The original
Cessna 303 Clipper was first flown on February 14, 1978; it was a low-wing four-seat
Lycoming-powered twin-engined aircraft that would have competed with the
Piper Seminole,
Gulfstream American GA-7 Cougar, and
Beechcraft Duchess. After market demand for four-place light twins declined, only one 303 Clipper was built before Cessna redesigned the aircraft as a six-seat twin. They also renamed the aircraft out of legal concern, since
Pan Am Airlines held the trademark on the name "Clipper" in reference to their fleet aircraft. The new model, designated the
T303 Crusader first flew on October 17, 1979, with the first deliveries being made in October, 1981. The T303 is an all-metal low-wing six-seat twin-engined aircraft with a retractable tricycle undercarriage. At the time, it was the first all-new production twin built by Cessna in over a decade. With a declining market, only 297 were built. Examples were exported to
Europe, with several still operating in the
United Kingdom in 2012 and two flying in
Goondiwindi,
Queensland,
Australia. Many are still flying in
Colombia in
air taxi and private operations. ==Operators==