On this day in aviation history, 55 years ago (May 18, 1971), the CERVA CE.43 Guépard took flight for the first time. The CE.43 was a general aviation aircraft built in the 1970s by French aero manufacturer CERVA. This four to five-seat monoplane was a further development of the Wassmer WA 4/21 Prestige, which first flew in March of 1967. The original WA 4/21 was built of steel-tube framing, with a fabric-covered fuselage and plywood-covered wing. Wassmer desired to develop an alternate all-metal version of their Prestige, so they joined forces with Siren SA to form a joint company called Consortium Europeén de Réalisation et de Ventes d’Avions (CERVA). Both the WA 4/21 and the CE.43 have the exact same dimensions, the only difference being the Guépard’s higher weight, owing to its all-metal construction. Following the Guépard’s first flight, the aircraft was displayed at the 1971 Paris Air Show. The CE.43 received certification on June 1, 1972. Shortly after, the French government ordered eight aircraft for the Service de la Formation Aéronautique (SFA), and an additional 18 aircraft for use as comms aircraft by the Center d’Essais en Vol (CEV) of the French Air Force.
First deliveries of the CE.43 took place in 1975, though production only lasted through 1976. In that time, 44 aircraft had been manufactured, with some seeing export to Finland. Two higher-powered variants were developed in the CE.44 Couguar and CE.45 Léopard, though development was halted when Wassmer went into liquidation in 1977. The CERVA CE.43 was powered by a 250-hp Avco Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 air-cooled flat-six engine. The Guépard could cruise at 170 mph and attain a maximum airspeed of 200 mph (Vne of 220). CERVA designed the CE.43 with a range of 1,600 nmi, a service ceiling of 17,400 ft, and a 1,080 fpm rate of climb. The CE.43 could handle load factors of +4.4 and -2.2gs.
