Cessna 120 and 140

Cessna's postwar two-seat side-by-side taildragger, built 1946-1951 with an all-metal fuselage at a time when most rivals were tube and fabric. The 120 is the stripped version without flaps, rear side windows or (as delivered) an electrical system; the 140 is the fully equipped aeroplane; the 140A of 1949-51 replaced the fabric V-strut wing with an all-metal single-strut wing. All share the 85 hp class Continental and are bought today for cheap tailwheel flying.

The variants

MODEL	YEARS	ACTIVE	TAILFAX SCORE	WHAT CHANGED
120	1946–1949	662	31.5/50	The original economy version: no flaps, no rear windows, usually no electrics
140	1946–1951	1,602	31.6/50	Flaps, electrical system, rear side windows
140A	1949–1951	233	25.5/50	All-metal single-strut wing replaces the fabric V-strut wing

Family fleet, active

2,497

FAA registry

NTSB events / 1,000, 10 yrs

43.7

109 events over 2,497 active aircraft, pooled across the family

Successor

Cessna 150

Data as of: FAA registry Sep 28 · NTSB Oct 2 · scores Sep 30