Cessna is considered to be one of the “Big Three” of general aviation, along with Beechcraft and Piper Aircraft. The company was first founded in 1927 by Clyde Cessna. The young aviation entrepreneur designed several small single-engine aircraft in the late 1920s. However, his first official aircraft, the Cessna DC-6, was certified on the same day as the stock market crash of 1929. Because of this, Clyde eventually closed down Cessna Aircraft in the early 1930s.