CW-12 Sport Trainer and CW-16 Light Sport General information Type Civil trainer Manufacturer Curtiss-Wright Status Some airworthy in 2009 Primary user Private owners Number built 63 History First flight 1931
TheCurtiss-Wright CW-12 Sport Trainer andCW-16 Light Sport (also marketed under theTravel Air brand that Curtiss-Wright had recently acquired) are high-performance training aircraft designed byHerbert Rawdon andTed Wells and built in the United States in the early 1930s.
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.
Curtiss Travel Air 16E at theHistoric Aircraft Restoration Museum CW-12 CW-16 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] [ edit ] Data from Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947[ 6]
General characteristics
Crew: 2Length: 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 :[ 7] Empty weight: 1,071 lb (486 kg)Gross weight: 1,725 lb (782 kg)Powerplant: 1 × Curtiss-Wright licence-builtde Havilland Gipsy 4-cylinder air-cooled in-line piston engine, 90 hp (67 kW)Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propellerPerformance
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)^a b c Bowers 1979, p.402. ^a b c Bowers 1979, p. 408. ^ HagedornAir Enthusiast March to May 1992, p. 76. ^a b c HagedornAir Enthusiast March to May 1992, p. 75. ^ HagedornAir Enthusiast March to May 1992, pp. 75–76. ^ Bowers 1979, p.403. ^ Lednicer, David."The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage" .m-selig.ae.illinois.edu . Retrieved16 April 2019 . 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 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.
Early letter base designations 1000 series designations Late Numerical Designations Names
Manufacturer
Early types Model letters Model numbers "L" series "CA" series "CR" series "CW" series "P" series "X" series
Operator and role
Civil
Experimental Racers and record Airliners Utility
Army
Ground attack Bombers Transports Fighters Observation Racers Trainers Experimental Licensed
Navy
Bombers Fighters Observation/scout Trainers Transports Maritime patrol Racers and record
Export
Bombers Maritime patrol Fighters Trainers
1 Designation skipped 2 Not built
