 {| |} thumb|an early production cessna 170  thumb|cessna 170b in flight thumb|cessna 170b  the cessna 170 is a light, single-engined, general aviation aircraft produced by the cessna aircraft company between 1948 and 1956. ==development== ===170=== in late 1948 cessna began sales of the 170, with a metal fuselage and tail and fabric-covered constant-chord wings. these earliest 170s were four-seat versions of the popular 140 with a more powerful  continental c-145-2 and larger fuel tanks. like the 140, they were constructed of metal with fabric-covered wings supported by a "v" strut. ===170a=== in 1949 cessna began marketing the 170a, an all-metal 170 with zero-dihedral wing tapered outboard of the slightly-enlarged plain flaps, and a single strut replacing the "v" strut of the 170. this and subsequent versions of the 170 shared the fin/rudder shape of the larger cessna 190 and 195 models. ===305=== in 1950, the united states air force, army and marines began using the military variant of the 170, the model 305, designated the l-19 and later o-1 bird dog by the military. it was used as a forward air control and reconnaissance aircraft. the bird dog was extensively redesigned from the basic 170 and included a revised tandem-seat fuselage and a wing with large modified fowler flaps that deployed up to 60Â°. ===170b=== in 1952, the cessna 170b was introduced featuring a new wing tapered outboard of the flaps, incorporating dihedral similar to the military version. the b model was equipped with very effective modified fowler (slotted, rearward-traveling) wing flaps which deflect up to 40Â°phillips, edward h: wings of cessna, model 120 to the citation iii, flying books, 1986. isbn 0-911139-05-2 adapted from the c-305/bird dog, a wing design that lives on in the cessna light singles of today (constant naca 2412 section with a chord of  from centerline to  (the outboard end of the flaps), then tapering to  naca 2412 section chord at 208 inches from centerline, with three-degree washout across t
1948_introductions Cessna_aircraft High-wing_aircraft Single-engined_tractor_aircraft United_States_civil_utility_aircraft_1940a1949