Aviator - Australia's Aviation Industry Magazine

By Derek Royal

There’s a photo of a 1936 Cessna C-34 Airmaster parked alongside a Citation X executive jet. The Citation is the fastest civilian jet in the world and cruises just shy of the sound barrier at Mach .92. It is also considered one of business aviation’s busiest and most favoured aircraft.

The C-34 on the other hand is arguably far more impressive. Not because of its cruise speed: it putters along at a stable 120 knots. And certainly not because of its interior comfort. A four-seater boasting a tight cockpit, it is a must for those fortunate enough to fly the aircraft to be diminutive in stature. No, what makes the C-34 special is the fact that there are just two of the type left in the world today. One is based in the USA, and the other (VH-UYG/Serial No. 339) is located on Australia’s Sunshine Coast at Cessna dealership Aeromil.

In the middle of the 1930s, as the Great Depression came to an end, the U.S. economy began to strengthen. This was good news for the Cessna Aircraft Company as Dwane Wallace (Clyde Cessna's nephew who was a recently-graduated aeronautical engineer) decided to assist his uncle in building more modern aircraft. The design of the first Airmaster is credited to Wallace, and the first flight of the C-34 model occurred in June 1935. Not long after the introduction of the C-34, Clyde Cessna retired from aircraft-building activity, leaving the company to his nephew.

By the end of 1936 the Kansas-based company had produced 42 of the type. Aircraft S/N 339 was the second-last to come off the production line and in July 1937 landed on Australian soil, thus becoming the first C-34 to arrive Down Under.

Registered as VH-UYG in July 1937, the aeroplane endured a full life in various guises. Originally operated by Airflight from Mascot (Sydney) VH-UYG suffered a series of incidents over the next two years before serving the RAAF as a communications aircraft. The air force paid Airflight 1,135 pounds to impress the aircraft in 1941, operating under serial number A40-1.

The outbreak of World War II forced the end of Airmaster production. The welded tubular fuselage, fabric covered body, extensive wood work, wooden wings and radial engines, all characteristic of 1930s-era aircraft technology, became too expensive and slow to produce. The old-style aircraft was quickly replaced with aircraft constructed from aluminium with strut-braced wings.

The design of the C-34 incorporates characteristics borrowed from previous models of Cessna aircraft. These similarities include the high-mounted cantilever wing and the narrow design of the cabin windows. The wings and tail surfaces were composed entirely of wood while the fuselage was structured with steel tubing coupled with wooden stringers and formers.

Two years after being commissioned by the air force, A40-1 endured a forced landing due to partial engine failure and was stored at RAAF 2CF Wagga Wagga in NSW.

In 1944 the RAAF advised the DCA that it had no further use for the aircraft due to the difficulty in maintaining its Warner Scarab engine. The airframe was held in storage at Wagga Wagga and in March 1945 the RAAF sold the aircraft to Dr Harold Dicks of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (WA section) for the princely sum of 50 pounds.

Dr Dicks had a new engine installed in Sydney and on 10th April 1946 the aircraft underwent its first test flight at Mascot. A day later the good doctor ferried his new baby to Perth. Dr Dicks had been using a Tiger Moth based at Marble Bar, WA to complete his medical work throughout the state’s rural areas. He then relocated his practice to Perth and flew the Airmaster out of Maylands Aerodrome before selling the aircraft to a private owner in Brisbane in late 1947.

VH-UYG had several owners between 1947 and 1991, when the aircraft was transported to Cairns in a dismantled state for restoration. The work was completed in 1993 by new owner Kim Ryan.

According to notes kept by Ryan throughout the restoration process, the new owner collected the C-34 accompanied by a couple of mates.

“The C-34 Airmaster was collected by myself and a couple of friends from Albury on a specially built trailer to accommodate the one-piece wing in early 1991 in a dismantled state,” the new owner wrote. “The overhaul of the aircraft was completed in less than two years. I was lucky to enlist the help of a retired engineer, John Lucas, who at the time was 74 years old. Without his woodworking skills, in particular reconditioning the all-wood wing structure, this aircraft may have never flown again.” Sadly John passed away aged 92 in 2009.

