Colombian Air Force Orders Four Cessna 172s

Fuerza Aérea Colombiana (FAC), the Colombian Air Force, has ordered four Cessna Skyhawk 172 piston singles from Textron Aviation, replacing the service’s long-in-tooth Cessna T-41 Mescaleros. The Skyhawks will be used for initial training and are expected to enter service in the first half of next year.

“The Cessna 172 aircraft will replace a fleet of venerable Cessna T-41 Mescalero aircraft, which has delivered reliable service for more than 50 years,” said Textron Aviation v-p of special mission sales Bob Gibbs.

A military version of the 172, the T-41 began production in 1964 and was fitted with a larger Continental IO-360 engine and a variable-pitch propeller. It was developed for initial training for the U.S. Army and Air Force and retired in 1997.

The Skyhawk airplanes replacing FAC’s Mescaleros will be based at the military aviation school Escuela Militar de Aviación at the Marco Fidel Suárez Air Base in Cali.