Curtiss-Wright CW-12

The Curtiss-Wright CW-12 Sport Trainer and CW-16 Light Sport (also marketed under the Travel Air brand that Curtiss-Wright had recently acquired) were high-performance training aircraft designed by Herbert Rawdon and Ted Wells and built in the United States in the early 1930s.

CW-12 Sport Trainer and CW-16 Light Sport
Curtiss-Wright Travel Air CW-12W (built 2009)
Role Civil trainer
Manufacturer Curtiss-Wright
First flight 1931
Status Some airworthy in 2009
Primary user Private owners
Number built 63

Development

The CW-12 and CW-16 shared the same basic design as conventional single-bay biplanes with staggered wings braced with N-struts. The pilot and instructor sat in tandem, open cockpits, the forward cockpit of the CW-12 having a single seat, while the CW-16's forward cockpit could seat two passengers side-by-side. Both versions of the aircraft were available in a variety of engine choices, and some CW-16s were exported as trainers to the air forces of Bolivia and Ecuador.

Variants
Curtiss Travel Air 16E at the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum
CW-12
  • CW-12K - version powered by 125 hp (93 kW) Kinner K-5 engine. Two built.[1]
  • CW-12Q - version powered by 90 hp (67 kW) Wright-built de Havilland Gipsy. 26 built.[1]
  • CW-12W - version powered by 110 hp (82 kW) Warner Scarab. 12 built[1] + 1 replica
CW-16

Operators

Civil owners in USA and United Kingdom

 Argentina
  • Argentine Navy purchased 15 CW-16Es in 1935, with 13 more possibly being built from 1938. The type remained in use until 1949.[3]
 Bolivia
 Brazil
  • Brazilian Air Force received 15 CW-16Ws, with 125 hp (93 kW) Warner Scarab engines in 1935, the type remaining in service until 1940.[4]
 Colombia
 Ecuador
  • Ecuadorian Air Force purchased six CW-16Es in 1935, with three more CW-16s following in 1936. Three remained in use until 1944.[5]

Specifications (CW-12Q)

Data from Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947[6]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • Length: 21 ft 5 in (6.53 m)
  • Wingspan: 28 ft 10 in (8.79 m)
  • Height: 8 ft 10 in (2.69 m)
  • Wing area: 206 sq ft (19.1 m2)
  • Airfoil: Clark Y (15%)[7]
  • Empty weight: 1,071 lb (486 kg)
  • Gross weight: 1,725 lb (782 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Curtiss-Wright licence-built de Havilland Gipsy 4-cylinder air-cooled in-line piston engine, 90 hp (67 kW)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 105 mph (169 km/h, 91 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 88 mph (142 km/h, 76 kn)
  • Range: 390 mi (630 km, 340 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 12,000 ft (3,700 m)
  • Rate of climb: 600 ft/min (3.0 m/s)

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Curtiss-Wright CW-12.

Citations
  1. Bowers 1979, p.402.
  2. Bowers 1979, p. 408.
  3. Hagedorn Air Enthusiast March to May 1992, p. 76.
  4. Hagedorn Air Enthusiast March to May 1992, p. 75.
  5. Hagedorn Air Enthusiast March to May 1992, pp. 75–76.
  6. Bowers 1979, p.403.
  7. Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.

Bibliography
  • Bowers, Peter M. (1979). Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-10029-8.
  • Hagedorn, Dan (March–May 1992). "Curtiss Types In Latin America". Air Enthusiast. No. Forty–five. pp. 61–77. ISSN 0143-5450.
  • Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 288.
  • World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 891 Sheet 54.
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