WHAT ARE FRENCH CESSNAS?

IN THE LATE 1950S GENERAL AVIATION WAS BOOMING IN THE UNITED STATES. CESSNA HAD EMERGED AS A LEADER IN THE LIGHT AIRCRAFT MARKET, RIDING THE SUCCESS OF THE CESSNA 140 AND 170 SERIES INTO THE EVEN MORE POPULAR CESSNA 172.

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ESSENTIALLY A KIT VERSION OF THE CESSNA 172D.

Cessna was looking to broaden its distribution outside the United States and saw opportunity in the fast-growing European market. Cessna had established a dealer network abroad, but transportation costs and high tariffs made it difficult for Cessna to bring price-competitive products to Europe.

And so began the search for a European partner which could manufacture Cessnas under licence. The ideal partner would have spare production capacity and a trained workforce to facilitate a rapid spool-up of production of Cessnalicensed aircraft.

The right partner was French aircraft manufacturer Societe Nouvelle des Avions Max Holste, founded in 1933 by engineer Max Holste. Avions Max Holste had produced several aircraft (both of their own design and on license) in the postwar years. However, it had not found a large market for its flagship Broussard series of transports and by the end of the 1950s, the company was in trouble.

France was Europe’s most active GA country with more than 3,000 aircraft in the air. A partnership with Avions Max Holste made good sense for both sides. Cessna would gain access to a skilled workforce and manufacturing facilities in the heart of France; Avions Max Holste could delicately extract itself from its financial woes by spinning off its turboprop line to Nord Aviation and focus on producing commercially proven Cessna aircraft.

A partnership agreement was signed on February 16, 1960 and the company was renamed Societe Nouvelle Max Holste. The company was renamed again as Reims Aviation. Cessna owned 49 percent of Reims Aviation, with the shareholders of Avions Max Holste retaining the balance. At the time of the agreement, Reims had 280 employees.