepower of the C-145 engine, and since the wing is already designed for the little 120/140 12.5 gal tanks... that's what was used. The most common fabric in early airplanes was Grade-A linen and butyrate dope... but I haven't confirmed that is what was used.