Although dismantled, VH-UYG was relatively complete. “Everything forward of the firewall was missing,” Ryan wrote. “The Warner Super Scarab motor, engine cowl, oil tank, prop and fitings had been used on the restoration of a Fairchild years earlier.”

Fitted with a 220hp W670 Continental Radial engine, the aircraft first flew again in early 1993. “This engine was used because at the time of restoration, Warner Super Scarab engines were unobtainable anywhere in the world,” wrote Ryan. “The extra weight of the W670 engine and 20kg of lead in the tail made the aircraft short on endurance. The aircraft in this configuration had great speed and climb performance. A Warner Super Scarab became available from John Gallagher in Sydney, which I purchased and had fitted.”

After nine years’ ownership, Ryan sold his beloved Airmaster to airline captain, Greg Cox, who flew the aircraft privately. Aeromil Pacific Managing Director Steve Padgett then purchased the Cessna classic from Cox in December 2009, a gesture designed to preserve a significant piece of Australian aviation history.

“Purchasing the C-34 is significant for two reasons,” Padgett told Aviator. “Apart from the fact that we are the Cessna Citation distributor for Australia and New Zealand, the Airmaster is a piece of genuine Australian history. It was the first Cessna to fly in Australia and has a fantastic background.”

Aeromil plans to display the aircraft at Sunshine Coast Airport where airline passengers will have an opportunity to admire a beautifully restored aircraft from what many consider to be the golden age of aviation. “We will fly the Airmaster at selected air shows, which will give people an opportunity to see a little bit of Australian aviation history,” Padgett says. “But because the cockpit is very small our chief pilot, who stands at around six feet six inches, can’t get into the machine. Therefore we’ll utilise the services of the former owner (Greg Cox), who is happy to fly the aircraft at air shows.”

Padgett may describe the cockpit as tight but according to a Cessna Airmaster brochure, circa 1930s, “Roomy comfort and luxurious appointments characterise the modern Cessna cabin. Full 180 degree vision for the pilot and wide, artistically-designed windows for the passengers contribute not only to safety but, because they relieve the sensation of being ‘closed in’, remove one of the causes of fatigue, which pasengers often experience in less scientifically designed interiors.”

The brochure continues: “The sliding front seat makes for easy accessibility to every place. High clearance assures ample head-room and the wide seats provide shoulder room for four ‘large’ people.” Yes, read again: four ‘large’ people. “The seats are fitted with moulded whipped rubber cushions and all coverings are selected Laidlaw all-virgin wool fabrics, which adds to the sound-proofing characteristics of the cabin. In addition, the cabins are thoroughly insulated. Heating is provided for winter flying and ample ventilation is provided for all seasons.”

So with such exquisite characteristics, what’s the Airmaster like to fly? “I haven’t actually flown the aircraft,” Padgett answers. “But other pilots who have had the opportunity say it flies very nicely, better than the Beech Staggerwing, which is a similar sort of aircraft and quite popular among private owners.”

At the time of writing VH-UYG was covered completely at its Sunshine Coast home, largely due to the corrosive coastal environment. As a partially wooden aeroplane, taking due care of the 75 year-old gem is absolute.

“We do intend to get a showroom-type environment for the aircraft at some stage, hoping it will be in a position where the airline passengers will all be able to see it,” Padgett says. “It won’t be in the terminal but will be somewhere nearby. I intend to keep it here in Australia so we can display it and fly it for the benefit of all Australians. Not to be tucked away in a hangar rotting to pieces.”

Cessna C-34 Airmaster VH-UYG (Serial Number 339)
Specifications:

Production Era:

1935-36

Total number built:

42

S/N 339 is number:

41

Wingspan:

10.4m

Length:

7.5m

Empty Weight:

626kg

Take-Off Weight:

1020kg

Fuel Capacity:

196 litres (52USG)

Consumption:

37 litres (10USG)/Hour

Stall Speed:

46kts

Cruise Speed:

120kts