The Cessna Model 172 is the world's most widely produced lightplane and it is hardly surprising that it has found its way into military service. The T-41 program came about as the result of the USAF's attempt to go to "all-through jet" pilot training. The T-34 was phased out of USAF service in 1961, the theory being that the mild-manneredT-37 Tweety Bird was as easy to fly, and since jets were the wave of the future anyway a propellor-driven trainer was no longer necessary. However, what had not been taken into account was that some pilot candidates were simply incapable of flying, and it was becoming expensive to waste several thousand pounds of jet fuel to discover this. A cheaper means of sorting out the hopelessly inept from the reasonably promising was needed. The USAF issued a Request For Proposal for a new trainer, selected a basic model of the Cessna 172 to fulfill the requirement, and took delivery of the first aircraft, all in 1964! Not that they were in any hurry. . . .

The initial T-41As were essentially model 172Fs and Gs, with only two seats, a fixed-pitch propellor, and day-VFR instrumentation. Later contracts used the same designation but the aircraft themselves were model 172Hs and Ks (the latter for foreign air forces). All of the rest of the T-41 models were based on the R172, which had been developed in Wichita for production in France by Reims Cessna. Its primary difference was in the power train, which featured a more powerful engine and a constant-speed propellor. The T-41B was purchased by the US Army as its fixed-wing primary trainer, the T-41C was obtained for the US Air Force Academy (it kept the more powerful engine but did away with the constant-speed prop), while the T-41D was intended for foreign military forces.

Over forty years later the T-41 is still in service around the world.