The Cessna 120-140 Association Forum

I’m in the process of purchasing a 120. Serial number 12035. I believe it is a 1947 model based on the serial number. However the current owner was led to believe it’s a 46’. Also one of the airframe logs says 46’. Is the serial number the thing to go by?

Look at Cessna Service Letter SLN94-06 (you can google it). It gives the serial number runs for all the 120, 140, and 140A models.

Thanks. I had that same info from one of the newsletters. That’s why I believe this 120 with serial number 12085 is a 47’ model. 1947 had serial numbers 11847-14370. I just wasn’t sure if there was some other way to identify the year since there seems to be a conflict between the logs and the serial number. Maybe whoever filled out the log was mistaken.

The aircraft data plate will have the date of manufacture on it.

Thanks John!

6643 wrote: ↑Sun Aug 29, 2021 4:44 pm The aircraft data plate will have the date of manufacture on it.

Must be a 120 and early 140 thing, 140A’s don’t have the date of manufacture on the data plate.

I refer to my 120 as a 46/47 hybrid. It was made on 12/17/46 per the logs and data plate but the serial number is 11919 which is a 47 per SLN94-06. Some of my parts like the cowling are the 47. The IPC says the cowl subassembly is different for the 47 120 but also calls out a SN starting at 11843 and I can visually see by the rivets that I have a 47 version.

David, looks like mine is similar. Built at the end of 46’ with a 47’ serial number. Ours were built 6 days apart it looks like. Mine was built 12/23/46 with a serial number of 12035.

Perhaps the association could look at an online register of aircraft for those whom wish to opt in, given that we are all this year and for the next 3 years all hitting the 75 year mark its front of mind. A page with columns s/n | type | country | reg | current owner might be of interest historically.

Out of interest mine is s/n 11102 built 31 Oct 1946, I'm going to have a birthday party for her.

cheers
Si

I believe that's all available in the membership directory, but I also believe a decision was made not to put that on line.